Development and characterization of scintillating fiber—APD-based detector

We report about a detector based on the use of scintillating fibers readout by Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs). The APDs are suitable for use in harsh environments, like high magnetic fields and helium atmosphere. In addition they can be employed where a compact device is needed. We investigated several issues related to such a detector: moulding of fibers with customized shapes, optimization of the light transport along the fiber and the right coupling to the readout device. Here we report on our tests about fiber bending and several measurements on various coatings to achieve the best results. Finally, we discuss the final performance of our detector employed in the MEG experiment, assembled and ready to use.