Background and muon counting rates in underground muon measurements with a plastic scintillator counter based on a wavelength shifting fibre and a multi-pixel avalanche photodiode readout

Abstract

In this short note we present results of background measurements carried out with polystyrene based cast plastic 12.0×12.0×3.0 cm3 size scintillator counter with a wavelength shifting fibre and a multi-pixel Geiger mode avalanche photodiode readout in the Baksan underground laboratory at a depth of 200 metres of water equivalent. The total counting rate of the scintillator counter measured at this depth and at a threshold corresponding to ~0.37 of a minimum ionizing particle is approximately 1.3 Hz. © 2010 Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.