RAP — ACOUSTIC DETECTION OF PARTICLES: FIRST RESULTS AT 4.2 K

RAP (Rivelazione Acustica di Particelle) is a small cylindrical aluminum bar (l = 500 mm , d = 181.7 mm ) placed at the DAΦNE Beam Test Facility, where it is hit by a 510 MeV electron beam, coming from the DAΦNE Linac. Aim of the experiment is to measure the mechanical vibrations of the bar caused by the interaction with the beam. On June, 2004 RAP successfully collected data for the first time at cryogenic temperature. Several runs at different temperatures (4.5, 70 and 273 K) have been performed and a number of shots in normal-conducting state of the bar were detected. The preliminary results are in good agreement with the Thermo-Acoustic Model. In the next months the mounting of a dilution refrigerator and the data taking of the bar in the superconducting state (T = 100 mK ) have been planned.