https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-013-2365-2
Special Article - Tools for Experiment and Theory
The MEG detector for μ +→e+ γ decay search
1
Paul Scherrer Institut PSI, 5232, Villigen, Switzerland
2
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
3
ICEPP, University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
4
INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
5
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
6
University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
7
INFN Sezione di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy
8
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy
9
INFN Sezione di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
10
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “Sapienza”, Piazzale A. Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
11
INFN Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genoa, Italy
12
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genoa, Italy
13
Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan
14
Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia
15
KEK, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0801, Japan
16
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980, Dubna, Russia
17
INFN Sezione di Lecce, Via per Arnesano, 73100, Lecce, Italy
18
Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università del Salento, Via per Arnesano, 73100, Lecce, Italy
19
Novosibirsk State Technical University, 630092, Novosibirsk, Russia
* e-mail: paolo.cattaneo@pv.infn.it
Received:
30
November
2012
Revised:
8
February
2013
Published online:
3
April
2013
The MEG (Mu to Electron Gamma) experiment has been running at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Switzerland since 2008 to search for the decay μ +→e+ γ by using one of the most intense continuous μ + beams in the world. This paper presents the MEG components: the positron spectrometer, including a thin target, a superconducting magnet, a set of drift chambers for measuring the muon decay vertex and the positron momentum, a timing counter for measuring the positron time, and a liquid xenon detector for measuring the photon energy, position and time. The trigger system, the read-out electronics and the data acquisition system are also presented in detail. The paper is completed with a description of the equipment and techniques developed for the calibration in time and energy and the simulation of the whole apparatus.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and Società Italiana di Fisica, 2013