Where can I buy a muon detector?

[Richardfossilman]

TL;DR Summary

Build a muon detector

Hi,
Can you please help find where I can buy a muon detector, or someone who will build a muon detector for me? Nothing fancy just a detector that flashes and beeps when a muon is detected. I do not have the skill or knowledge to accomplish this task. Any help with this endeavor would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Richard

 

[berkeman]

Maybe this?

https://hackaday.com/2017/11/27/make-a-cheap-muon-detector-using-cosmicwatch/

 

[Richardfossilman]

Hi, thank you, but I have sent e-mails there many times with no response.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Tom Coan at SMU has a company that sells them. He can point you to where you could buy one. Expect it to be several thousand dollars.

 

[Richardfossilman]

Thank you very much, and an e-mail has been sent----

 

[PeroK]

Tom Coan at SMU has a company that sells them. He can point you to where you could buy one. Expect it to be several thousand dollars.

It's a good thing you get the muons for free!

 

[Richardfossilman]

Yes, no doubt but tough to find a detector.

 

[mfb]

If it doesn't have to be specific then every Geiger counter will work. But it doesn't tell you if the detected event was from a muon or (much more frequent) a radioactive decay.

 

[berkeman]

If it doesn't have to be specific then every Geiger counter will work. But it doesn't tell you if the detected event was from a muon or (much more frequent) a radioactive decay.

Since he already has a Geiger counter, is there anything he can add to make it more muon specific in its detections?

 

[mfb]

Keep it away from all other objects as good as possible. Use it on a higher floor or outside to minimize the impact of radon and its decay products. It will increase the fraction, but it won't make it high. The radioactivity of the Geiger counter is still there and cannot be avoided.
Two Geiger counters could be used for a minimalistic coincidence setup.

 

[Richardfossilman]

I understand a Geiger picks up muons, but there is no way to differentiate between regular background and muons. Hence why I would love to get a muon detector. Thank you---

 

[M1K3FR0MD3TR01T]

About $5,000 US here https://www.teachspin.com/muon-physics

There used to be "Aware Electronics Corp" and "Blackcat Systems" that would sell a coincidence box and two geigers. The devices looked very similar/identical. The sites look abandoned since around 2007 though: https://www.blackcatsystems.com/GM/products/coincidence_box.html

Wish I had bought way back then.

 

[artis]

Can a modified Geiger counter work well enough? I would guess two things need to be altered, the gain of the tube probably needs to be decreased to avoid less energetic particles to cause a discharge and possibly some shielding to further minimize lower energy and mass particles from interacting? This should leave only the high energy particles to cause a interaction within the tube?

In the two detector case I read that one puts a lead sheet between them so that whenever both tubes have a simultaneous interaction it can only be due to a high energy particle capable of striking both the primary tube then passing through the sheet and striking the secondary.

 

[Lord Crc]

The Cosmicwatch uses a SiPM chip which is rather expensive in low quantity (~90 EUR), and requires SMD soldering. I see Geiger tubes go for about $15 from Ebay or similar, and saw a design using three along with some 74HC's for pulse shaping and coincidence detection (top and center or bottom and center). Definitely more DIY friendly. But not a ready product.