Application and calibration of a simple position detector for a dust accelerator

A newly developed position sensitive detector was implemented in the beam line of the Heidelberg dust accelerator. By charge induction, the detector enables the position of a dust particle to be determined without affecting its motion. The detector consists of four pairs of parallel plates, connected to a single common charge amplifier. The charge induced on the plates varies as a function of the dust particle trajectory, producing simple, easily interpreted signals. Using a segmented target installed in the beam line for a second independent measure of the trajectory, the position detector has been calibrated, allowing the detector signal to be mapped to a dust particle position. The resulting calibration curve indicates that the detectorʹs position accuracy is approximately 0.14 mm, based on an average SNR of 700 for dust particles passing through the centre of the detector. The minimum dust charge for reliable detection was found to be about 1.1 fC. A detector simulation was used to produce a calibration curve that confirms the experimental results.