Research and development for the PANDA backward end-cap of the electromagnetic calorimeter

The PANDA experiment will be one of the key projects of the new accelerator facility FAIR in Darmstadt. With its mature detector system it will be able to observe a variety of physical channels. Thus it will make a huge contribution to the understanding of the strong interaction. The electromagnetic process group (EMP) in Mainz is developing the backward end-cap (BWEC) of the electromagnetic calorimeter. For its construction various tests regarding mechanics have been carried out and are foreseen within the R and D framework. A full prototype of the moving supporting system was built and tested, comprising insertion rails and a movable trolley base. The rails were divided in two sections (fixed and removable in PANDA). A big change in the crystal support is being implemented as well and is validated with a test setup, using FR4 as supporting material. In addition thermal studies using our current proto16 are carried out.