A Water Cherenkov Detector prototype for the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory

ORAL

Abstract

A full-size Water Cherenkov Detector (WCD) prototype for the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) gamma-ray Observatory was deployed, and is currently being operated at Colorado State University (CSU). The HAWC Observatory will consist of 300 WCDs at the very high altitude (4100m) site in Sierra Negra, Mexico. Each WCD will have 4 baffled upward-facing Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs) anchored to the bottom of a self made multilayer hermetic plastic bag containing 200,000 liters of purified water, inside a 5m deep by 7.3m diameter steel container. The full size WCD at CSU is the only full size prototype outside of the HAWC site. It is equipped with seven HAWC PMTs and has scintillators both under and above the volume of water. It has been in operation since March 1, 2011. This prototype also has the same laser calibration system that the detectors deployed at the HAWC site will have. The CSU WCD serves as a testbed for the different subsystems before deployment at high altitude, and for optimizing the location of the PMTs, the design of the light collectors, deployment procedures, etc. Simulations of the light inside the detectors and the expected signals in the PMTs can also be benchmarked with this prototype.

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Authors

  • Megan Longo

    Colorado State University

  • Young-Yeal Song

    Brigham Young University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Yale University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, JILA, NIST and University of Colorado, University of Arizona, MIT, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, University of New Mexico, Iowa State University, Los Alamos National Lab XCP-2, Utah State University, Weber State University, New Mexico State University, College of Optical Science, University of Arizona, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, J.A. Woollam Co., U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Arizona State University, BYU Nuclear Physics Group, Brigham Young University Physics and Astronomy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Tsukuba, Japan, Colorado State University, NSF ERC for EUV science and technology, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Utah Valley University, Argonne National Lab

  • Young-Yeal Song

    Brigham Young University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Yale University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, JILA, NIST and University of Colorado, University of Arizona, MIT, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, University of New Mexico, Iowa State University, Los Alamos National Lab XCP-2, Utah State University, Weber State University, New Mexico State University, College of Optical Science, University of Arizona, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, J.A. Woollam Co., U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Arizona State University, BYU Nuclear Physics Group, Brigham Young University Physics and Astronomy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Tsukuba, Japan, Colorado State University, NSF ERC for EUV science and technology, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Utah Valley University, Argonne National Lab

  • Young-Yeal Song

    Brigham Young University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Yale University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, JILA, NIST and University of Colorado, University of Arizona, MIT, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, University of New Mexico, Iowa State University, Los Alamos National Lab XCP-2, Utah State University, Weber State University, New Mexico State University, College of Optical Science, University of Arizona, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, J.A. Woollam Co., U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Arizona State University, BYU Nuclear Physics Group, Brigham Young University Physics and Astronomy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Tsukuba, Japan, Colorado State University, NSF ERC for EUV science and technology, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Utah Valley University, Argonne National Lab