Characterisation and calibration of a scintillating fibre detector with > 4000 multi-anode photomultiplier channels

TL;DR

This paper presents the development of a highly detailed scintillating fibre detector with over 4000 channels, including an automated calibration process to ensure uniform detection efficiency for high-energy particle measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a fully automated off-line calibration method for a large-scale fibre detector, improving precision and reducing human intervention.

Findings

Successful calibration of each fibre channel achieved

Enhanced detector uniformity and efficiency

Automated process reduces calibration time and human error

Abstract

In the Kaos spectrometer at the Mainz Microtron a high-resolution coordinate detector for high-energy particles is operated. It consists of scintillating fibres with diameters of < 1mm and is read out by > 4000 multi-anode photomultiplier channels. It is one of the most modern focal-plane detectors for magnetic spectrometers world-wide. To correct variations in the detection efficiency, caused by the different gains and the different optical transmittances, a fully automated off-line calibration procedure has been developed. The process includes the positioning of a radioisotope source alongside the detector plane and the automated acquisition and analysis of the detector signals. It was possible to characterise and calibrate each individual fibre channel with a low degree of human interaction.