AGS experiment E864, A search for strangelets and rare composite objects in heavy ion collisions

AGS experiment E864 is a high sensitivity, large acceptance search for strangelets and rare composite objects produced in 11.7 AGeV/c Au + Pb collisions. The spectrometer consists of two analysis magnets, three straw-tube drift chamber tracking stations, three hodoscope stations, and a large hadronic calorimeter. The hodoscopes and straw tubes provide tracking information which in conjunction with the magnets determine momentum. The hodoscopes and calorimeter provide time-of flight information with the calorimeter providing energy. We have obtained over 160 million central events from a preliminary run in the fall of 1994. We present results showing the performance of the spectrometer and discuss improvement, for the upcoming physics run in the fall of this year