Measurements of the Lifetime of Micro-Channel Plate Photo Multiplier Tubes for Use in a High Resolution Proton Detector

The particle physics group at the University of Texas, Arlington (UTA) is leading the effort to develop an exceptionally precise time of flight (TOF) detector with a resolution of 10 picoseconds. This timing device is part of a proton sub-detector that will be added in 2014 to the main ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland. This new system enables several new physics topics, and eventually may be able to measure properties of the recently discovered particle, believed to be the Higgs Boson. Precise measurement of the timing of proton tracks will allow the rejection of backgrounds to this process. A pulsed-laser system simulates the light emitted by a proton passing through the detector, allowing the evaluation of the micro-channel plate photomultiplier tubes, the heart of the detector, which converts the light into an electrical signal that can be accurately timed. The lifetime of existing devices, however, is not sufficient due to the high collision rates in the LHC. The National Science Foundation is funding the research to develop an improved device. The goal of this research project is to develop methods to measure the lifetime and determine if the improved device is adequate. In this poster, I present our lifetime measurements performed using the laser, a fast oscilloscope, and a picoameter. The preliminary conclusions are that the improved device lifetime makes the new devices a viable readout option for the detector. Further tests are planned prior to the installation and operation of the new detector.