Multi-stage shifter for subsecond time resolution of emulsion gamma-ray telescopes

To observe gamma-ray sources precisely, a balloon-borne experiment with a new type of detector, the emulsion gamma-ray telescope, is planned. A multi-stage shifter mechanism based on the concept of an analog clock serves as a time stamper with subsecond time resolution and uses multiple moving stages mounted on the emulsion chambers. This new technique was employed in a test experiment using a small-scale model in a short-duration balloon flight. Tracks recorded in nuclear emulsion were read by a fully automated scanning system, were reconstructed, and time information were assigned by analysis of their position displacements in the shifter layers. The estimated time resolution was 0.06–0.15 s. The number of tracks passing through the detector was counted every second, and hadron jets were detected as significant excesses observed in the counting rate. In future, the multi-stage shifter is greatly contributing to ongoing efforts to increase the effective area of emulsion gamma-ray telescopes.