Speaker
Description
Solid state breakdown counters (SSBC) combine threshold properties of nuclear track detectors (NTDs) with the convenience of electronic event registration in real time. Their simple low-cost design, combined with high dE/dx thresholds, make them an attractive candidate for experiments searching for magnetic monopoles and other highly ionizing exotic particles. In one use case, the traditional NTDs could be “sandwiched” between two thin layers of segmented SSBCs. The SSBC would then provide an immediate feedback about the potential passage of a magnetic monopole, pinpointing the position of the track. That would drastically reduce the time needed to scan and analyze the NTD images. In this talk we describe the recently proposed variant of the SSBC that offers additional advantages. The prototype SSBCs are now being fabricated at the University of Alabama. They are anticipated to be deployed as a part of the MoEDAL experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Furthermore, the SSBC offers a unique opportunity to search for magnetic monopoles that can’t reach the Earth due to the geomagnetic cutoff. The talk also describes the joint effort of the Aerospace Engineering and Physics departments of the University of Alabama to deploy the SSBCs in the geosynchronous orbit using CubeSat satellites.
