Simulation and validation studies of a large drift tube muon tracker

Cosmic ray muons are massive, charged particles created from high energy cosmic rays colliding with atomic nuclei in Earth's atmosphere. Because of their high momenta and weak interaction, these muons can penetrate through large thicknesses of dense material before being absorbed, making them ideal for nondestructive imaging of objects composed of high-Z elements. A Giant Muon Tracker with two horizontal 8 x 6 in.(2) and two vertical 6 x 6 in.(2) modules of drift tubes was used to measure muon tracks passing through samples placed inside the detector volume. The experimental results were used to validate a Monte Carlo simulation of the Giant Muon Tracker. The imaging results of simulated samples were reconstructed and compared with those from the experiment, which showed excellent agreement.

Automated summary

Cosmic ray muons are massive charged particles that can penetrate through dense material, making them ideal for nondestructive imaging. A Giant Muon Tracker was used to measure muon tracks passing through samples and validate a Monte Carlo simulation. The imaging results from the simulation and experiment showed excellent agreement.