A large area muon tracking detector for ultra-high energy cosmic ray astrophysics-the GRAPES-3 experiment

A large area (560 m2), tracking muon detector of the GRAPES-3 experiment, operating at Ooty in southern India, has been designed for detailed studies on both of these aspects of UHE cosmic ray astrophysics. We present here the details of the muon detector, associated electronics and the data acquisition system. A brief discussion of the potential of the muon detector is presented through simulation studies.