Physics – Optics
Scientific paper
Jan 1992
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992phdt........16h&link_type=abstract
Ph.D. Thesis Washington Univ., Seattle.
Physics
Optics
Balloon-Borne Instruments, Cerenkov Counters, Fiber Optics, Galactic Cosmic Rays, Scintillating Fibers, Scintillation Counters, Abundance, Calibrating, Energy Conversion Efficiency, Energy Dissipation, Isotopes, Self Absorption
Scientific paper
The Scintillating Optical Fiber Isotope Experiment (SOFIE) is a balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the isotopic abundances of Si through Fe in the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) with energies between 460 and 1200 MeV/nucleon. The SOFIE incorporates three organic scintillation detectors, a fused silica Cherenkov detector, a scintillating optical fiber range detector, and a novel scintillating optical fiber trajectory (SOFT) detector to measure the mass of incident cosmic ray nuclei using the Cherenkov - Range method. I have developed a full-scale balloon-borne version of the SOFIE. This included the design development and test of the instrument based on calculations of the anticipated event rate, nuclear interactions in the instrument, and the response of each detector to the cosmic rays. I have flown the SOFIE on a high-altitude balloon from Prince Albert, Canada, in August of 1988. Although problems with the fiber detectors prevented me from determining the isotopic abundances in the cosmic rays, I was able to verify the function and performance of the instrument. Analysis of data obtained in flight and on the ground enabled me to determine the case of the fiber problem, as well as several additional minor problems. I make a number of suggestions for the follow-on balloon flight that should significantly enhance its scientific results. I performed a calibration of the SOFIE balloon scintillation and Cherenkov detectors at the LBL Bevalac heavy-ion accelerator using Fe-56 nuclei with energies between 415 and 785 MeV/n at the top of the instrument and have found several new results that improve our understanding of the physics of scintillation and Cherenkov detectors. I have also calibrated a test model of the SOFT detector at the Bevalac using a beam of Fe-56 nuclei and obtained a position resolution of 75 microns with 200 micron square fibers. I give additional laboratory data on the properties of scintillating optical fibers and develop a formalism for predicting their response, including such effects as self-absorption, reflection losses, and energy-loss conversion efficiency.
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