The Campinas-Niteroi twin muon telescopes for solar activity and climate change studies

Recibido el 3 de febrero de 2003; aceptado el 7 de abril de 2003 Is the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan a mausoleum, or just a ceremonial monument? A similar question inspired Luis Alvarez over 30 years ago to carry out his famous muon detection experiment at the Chephren Pyramid, in Giza. A fortunate similarity between this monument and the Pyramid of the Sun is a tunnel, running 8 m below the base and ending close to the symmetry axis, which allows us to emulate Alvarez in a search for possible hidden chambers in one of the largest pyramids in Latin America. Here we elaborate on what is known about this monument, on a description of the proposed detector design, and its expected performance based on simulations.

Proceedings of 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2019), 2019

In this work, we describe the calibration and first measurements in the commissioning of MuTe, a hybrid Muon Telescope with two subdetectors --a scintillator hodoscope and a Water Cherenkov Detector (WCD)-- for imaging the inner structures of Colombian volcanoes. The hodoscope estimates the trajectories of particles impinging on the front and rear panel, while the WCD acts as a calorimeter for the through going charged particle. MuTe combines particle identification techniques so as to discriminate noise background from data. It filters the primary noise sources for muography, i.e., the EM-component ($e^{\pm}$) of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) and scattered/upward-coming muons. The WCD identifies Electrons/positrons events by their deposited energy identifies, while scattered and backward muons are rejected using a pico-second Time-of-Flight(ToF) system. Muon generated events were found in the deposited energy deposited range of ($144$MeV$ $ 3.3 ns for traversing one meter length.

Astrophysics and Space Sciences Transactions, 2011

Measurements of the underground atmospheric muon flux are important in order to determine accurately the overburden in mwe (meter water equivalent) of an underground laboratory for appreciating which kind of experiments are feasible for that location. Slanic-Prohava is one of the 7 possible locations for the European large underground experiment LAGUNA (Large Apparatus studying Grand Unification and Neutrino Astrophysics). A mobile device consisting of 2 scintillator plates (≈ 0.9 m 2 , each) one above the other and measuring in coincidence, was set-up for determining the muon flux. The detector it is installed on a van which facilitates measurements on different positions at the surface or in the underground and it is in operation since autumn 2009. The measurements of muon fluxes presented in this contribution have been performed in the underground salt mine Slanic-Prahova, Romania, where IFIN-HH has built a low radiation level laboratory, and at the surface on different sites of Romania, at different elevations from 0 m a.s.l up to 655 m a.s.l. Based on our measurements we can say that Slanic site is a feasible location for LAGUNA in Unirea salt mine at a water equivalent depth of 600 mwe. The results have been compared with Monte-Carlo simulations performed with the simulation codes CORSIKA and MUSIC.

Journal of Instrumentation, 2020

In this paper we present a complete and detailed computational model of the hybrid response of the Muon Telescope (MuTe), designed to perform muography volcanic studies. This instrument combines two particle detection techniques: first, a muon hodoscope based on two planes of plastic scintillator bars; and a Water Cherenkov detector located behind the rear scintillator panel acting as a third coincidence and discriminating detector. The simulation model includes materials, geometries, dimensions, and the photo-sensitive devices of the detectors, and the detectors response to the expected muon flux at 2650 m a.s.l at Cerro Machín Volcano, Colombia. The obtained results, in agreement with several experimental setups, were used to set up the detector trigger for muon detection in terms of the expected signal for a muon depositing energy at each component of the instrument.

2020

We report on our continued development of a portable muon telescope with excellent angular resolution capable of imaging large archaeological structures in detail. The first prototype (Phase I) consists of four trays of scintillator bars, Winston cones, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), readout electronics, and a network of Arduinos to handle data acquisition. Finally, we developed a reconstruction algorithm to create the final image. The cosmic muons produce scintillation photons as they pass through the scintillator bars; these photons are transported by the Winston cones to the SiPMs where they are converted into electrical signals. The electrical signals are then digitized and transmitted to an offline computer for reconstruction. The entire system is mounted on a wheeled cart and can be pointed to target different objects of interest. With Phase I, we are able to reconstruct large objects in two-dimensional space with an angular resolution of 20 mrad with an operating efficienc...

Astroparticle Physics, 2010

The ANTARES high energy neutrino telescope is a three-dimensional array of about 900 photomultipliers distributed over 12 mooring lines installed in the Mediterranean Sea. Between February and November 2007 it acquired data in a 5-line configuration. The zenith angular distribution of the atmospheric muon flux and the associated depth-intensity relation are measured and compared with previous measurements and Monte Carlo expectations. An evaluation of the systematic effects due to uncertainties on environmental and detector parameters is presented.

Muon diagnostics is a new technique of remote monitoring of the development of various dynamic processes in the heliosphere and in the atmosphere and magnetosphere of the Earth based on the analysis of spatial-angular and temporal variations of muon flux simultaneously detected from all directions of the upper hemisphere. For practical realization of the technique, multi-directional muon detectors (hodoscopes) with large acceptance and high angular accuracy were designed and constructed in Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. First results of data analysis show that registration of muon flux in hodoscopic mode gives unique real-time information about processes in the Earth's atmosphere and also about phenomena in the interplanetary space related with solar activity. The use of muon diagnostics for remote localization of disturbed regions in the Earth's atmosphere and near-terrestrial space and its forecasting potential are also discussed.

Journal of Instrumentation, 2016

AMIGA (Auger Muons and Infill for the Ground Array) is an upgrade of the Pierre Auger Observatory to extend its range of detection and to directly measure the muon content of the particle showers. It consists of an infill of surface water-Cherenkov detectors accompanied by buried scintillator detectors used for muon counting. The main objectives of the AMIGA engineering array, referred to as the Unitary Cell, are to identify and resolve all engineering issues as well as to understand the muon-number counting uncertainties related to the design of the detector. The mechanical design, fabrication and deployment processes of the muon counters of the Unitary Cell are described in this document. These muon counters modules comprise sealed PVC casings containing plastic scintillation bars, wavelength-shifter optical fibers, 64 pixel photomultiplier tubes, and acquisition electronics. The modules are buried approximately 2.25 m below ground level in order to minimize contamination from electromagnetic shower particles. The mechanical setup, which allows access to the electronics for maintenance, is also described in addition to tests of the modules' response and integrity. The completed Unitary Cell has measured a number of air showers of which a first analysis of a sample event is included here.

Proceedings of 40th International Conference on High Energy physics — PoS(ICHEP2020), 2021

Advances in High Energy Physics, 2013

Precise measurements of the muon flux are important for different practical applications, both in environmental studies and for the estimation of the water equivalent depths of underground sites. A mobile detector for cosmic muon flux measurements has been set up at IFIN-HH, Romania. The device is used to measure the muon flux on different locations at the surface and underground. Its first configuration, not used in the present, has been composed of two 1 m2scintillator plates, each viewed by wave length shifters and read out by two Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). A more recent configuration, consists of two 1 m2detection layers, each one including four 1 · 0,25 m2large scintillator plates. The light output in each plate is collected by twelve optical fibers and then read out by one PMT. Comparative results were obtained with both configurations.