Mark I (detector)
Encyclopedia
The Mark I, also known as the SLAC-LBL
Magnetic Detector, was a particle detector
that operated at the interaction point
of the SPEAR
collider
from 1973 to 1977. It was the first 4π detector, i.e. the first detector to uniformly cover as much of the 4π steradian
s (units of solid angle
) around the interaction point as possible with different types of component particle detector
s arranged in layers. This design proved quite successful, and the detector was used in discoveries of the particle and tau lepton
, which both resulted in Nobel prize
s. This basic design philosophy continues to be used in all modern collider detectors.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
Magnetic Detector, was a particle detector
Particle detector
In experimental and applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering, a particle detector, also known as a radiation detector, is a device used to detect, track, and/or identify high-energy particles, such as those produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation, or reactions in a...
that operated at the interaction point
Interaction point
In particle physics, an interaction point is the place where particles collide. One differentiates between the nominal IP, which is the design position of the IP, and the real or physics IP, which is the position where the particles actually collide...
of the SPEAR
SPEAR
SPEAR was a collider at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. It began running in 1972, colliding electrons and positrons with an energy of...
collider
Collider
A collider is a type of a particle accelerator involving directed beams of particles.Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators.-Explanation:...
from 1973 to 1977. It was the first 4π detector, i.e. the first detector to uniformly cover as much of the 4π steradian
Steradian
The steradian is the SI unit of solid angle. It is used to describe two-dimensional angular spans in three-dimensional space, analogous to the way in which the radian describes angles in a plane...
s (units of solid angle
Solid angle
The solid angle, Ω, is the two-dimensional angle in three-dimensional space that an object subtends at a point. It is a measure of how large that object appears to an observer looking from that point...
) around the interaction point as possible with different types of component particle detector
Particle detector
In experimental and applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering, a particle detector, also known as a radiation detector, is a device used to detect, track, and/or identify high-energy particles, such as those produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation, or reactions in a...
s arranged in layers. This design proved quite successful, and the detector was used in discoveries of the particle and tau lepton
Tau lepton
The tau , also called the tau lepton, tau particle or tauon, is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with negative electric charge and a spin of . Together with the electron, the muon, and the three neutrinos, it is classified as a lepton...
, which both resulted in Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
s. This basic design philosophy continues to be used in all modern collider detectors.