Fluorescent dye doped aerogels for the enhancement of Čerenkov light detection

An aerogel Čerenkov threshold detector for the velocity identification of charged particles is under construction at the elementary particle physics experiment SAPHIR (spectrometer arrangement for photon induced reactions). Aerogels are the only possible radiator material because of their optical properties. To enhance the efficiency a fluorescent dye in the aerogel radiator allows spectral matching between the near-UV part of the Čerenkov spectrum and the light collection system. Fluorescent dye doped aerogels were prepared and their optical properties were investigated. © 1995, All rights reserved.