Large-scale particle timing detector using plastic-scintillator and silicon-photomultiplier technologies

• Research unit: COST
• Project number: C16.0034

Key words (English)

plastic scintillator; silicon photomultiplier; waveform digitiser; time resolution; SHiP experiment

Research programs (English)

COST-Action TD1401 - Fast advanced Scintillator Timing

Short description (English)

The aim of this project is to develop and test plastic scintillator bars coupled to large-area silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) for a large detector with high timing precision. Such a detector is motivated by the SHiP experiment at the CERN SPS, proposed to search for hidden particles with masses below 2 GeV. In particular, SHiP can probe right-handed neutrinos with couplings that would explain the puzzles of neutrino masses, dark matter, and matter-antimatter asymmetry. The timing detector plays an essential role for background rejection in SHiP. The 6x12 m2 array placed in a magnetic field needs to separate out-of-time signals with a precision of 100 ps or better. The specific challenge of this project is therefore to design a cheap scintillator array with very good timing over a large surface. A 2 m long bar read out by PMTs on both ends is known to provide a time resolution around 100 ps. A novel design, made affordable by recent developments in SiPM technologies, is proposed here: the direct application of largearea SiPMs to the bar surface. This can potentially result in a better timing performance while also allowing the use of shorter bars. This concept, which can have many applications in the broader community, will be demonstrated in this project through a comprehensive set of measurements. In 2018, the optimised design and performance of the timing detector will be summarised in the SHiP technical design report requested by the CERN SPSC committee.

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise: University of Geneva Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire Section de Physique - DPNC

Partners and International Organizations (English)

AT; BE; BA; BG; HR; CZ; DK; EE; FI; FR; MK; DE; EL; HU; IS; IE; IL; IT; LV; LT; MT; MNE; NL; NO; PL; PT; RO; RS; SI; ES; SE;TR; UK; AL; CA

Abstract (English)

See short description

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. [phone] Swiss Project-Number: C16.0034