ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗ ΕΝΟΣ ΠΡΟΤΥΠΟΥ ΑΝΙΧΝΕΥΤΗ CHERENKOV ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΣΤΡΟΦΥΣΙΚΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΗ ΦΥΣΙΚΗ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΩΔΩΝ ΣΩΜΑΤΙΔΙΩΝ

Abstract

ΕΓΙΝΕ Η ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗ ΕΝΟΣ ΠΡΟΤΥΠΟΥ ΑΝΙΧΝΕΥΤΗ ΑΚΤΙΝΟΒΟΛΙΑΣ CHERENKOV. ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΤΕΣΤΣ ΕΓΙΝΑΝ ΣΕ ΔΕΣΜΗ ΤΟΥ CERN-PS, ΚΑΙ ΣΕ ΠΙΟΝΙΑ-ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΑ ΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΑΣ ΜΕΧΡΙ 10 GEV. Η ΔΙΑΚΡΙΤΙΚΗ ΤΟΥ ΙΚΑΝΟΤΗΤΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΑΞΕΩΣ ΤΩΝ ΜΕΡΙΚΩΝ MRAD ΚΑΙ ΕΧΕΙ ΕΥΡΥΠΕΔΙΟ ΑΝΙΧΝΕΥΣΗΣ. ΥΠΟΣΧΕΤΑΙ ΕΦΑΡΜΟΓΕΣ ΤΟΣΟ ΣΤΙΣ ΥΨΗΛΕΣ ΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΕΣ ΣΕ ΠΕΙΡΑΜΑΤΑΕΠΙΤΑΧΥΝΤΩΝ, ΑΛΛΑ ΙΔΙΑΙΤΕΡΑ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΣΤΡΟΦΥΣΙΚΗ.

WE DESCRIBE EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS OBTAINED USING A NEW TYPE OF DETECTOR FOR HIGH ENERGY GAMMA ASTROPHYSICS.THE DETECTOR WILL MEASURE GAMMA RAYS IN THE GEV RANGE, WITH AN ANGULAR RESOLUTION OF FEW MRADS AND AN ACCEPTANCE OF 50". THE TELESCOPE IS BASED ON THE IMAGING OF CHERENKOV LIGHT PRODUCED IN A DENSE MEDIUM (LIQUID OR SOLID) BACKED BY A PARABOLIC OR SPHERICAL REFLECTING SURFACE. THE HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS PRODUCED AT THE START OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SHOWER GENERATE A RING SHAPED PHOTON IMAGE WHICH MAY PRODUCE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF PHOTOELECTRONS ON AN APPROPRIATE PHOTON IMAGING DETECTOR PLACED AT THE FOCAL PLANE OF THE SYSTEM WHICH IS AT THE ENTRANCE SURFACE OF THE CONVERTER. A PROTOTYPE CONSISTING OF A LIQUID RADIATOR (C6F14), A MULTISTEP PARALLEL PLATE AVALANCHE CHAMBER AND AN OPTICAL READOUT SYSTEM HAS BEEN TESTED, IN A 1-10 GEV/C CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM. THE ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTAL DATA INDICATE THAT INITIAL DIRECTION OF THE PARTICLES CAN BE RECONSTRUCTED WITH AN ANGULAR RESOLUTION OF 4 MRAD. FURTHERMORE, THE CAPABILITY OF SUCH A DETECTOR TO SEPARATE E/Π IN THEGEV RANGE SEEMS PROMISING. ANOTHER INTERESTING FEATURE IS THE PARTICLE IDENTIFICATION CAPABILITY IN THE MOMENTUM RANGE UP TO 4 GEV/C. POSSIBLE USE OF THE APPARATUS IN A SPACE-BORNE EXPERIMENT FOR DISTINCT GAMMA-RAY SOURCES IS ALSO DISCUSSED.