A B4C-silicon target for the detection of neutrino interactions

Abstract

This note describes the construction of a target for neutrino interactions composed of passive boron carbide plates interleaved with silicon microstrip detectors. The target contains four layers of passive material with a total mass of 45 kg and 600 single{sided silicon microstrip detectors with a total surface of 1.14 m 2 distributed over ve layers. It is installed in the NOMAD spectrometer at the CERN SPS neutrino beam. During the 1997 run about 8000 charged current interactions were estimated to have occurred in the target. For these events it will bepossible to perform a precise measurement of both vertex and kinematical variables. This will provide invaluable experience towards the construction of a future large scale silicon tracker for neutrino oscillation experiments.

International Scoping Study (ISS) for a future neutrino factory and Super-Beam facility. Detectors and flux instrumentation for future neutrino facilities

“…A possible near detector geometry could be fit into the NOMAD dipole magnet [32], currently being used for the T2K 280 m detector [22] (figure 13). A prototype silicon detector, consisting of four passive layers of boron carbide (45 kg) and five layers of silicon microstrip detectors (NOMAD-STAR) was implemented within the NOMAD neutrino oscillation experiment [33,34]. Impact parameter and vertex resolutions were measured to be 33 µm and 19 µm respectively for this detector.…”

“…The muon momentum resolution has been studied in the 1-10 GeV range as a function of the detector parameters that have to be optimized: the spacer thickness and the magnetic field intensity. The results are shown in figures 33,34,35. With a spacer thickness of 3 cm (more would be better but the detector would be too long) and a magnetic field of 0.5 T, a 30% (10%) momentum resolution at 10 (1) GeV can be achieved.…”