The MU-RAY project: detector technology and first data from Mt. Vesuvius

Abstract

Muon Radiography allows to map the density of a volcanic cone. It is based on the measurement of the attenuation of the flux of muons present in the cosmic radiation on the ground. The MU-RAY project has developed an innovative detector designed for the muon radiography. The main features are the low electric power consumption, robustness and transportability, good spatial resolution and muon time of flight measurement. A 1 m 2 detector prototype has been constructed. and collected data at Mt. Vesuvius for approximately 1 month in spring 2013. A second campaign of measurement has been performed at the Puy de Dôme, France, in the last four months of 2013. In this article the principles of muon radiography, the MU-RAY detector and the first results from the collected data will be described.

The MURAVES telescope front-end electronics and data acquisition

“…The MuRay detector prototype [Ambrosino et al 2013[Ambrosino et al , 2014 constitutes the basic part of the MURAVES Telescope. The MURAVES Telescope can work in volcanic areas.…”

The MURAVES muon telescope: technology and expected performances

“…A muon telescope consisting of an array of four identical detectors will be used, for a total sensitive area of 4 m 2 . The detectors are designed on the basis of the experience acquired in the MU-RAY R&D program [Ambrosi et al 2011;Anastasio et al 2013aAnastasio et al , 2013bAmbrosino et al 2014Ambrosino et al , 2015 using the same technology of plastic scintillator bars of triangular cross-section, equipped by wave-length shifting (WLS) fibres that are coupled to silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). Major technical upgrades have been introduced in the mechanical structure, in the photo-sensors, in the front-end electronics and in DAQ Board.…”

Muography of the Puy de Dôme

“…A campaign of muographic measurements was performed jointly by the MURAY [Ambrosino et al 2014] and TOMUVOL [Cârloganu et al 2013] collaborations, using different detector techniques. TOMUVOL (TOmographie MUonique des VOLcans) has been using resistive plate chambers (RPCs).…”