2023 BFY4 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: |
W17: Cosmic Ray Muon Telescopes |
| Abstract: |
The cosmic ray muons that pass through us every minute of every day provide a playground for the investigation of elementary particle physics. In our advanced lab, we build plastic scintillator-based muon telescopes that allow us to measure the rate of muons as a function of their direction of travel. These directions are constrained by using coincidence signals from two cylindrical plastic scintillators placed at either end of the telescope. Each scintillator is a little thicker than it would need to be for the rate experiment so that a muon lifetime measurement is also conceivable. Attached to the telescopes are silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). Aside from the printed circuit boards that house the SiPMs, students complete some of the electronics design themselves and implement them on solderless breadboards. The 3D printed assembly containing each scintillator and SiPM has recently been improved. Students have the freedom to alter this design if they choose. The construction of the telescopes give students extensive experience in detector technology, electronics and signal processing, and the experiments expose students to an interesting topic in high energy physics and the statistics of counting experiments. An associated activity challenges students to create a computational model that replicates the muon rates they observe. At a cost of roughly $250 for each telescope, these activities are within the budget of even some very small colleges. |
| Abstract Type: |
Workshop
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Author/Organizer Information |
| Primary Contact: |
Brett Fadem
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA 18069
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