Stacked geometry concept for CosmicWatch based muon detectors in coincidence mode

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel stacked geometry configuration for CosmicWatch muon detectors that enhances signal purity through coincidence filtering, demonstrating stable operation during a solar eclipse and suitability for distributed flux monitoring.

Contribution

It introduces a stacked detector design with coincidence mode operation that improves muon flux measurement accuracy and reduces background noise.

Findings

Stacked configuration improves signal purity via solid angle definition.

Coincidence mode reduces uncorrelated background and electronic noise.

System operated reliably during the 2024 total solar eclipse.

Abstract

CosmicWatch-based muon detectors are inexpensive, handheld, battery-powered, portable instruments designed to measure the flux of secondary muons produced when primary cosmic rays continuously strike the Earth's atmosphere. As these muons pass through the detector, plastic scintillators generate light, which is collected by silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) sensors and converted to an electric signal. The signal is processed by an Arduino-based acquisition system and recorded as count rates corresponding to the cosmic muon flux. A stacked configuration consisting of two scintillator modules wrapped together and read by two SiPM sensors, which are operated in coincidence mode via linked Arduino microcontrollers, is presented. The novelty of this work is in demonstrating that detector geometry improves signal purity by defining a constrained solid angle and enabling coincidence filtering, thereby reducing uncorrelated background and local electronic noise. The system was deployed during the 2024 total solar eclipse, demonstrating stable field operation and reliable flux monitoring. The mechanical design, coincidence logic implementation, and performance characterization of the instrument are described. Overall, this work demonstrates a scalable, robust, and inexpensive architecture suitable for geographically distributed muon flux monitoring arrays.