About the detector

SuN (Summing NaI(Tl)) is a barrel shaped scintillator detector, divided into eight optically isolated segments. Each of the segments is read by three photomultiplier tubes, thus total of 24 signals is obtained from the detector. The diameter and length of the detector are both 16 inches. The diameter of the beam line bore hole along the detector axis is 45 mm.

The two halves (top and bottom) of the SuN detectors can are separated, so that it can be placed around the beam line. Addionally, the detector is mounted on a set of rails that allow for sliding it along the beam pipe.

Schematic view of the SuN detector.

SuN segmentation.

The detector was manufactured by SCIONIX and arrived at NSCL in early spring 2011. Pictures of the detector at various stages of the assembling process can be found here.

Since that time its performance has been tested with various data acqusition system, to find the one that is the most versatile and results in the best resolution. The best performance was obtained with Digital Data Acquisition System (DDAS). At the moment the summing efficiency is being tested with radioactive gamma sources and in fall 2011 the detector will be moved to The University of Notre Dame for in-beam tests and first experiments with proton and alpha beams. Finally, the SuN detector will come back to NSCL at the end of 2012 for the experiments with radioactive beams at ReA3.