Studies of the Response of the Prototype CMS Hadron Calorimeter, Including Magnetic Field Effects, to Pion, Electron, and Muon Beams

TL;DR

This study evaluates the response of a prototype CMS hadron calorimeter to various charged particles under different magnetic field conditions, comparing results with simulations to optimize detector design.

Contribution

It provides experimental data on calorimeter performance with magnetic fields and particle types, enhancing understanding for detector optimization.

Findings

Calorimeter response varies with magnetic field strength.

Linearity and energy resolution depend on upstream electromagnetic calorimeter.

Monte Carlo simulations agree well with experimental data.

Abstract

We report on the response of a prototype CMS hadron calorimeter module to charged particle beams of pions, muons, and electrons with momenta up to 375 GeV/c. The data were taken at the H2 and H4 beamlines at CERN in 1995 and 1996. The prototype sampling calorimeter used copper absorber plates and scintillator tiles with wavelength shifting fibers for readout. The effects of a magnetic field of up to 3 Tesla on the response of the calorimeter to muons, electrons, and pions are presented, and the effects of an upstream lead tungstate crystal electromagnetic calorimeter on the linearity and energy resolution of the combined calorimetric system to hadrons are evaluated. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations and are used to optimize the choice of total absorber depth, sampling frequency, and longitudinal readout segmentation.