Guozhi (Joe) Liang with Corbin Covault

Prototype Cherenkov Detector Design & Deployment

The High Energy Astrophysics lab at the university focuses much of its efforts in the Pierre Auger Observatory collaboration. As a new observatory, set to be deployed in Colorado, progresses through the design and development stage, one task, which would further enhance the data collection, is the prototyping, testing, and deployment of a Cherenkov radiation detector. The design of this detector involves light collection with a non-optical concentrator during a cosmic ray shower. A coincidence mechanism using scintillation and photomultiplier tubes triggers data collection on the main detector. Retooling and renewing the prototype detector and its auxiliary components is the primary task of this senior project. Replacing the scintillation material, building and testing mobile high voltage supplies, as well as assembly and testing of a new set of photomultiplier tubes are all early tasks which would retool the detector. Such retooling would involve thorough testing of the components in the detector. This renewing of the detector ultimately leads to field deployment and the data collection of cosmic ray shower events.