Performance of prototype ICAL detector module

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a multi-institutional effort that has been initiated in India to build underground facilitites for high energy physics experiments. The planned magnetized Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector at INO would study the oscillations in the atmospheric neutrinos in the GeV range. The ICAL will consist of the Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors as the active elements, interspersed with 5.6 cm thick iron plates. Before building the 3 × 17 kton Iron Calorimeter detector modules it was necessary to build a scaled-down version, called mini-ICAL. The size of the mini-ICAL detector, 4 m × 4 m × 11 layer weighing about 85 tons, gives the opportunity to validate the magnet design and study the behaviour of RPC as well as DAQ electronics, etc in the presence of magnetic field. One of the motivation of mini-ICAL detector is to estimate the vertical muon flux at Madurai which is very near to the INO site and also feasibility study of using Muon Spin Rotation technique to measure B-field. It will also give opportunity for proof of principle test of the cosmic muon veto detector for the feasibility of a shallow ICAL detector.

About the Speakers:
Ms. Neha Panchal has obtained her B.Sc and M.Sc. from the University of Delhi and later on came to Tata Institute of Fundamental Research for her Ph.D. in the proposed Iron CALorimeter detector at India-based Neutrino Observatory. She is a neutrino physics enthusiast and wants to unravel the mysteries of the universe using neutrinos. Mr. Apoorva Bhatt completed his Master's in Physics from Gujarat University, Ahmedabad. He is a graduate student in India-based Neutrino Observatory project since 2013.