Phase I of the ANNIE experiment: Data Acquisition system and preliminary data analysis

My thesis work is placed in the context of the the Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE), a water Cherenkov detector built at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). The main aim of ANNIE is to study in depth the nature of neutrino-nucleus interactions by analysing the yield of final state neutrons. New technologies, such as gadolinium-loaded water and, for the first time, Large Area Picosecond Photodetectors (LAPPDs) will be also employed in future phases of the experiment. The measurement will have relevant implications for the next generation water Cherenkov detectors, in which these techniques may play a significant role in reducing backgrounds to the proton decay measurements, supernova neutrino observations and neutrino interaction physics. The thesis deals with the phase I of the experiment, in which conventional photomultipliers (PMTs) are adopted within the tank, and the forward veto and the Muon Range Detector (MRD) are partially being employed. A small container, called neutron volume capture (NVC) is also located inside the tank, for preliminary neutron yield studies. The main work consists in the development of the CAMAC electronics Data Acquisition system (DAQ); the already existing VME electronics DAQ, for the water PMTs, is also described. Early stage data are analysed, and original event reconstruction techniques are proposed. The R&D activities were undertaken for the Particle Physics Research Group (PPRC) of the Queen Mary University of London.