The desktop muon detector: A simple, physics-motivated machine- and electronics-shop project for university students
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1606.01196.pdf
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Author(s) • •
Axani, Spencer Nicholas
Conrad, Janet Marie
Kirby, Conor
Date Issued
December 2017
Journal
American Journal of Physics
Publisher
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
Citation
Axani, S. N., J. M. Conrad, and C. Kirby. “The Desktop Muon Detector: A Simple, Physics-Motivated Machine- and Electronics-Shop Project for University Students.” American Journal of Physics 85, no. 12 (December 2017): 948–958.
Version
Original manuscript
Abstract
This paper describes the construction of a desktop muon detector, an undergraduate-level physics project that develops machine-shop and electronics-shop technical skills. The desktop muon detector is a self-contained apparatus that employs a plastic scintillator as the detection medium and a silicon photomultiplier for light collection. This detector can be battery powered and is used in conjunction with the provided software. The total cost per detector is approximately $100. We describe physics experiments we have performed, and then suggest several other interesting measurements that are possible, with one or more desktop muon detectors.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5003806