Publication Date

1-1-2016

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Hedin, David

Degree Name

B.S. (Bachelor of Science)

Legacy Department

Department of Physics

Abstract

The muon to electron conversion experiment, otherwise known as Mu2e, is an experiment being carried out at Fermilab whose purpose is to observe a direct neutrinoless conversion of a muon to an electron in the presence of a nuclear field. If this conversion is observed, scientists are informed of the existence of new particles or forces of nature beyond the Standard Model. Understanding the relationship between muons and electrons will help scientists learn more about the particles themselves as well as the forces that govern their interaction. Cosmic ray muons are a source of background in the Mu2e experiment, and the CRV, or the cosmic ray veto, is used to help detect these muons and reduce background rates. Since the probability to observe a neutrinoless muon conversion is so small, it is essential to detect and eliminate all sources of background so that the experiment does not obtain false positive results. Reducing the dead time of the CRV is critical to the accuracy of the results from the Mu2e experiment. The goal here is to be aware of the different sources of background, learn how neutron and gamma rays are produced, and explain the impact of the neutron and gamma radiation on the dead time of the CRV.

Extent

11 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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