Design Study of an Underground Detector for Measurements of the Differential Muon Flux

摘要

Since 2006 an underground laboratory is in operation in Unirea salt mine from Slanic Prahova Romania. A new rotatable detector for measurements of the directional variation of the muon flux has been designed and will be put in operation at the end of 2013. The detector will be used to investigate the possible presence of unknown cavities in the salt ore. Preliminary muon flux measurements performed in the underground of Slanic Prahova salt mine show an important variation of the flux with the thickness of the rock but indicate also that more precise data are necessary. Based on that, a modern detector using 4 layers of plastic scintillators bars has been designed. The detector is installed on a rotatable and mobile frame which allows precise directional measurements of the muon flux on different locations in the mine. In order to investigate the performances of the detector, detailed Monte Carlo simulations have been performed using several codes available on the market. The simulations show that the detector can be used for measurements of the differential flux of cosmic ray muons and for the detection of hidden cavities in the ore.