A tracking detector for low energy electrons

A multiwire proportional chamber has been developed to study the properties of a detector for tracking of low energy electrons (0.2-1 MeV). The geometry and the materials used have been optimized to minimize energy losses, and multiple Coulomb scattering. The detector is equipped with a special electronic readout and event selection, system, consisting of an amplifier/comparator stage, a fast trigger unit and a data multiplexer. The fast trigger system identifies the desired events within 30 ns. Based on this prototype, the full scale detectors (50 x 100 cm(2)) will be constructed to determine the electron tracks in neutron decay experiments. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.