Search

The Region One detector is the innermost of three nested drift chamber packages of the CLAS spectrometer at Jefferson Laboratory. This detector, with 7776 drift cells, was optimized for the CLAS toroidal magnet geometry, and consists of six wedge-shaped sectors integrated into a single unit. Each sector has thin and relatively weak aluminum endplates which support the large mechanical loads from the wire tensions and associated readout hardware. The unusual feature of the detector is its self-supporting design, wherein the wire tensions of neighboring sectors balance each other without the use of massive structural support. We discuss the design criteria, mechanical components, and assembly procedures.

We present design details for drift chambers to be used in the CLAS detector at CEBAF. Novel features include nonparallel endplates fabricated from composite materials, a gas mixture which includes helium to reduce multiple scattering, low wire tension, and a hexagonal cell layout. Magnetic field strength in the active region ranges from 0 to 2 T, and wire length varies from 10 to 300 cm. We discuss specific construction details for the outer drift chambers.