The photon detector of the HERMES dual-radiator RICH

To provide hadron identification over the full kinematic range (2–20 GeV) of the HERMES experiment, the gas threshold Cherenkov counters were replaced by a dual-radiator ring-imaging Cherenkov detectors incorporating for the first time aerogel (SiO2) and C4F10 gas as radiator materials. This combination of radiators requires a photon detector that is sensitive over wavelengths from ultraviolet to 700 nm. Commercially available `3/4 in.’ photo-multipliers were chosen to form an array of 2000 for each of two photon-detectors. Exhaustive calibration and sorting of the phototubes prior to installation resulted in very low noise hit rates in the LeCroy PCOS4 readout system, with a uniform effective threshold of 0.1 photo-electrons.