Characterization study of silica aerogel for Cherenkov imaging

Different methods to measure the characteristics of silica aerogel tiles used as Cherenkov radiator in the CREAM and AMS experiments have been investigated to optimize the detector performances. The measurement accuracy dictated by the physics objectives on the velocity and charge resolutions set stringent requirements on the aerogel refractive index determination, namely Δn∼1.5×10−4Δn∼1.5×10−4 and Δn∼5×10−4Δn∼5×10−4 for the AMS and CREAM imagers, respectively. The matching of such accuracies for this material turned out to be a metrological challenge, and finally led to a full R&D program, to develop an appropriate characterization procedure. Preliminary studies performed with a standard refractive index measurement technique (laser beam deviation by a prism) have revealed a significant systematic index nonuniformity for the AMS tiles at a level (10−3)(10−3), not acceptable considering the aimed accuracy. These large variations were confirmed in a beam test. A second method, mapping the transverse index gradient by deflection of a laser beam entering normally to the tile has then been developed. It is shown that this procedure is suitable to reach the required accuracy, at the price of using both methods combined. The several hundreds of tiles of the radiator plane of the CREAM and AMS Cherenkov imagers were characterized using a simplified procedure, however, appropriate for each case, compromising between the amount of work and the time available. The experimental procedures and set-ups used are described in the text, and the obtained results are reported.