Time-of-flight system for the multipurpose detector (MPD)

A conceptual design for a multipurpose detector (MPD) 1] is proposed for the study of hot and dense barony matter in collisions of heavy ions over the atomic mass range A = 1–197 at center-of-mass energies of up to 11 GeV (for Au⁷⁹⁺). The MPD experiment is scheduled to be performed at a future JINR accelerator complex facility for heavy ions, the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Facility (NICA), which is designed to reach the required parameters with an average luminosity of L = 10²⁹ cm⁻² s⁻¹. Identification of charged hadrons (PIDs) at intermediate momenta (0.1–2 GeV/c) is achieved via time-of-flight (TOF) measurements. As a base element of the TOF detector, we consider a 10 gap MRPC with a strip or pad readout. Results from an MRCP prototype test are presented.