L.K. Resvanis

The Barrel Ring Imaging Cherenkov counter of DELPHI

Abstract A short explanation is given of the Barrel Ring Imaging CHerenkov (BRICH) detector and its performance. We discuss in brief some of the requirements to run this detector. Special attention is paid to the functioning of the Cherenkov photon detector — a photosensitive gas-filled drift chamber where the photoelectrons drift to a MWPC of special construction. We illustrate the BRICH performance with some preliminary results.

NESTOR: A Neutrino particle astrophysics underwater laboratory for the Mediterranean

Abstract An underwater neutrino astrophysics laboratory, to be located in the international waters off the Southwest of Greece, near the town of Pylos is now under construction. In the last two years a group of physicists from Greece and Russia have carried out two demonstration experiments in 4km deep water, counting muons and verifying the adequacy of the deep sea site. Plans are presented for a 100, 000 m 2 high energy neutrino detector composed of a hexagon of hexagonal towers, with 1176 optical detector units. A progress report is given and the physics potential of a siggle tower with 168 phototubes (currently under construction) is described.

The optical module for the NESTOR neutrino telescope

NESTOR is a deep-sea water Cherenkov neutrino detector now under construction for deployment in the Mediterranean off Greece. Its key component is an optical module employing a photomultiplier tube with a 15 in. hemispherical photocathode in a transparent glass pressure housing. Extensive tests have been made on the sensitivity, uniformity, time resolution, noise rates and mechanical properties of the module: several test deployments have been made at sea.

NESTOR: A status report

NESTOR is an underwater neutrino astrophysics laboratory to be located in the international waters of the southwest of Greece. The first phase of this experiment is the construction and deployment of one hexagonal tower consisting of 168 optical modules, with effective are of 20000m2 for E ⩾ TeV neutrinos. Over the past few years detailed studies of the site have been carried out while many tests have been performed. The current status of the preparation of the experiment and the future plans will be presented.

The calibration system for the DELPHI Barrel RICH detector

Abstract We have designed, constructed and installed a system that makes an accurate 3D map of the electron drift velocity and measures the space-charge distorting effects in the TPCs of the DELPHI Barrel RICH detector. Details of the design considerations, construction and production are given.

The experiment 705 electromagnetic shower calorimeter

Abstract Experiment 705 at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has designed, built, and operated a large acceptance, highly segmented electromagnetic shower calorimeter using SF5 lead glass, SCG1-C scintillating glass, and two types of gas-based fine-grained hodoscopes. The calorimeter was used to reconstruct photons and electrons with energies ranging from a few GeV/ c 2 to over 100 GeV/ c 2 in 300 GeV/ c pion and proton interactions on a lithium target at instantaneous interaction rates approaching several MHz. Construction details of the calorimeter are given. The readout electronics, calibration, and algorithms used to reconstruct the positions and energies of showering particles are discussed. Energy resolution, position resolution, and reconstruction efficiency are assessed using both calibration electron beams and electrons and π 0 mesons reconstructed in 300 GeV/ c interactions.

Status of NESTOR, a deep sea neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean

In the last few years a great interest has been expressed for the construction of a Neutrino Astroparticle Physics Laboratory in the Mediterranean. The NESTOR collaboration made important progresses and plans soon to deploy in deep sea a detector with ∼ 104 m2 effective surface. This detector will be able not only to demonstrate the validity of the experimental approach but also to start data collection and then real Neutrino Astrophysics. The status of the preparation of the experiment and the future programs are described.

Results from the E-705 electromagnetic shower position detector

A fine-grain hodoscope to measure the position of showers in the outer (>52 cm) region of the E-705 electromagnetic calorimeter is described. The hodoscope is constructed with two layers of vertical conducting plastic tubes for the X position measurement of showers. Y position measurement of showers was accomplished by cathode-induced horizontal strips. A 50/50-ethane mixture bubbled through isopropyl alcohol at 0 degrees C was circulated through the tubes in parallel. The tubes were operated at +1.925 kV on the wire (below the region of saturated avalanche) in the limited proportionality mode. The hodoscope is described, and results are presented for the position resolution, shower width, and charge detected as a function of calibration electron energy. >

The Haleakala Gamma Observatory

The Haleakala Gamma Observatory is a 10m2 multi-mirror telescope for observing Cherenkov light from electromagnetic cascades in the atmosphere. It is situated at an altitude of 2950 meters at 20.7°N, 156°W on Mount Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii. It differs from most Cherenkov devices in accepting single photoelectron pulses. It employs two sets of 18 phototubes observing seperate regions of the sky to continuously monitor hadronic background. Hardware coincidence resolution is 10ns, and digital filtering can reduce this substantially, effectively eliminating random signals from ambient light. Events are timed to within ±2μs of UTC by a Cesium beam atomic clock. Hadronic showers are observed at rates of 0.5 to 0.7 Hz, implying a threshold for gamma-induced showers of about 200 GeV.

NESTOR experiment in 2003

NESTOR is a submarine high-energy muon and neutrino telescope, now under construction for deployment in the Mediterranean close to Greek shores. The first floor of NESTOR with 12 optical modules was deployed successfully in March 2003 together with the electronics system. All systems and the associated environmental monitoring units are operating properly and data are being recorded. The status of the NESTOR project is presented. We outline briefly the construction of the deepwater neutrino telescope, properties of the NESTOR site, infrastructure of the project, the deployment of the first floor, and its current operation. The first data are presented and plans for the next steps are summarized.