Speaker
Description
Cosmic rays are detected in two ways: by detecting photons or by detecting ions, which are produced when cosmic radiation interacts with a material medium, such as water or plastic. Cosmic radiation is composed of a variety of elementary particles and heavy nuclei, but especially muons, which are the most abundant, with an electrical charge, at sea level. To study this radiation, we have developed a detector based on a $10\:cm$ diameter and $60\:cm$ long polymethyl methacrylate bar, with two detection channels based on two photomultiplier tubes, which are used to sense the photons produced in the acrylic bar by the Cherenkov effect or scintillation when cosmic rays hit it. We present technical details of the planning, design, construction and characterization of this mini cosmic ray detector and some preliminary physical results.
