Exploring scintillators and Cherenkov radiators for MIP timing detectors

This article presents the timing performance of materials with fast light emission, tested as Minimum Ionizing Particle detectors using 150 GeV hadron beams in Monte Carlo simulations and at the CERN SPS North Area. Pixels of cross-section 2 × 2 mm2 or 3 × 3 mm2 and length of 3 or 10 mm were coupled to Hamamatsu SiPM and read out by fast high-frequency electronics. Materials whose timing performance relies on Cherenkov emission, namely BGSO, PWO, and PbF2, achieved time resolutions in the range 24-36 ps. Scintillators as L(Y)SO:Ce, GAGG, and BaF2 reached below 15 ps, the best topping at 12.1 ± 0.4 ps. These fast materials are compared to LYSO and their additional benefit is discussed. Given the promising results of BaF2, the study is completed with measurements of the scintillation properties of a set doped with yttrium to quench the slow light emission.