Performance of a prototype solid neon and solid argon calorimeter

An electromagnetic calorimeter has been constructed with a sensitive area of 60 cm × 30 cm and a sensitive thickness of 8.75 radiation-lengths. The detecting-medium is either solid neon or solid argon, contained in a multilayered sandwich of leads plates and printed-circuit-boards. Copper strips on the printed-circuit-boards form anodes which collect the charge released in the solid by the passage of charged particles. These are 40 readout channels with ADC's in CAMAC. The calorimeter, mounted in its own cryostat, has been tested in a mixed particle beam at CERN. It is concluded that the technique is suitable for building a large calorimeter with good resolution on position and energy, together with sampling in depth for electron-pion separation. Such a calorimeter has been proposed for use inside a cryogenic bubble chamber in neutrino experiments.