The CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer for operation at 12 GeV beam energy (CLAS12) in Hall B at Jefferson Laboratory is used to study electro-induced nuclear and hadronic reactions. This spectrometer provides efficient detection of charged and neutral particles over a large fraction of the full solid angle. CLAS12 has been part of the energy-doubling project of Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, funded by the United States Department of Energy. An international collaboration of over 40 institutions contributed to the design and construction of detector hardware, developed the software packages for the simulation of complex event patterns, and commissioned the detector systems. CLAS12 is based on a dual-magnet system with a superconducting torus magnet that provides a largely azimuthal field distribution that covers the forward polar angle range up to 35 • , and a solenoid magnet and detector covering the polar angles from 35 • to 125 • with full azimuthal coverage. Trajectory reconstruction in the forward direction using drift chambers and in the central direction using a vertex tracker results in momentum resolutions of <1% and <3%, respectively. Cherenkov counters, time-of-flight scintillators, and electromagnetic calorimeters provide good particle identification. Fast triggering and high data-acquisition rates allow operation at a luminosity of 10 35 cm −2 s −1 . These capabilities are being used in a broad program to study the structure and interactions of nucleons, nuclei, and mesons, using polarized and unpolarized electron beams and targets for beam energies up to 11 GeV. This paper gives a general description of the design, construction, and performance of CLAS12.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.