Performance benchmarking of the production Cherenkov detector modules for MOLLER
ORAL
Abstract
The MOLLER (Measurement Of Lepton Lepton Electroweak Reaction) experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab), Newport News, Virginia, aims to measure the parity-violating asymmetry (A${pv}$) in electron-electron (Møller) scattering with unprecedented precision. The flux of Møller-scattered electrons from a liquid hydrogen target is measured using Cherenkov detectors, while the longitudinal polarisation of the incident electron beam is rapidly flipped to extract the right-left fractional flux difference, thereby determining A${pv}$. The discovery potential of MOLLER exceeds that of any proposed experiment measuring a flavor- and CP-conserving process in the coming decade.
A state-of-the-art detector subsystem has been developed to precisely measure Møller-scattered electrons using Cherenkov detectors. The expected maximum particle rate across the full detector array is approximately 150 GHz. The radial and azimuthal segmentation of the detectors is optimised to limit the rate per individual segment to ~5–6 GHz. Fused silica (quartz) tiles were selected as Cherenkov radiators due to their excellent radiation hardness and negligible scintillation yield. A comprehensive R\&D program was undertaken to evaluate the performance of prototype detectors using mono-energetic electron beams and cosmic muons. Beam tests were conducted at the MAMI accelerator facility in Mainz, Germany with ~855 MeV electrons, while radiation hardness studies of critical components (e.g., electronics, 3D-printed structures, and quartz tiles) were performed at the Idaho State University. Cosmic muon tests and performance benchmarking of the prototype modules were carried out at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Following the successful R\&D phase, the final detector module design has been finalised, and full-scale production is launched and currently underway at the University of Manitoba, Canada.
The production modules are presently undergoing performance validation with cosmic muons at the William \& Mary, Virginia. This presentation will provide an overview of the R\&D and prototyping phase of the integrating Cherenkov detectors, the current status of the production module testing and the production module performance results obtained with cosmic muon measurements.
A state-of-the-art detector subsystem has been developed to precisely measure Møller-scattered electrons using Cherenkov detectors. The expected maximum particle rate across the full detector array is approximately 150 GHz. The radial and azimuthal segmentation of the detectors is optimised to limit the rate per individual segment to ~5–6 GHz. Fused silica (quartz) tiles were selected as Cherenkov radiators due to their excellent radiation hardness and negligible scintillation yield. A comprehensive R\&D program was undertaken to evaluate the performance of prototype detectors using mono-energetic electron beams and cosmic muons. Beam tests were conducted at the MAMI accelerator facility in Mainz, Germany with ~855 MeV electrons, while radiation hardness studies of critical components (e.g., electronics, 3D-printed structures, and quartz tiles) were performed at the Idaho State University. Cosmic muon tests and performance benchmarking of the prototype modules were carried out at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Following the successful R\&D phase, the final detector module design has been finalised, and full-scale production is launched and currently underway at the University of Manitoba, Canada.
The production modules are presently undergoing performance validation with cosmic muons at the William \& Mary, Virginia. This presentation will provide an overview of the R\&D and prototyping phase of the integrating Cherenkov detectors, the current status of the production module testing and the production module performance results obtained with cosmic muon measurements.
–
Publication: S. Chatterjee NIMA 1070 (2025) 170057 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2024.170057)
Presenters
-
Sayak Chatterjee
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Authors
-
Sayak Chatterjee
University of Massachusetts Amherst