LAMBDA: Large Area Modular BaF2 Detector Array for the measurement of high energy gamma rays

TL;DR

This paper presents the design, construction, and successful deployment of a large BaF2 detector array for high energy gamma-ray measurements, including detailed characterization, simulations, and experimental validation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel large-area modular BaF2 detector array with comprehensive performance studies and simulation-based optimization for high energy gamma-ray detection.

Findings

Detector array successfully measured high energy gamma rays above 8 MeV.

Experimental spectra matched well with statistical model simulations.

Detailed characterization of detector properties was achieved.

Abstract

A large BaF2 detector array along with its dedicated CAMAC electronics and VME based data acquisition system has been designed, constructed and installed successfully at VECC, Kolkata for studying high energy gamma rays (E>8 MeV). The array consists of 162 detector elements. The detectors were fabricated from bare barium fluoride crystals (each measuring 35 cm in length and having cross-sectional area of 3.5 cm X 3.5 cm X 35.0 cm). The basic properties of the detectors (energy resolution, time resolution, efficiency, uniformity, fast to slow ratio etc.) were studied exhaustively. Complete GEANT3 monte carlo simulations were performed to optimize the detector design and also to generate the response function. The detector system has been used successfully to measure high energy photons from 113Sb, formed by bombarding 145 and 160 MeV 20Ne beams on a 93Nb target. The measured experimental spectra are in good agreement with those from a modified version of the statistical model code CASCADE. In this paper, we present the complete description of this detector array along with its in-beam performance.