Experimental results from a sandwich calorimeter using U absorbers and 0.25 m of Si active area

The electromagnetic section of a hadronic calorimeter, consisting of uranium absorbers and of silicon sampling units with an active area of 0.25 m², was investigated. The overall performance of the silicon detectors and especially developed associated electronics, seems to be stable and reliable. During a four-week run at the t₉, CERN-PS (Proton Synchrotron) electron beam (energies of 2 to 6 GeV), no variation of energy calibration of the calorimeter was observed. The energy resolution for electromagnetic showers was found to be about , where E is the energy of the incoming electron and τ is the number of radiation lengths of passive material interspaced between two active samplers, for a calorimeter depth of 15.6 X₀ (radiation lengths), with Si samplers depleted to 200 μm. The fiberglass supports of the silicon mosaics cause a reduction of energy response to electromagnetic showers. It can be exploited to equalize the response of a Si/U hadronic calorimeter to incoming electrons and hadrons.