Picosecond timing planes for future collider detectors

Abstract

We report experimental test-beam results on dielectric-loaded waveguide detectors that utilize microwave Cherenkov signals to time and characterize high energy particle showers. These results are used to validate models and produce high-fidelity simulations of timing plane systems that yield picosecond time tags and millimeter-level spatial coordinates for the shower centroid. These timing planes, based on the Askaryan effect in solid dielectrics, are most effective at the high center-of-momentum energies planned for the Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh). They will be of particular interest in the forward region due to their high radiation immunity. We use our beam test results and geant4 simulations to validate a hybrid microwave detector model, which is used to simulate a reference timing plane design for the FCC forward calorimeters. Our results indicate that 0.5–3 ps particle timing is possible for a wide range of collision products in the reference FCC hadron collider detector, even with current technology.