D. A. Forbush

The T2K ND280 Off-Axis Pi-Zero Detector

Abstract The pi–zero detector (POD) is one of the subdetectors that makes up the off-axis near detector for the Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) long baseline neutrino experiment. The primary goal for the POD is to measure the relevant cross-sections for neutrino interactions that generate π 0 s, especially the cross-section for neutral current π 0 interactions, which are one of the dominant sources of background to the ν μ → ν e appearance signal in T2K. The POD is composed of layers of plastic scintillator alternating with water bags and brass sheets or lead sheets and is one of the first detectors to use Multi-Pixel Photon Counters (MPPCs) on a large scale.

The Mark III spectrometer

Abstract This paper describes the design, construction and performance of the Mark III, a new general purpose large solid angle spectrometer at SPEAR, the SLAC 2–8 GeV e+e− storage ring. The detector has been designed for the study of exclusive final states in e+e− annihilation, which requires large solid angle coverage combined with charged particle momentum resolution, particle identification, and photon detection efficiency at low energies.

Experience gained in the certification of Seattle MDT ATLAS end-cap chambers

ATLAS monitored drift tube (MDT) chambers are composed of precision muon drift tubes assembled into arrays to form base chambers. Each tube wire in a chamber is located to a precision of 25 microns to provide large area precision chambers for the measurement of muons produced in high-energy collisions at the LHC. Following the completion of 80 MDT base chambers we have been through a process at Seattle and CERN of certifying their operational readiness for ATLAS. The certification process involved a recheck of the gas tightness, the addition of the high voltage and signal electronics cards, the cabling, the testing and conditioning for dark current at high voltage and ultimately collecting millions of cosmic ray events for each MDT. This paper reviews the results, the problems and the repairs performed during the certification. Analysis of the cosmic ray events provides an insight into occasional anomalies in tube function.