Development of a fragment detector system for the study of peripheral collisions at high beam energies

In the framework of the experimental program at the accelerator facilities SIS/ESR of the Society for Heavy-Ion research in Darmstadt one of the essential research aims of the LAND collaboration is the study of high-lying collective states after electromagnetic excitation in heavy-ion collisions at nearly relativistic beam energies. By the exchange of virtual photons with high energy giant resonances are excited with high probabilities. The main decay channel of giant resonances in heavy nuclei is the emission of neutrons as well as below the particle threshold the emission of γ radiation. For the study of these states a detector system was developed, which makes the kinematically complete measurement of all reaction partners possible. For the determination of the neutron energy serves the Large Area Neutron Detector LAND, a time-of-flight spectrometer for high-energetic neutrons. For the measurement of the γ radiation emitted by the excited projectile the target is surrounded by an array of 48 BaF2 crystals. A radiation detector system consisting of 6 single detectors and further 5 help detectors allows together with the magnetic spectrometer ALADIN the identification of the heavy projectile fragments by charge, momentum, and mass. Four position-sensitive plastic scintillators serve for the measurement of the trajectory of the projectile respectively the projectile fragments in front and behind the deviating magnet. Additionally with these detectors the velocity is measured. For the determination of the nuclear charge of the projectile fragments serve a multiple-ionization chamber and a Cherenkov detector. In this thesis the development and taking into operation of the LAND radiation detector system is described. (orig./HSI)