https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2008-00800-2
The COMPASS RICH-1 detector upgrade
1
CEA Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
2
INFN, Sezione di Torino and University of Torino, Torino, Italy
3
Technische Universität München, Physik Department, Garching, Germany
4
INFN, Sezione di Trieste and University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
5
LIP, Lisbon, Portugal
6
INFN, Sezione di Torino and University of East Piemonte, Alessandria, Italy
7
Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Physikalisches Institut, Erlangen, Germany
8
Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic and JINR, Dubna, Russia
9
Universität Freiburg, Physikalisches Institut, Freiburg, Germany
10
Universität Mainz, Institut für Kernphysik, Mainz, Germany
11
Universität Bonn, Helmholtz-Institut für Strahlen- und Kernphysik, Bonn, Germany
12
CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva, Switzerland
13
Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech Republic
Corresponding author: Frank.Nerling@cern.ch
The COMPASS experiment at CERN provides hadron identification in a wide momentum range employing a large
size gaseous Ring Imaging CHerenkov detector (RICH).
The presence of large uncorrelated background in the COMPASS environment was limiting the efficiency of COMPASS RICH-1 in the very forward regime.
A major upgrade of RICH-1 required a new technique for Cherenkov photon detection at count rates of
several per channel in the central detector part, and a read-out system allowing for trigger rates of up
to 100 kHz. To cope with these requirements, the photon detectors of the central region have been replaced with a fast photon detection
system described here, while, in the peripheral regions, the existing multi-wire proportional chambers with
CsI photo-cathodes have
been equipped with a new read-out system based on APV preamplifiers and flash ADC chips.
The new system consists of multi-anode photo-multiplier tubes (MAPMTs) coupled to individual fused silica lens telescopes,
and fast read-out electronics based on the MAD4 amplifier-discriminator and the dead-time free F1 TDC chip.
The project was completely designed and implemented in less than two years: The upgraded detector is in operation since the
2006 CERN SPS run.
We present the photon detection design, constructive aspects and test studies to characterise the
single photon response of the MAPMTs coupled to the read-out system as
well as the detector performance based on the 2006 data.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2008