The CEBAF large acceptance spectrometer (CLAS)

Mecking, B. A.; Adams, G.; Ahmad, S.; Anciant, E.; Anghinolfi, M.; Asavapibhop, B.; Asryan, G.; Audit, G.; Auger, T.; Avakian, H.; Ball, J. P.; Barbosa, F. J.; Barrow, S.; Battaglieri, M.; Beard, K.; Berman, B. L.; Bianchi, N.; Boiarinov, S.; Bonneau, P.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Burkert, V. D.; Carman, D. S.; Carstens, T.; Cetina, C.; Christo, S. B.; Cole, P. L.; Coleman, A.; Connelly, J.; Cords, D.; Corvisiero, Pietro; Crabb, D.; Crannell, H.; Cuevas, R. C.; Degtyarenko, P. V.; Dennis, L.; Desanctis, E.; Devita, R.; Distelbrink, J.; Dodge, G. E.; Dodge, W.; Doolittle, G.; Doughty, D.; Dugger, M.; Duncan, W. S.; Dytman, S.; Egiyan, H.; Egiyan, K. S.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Feuerbach, R. J.; Ficenec, J.; Frolov, V.; Funsten, H.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Golovatch, E.; Gram, J.; Guidal, M.; Gyurjyan, V.; Heddle, D.; Hemler, P.; Hersman, F. W.; Hicks, K.; Hicks, R. S.; Holtrop, M.; Hyde Wright, C. E.; Insley, D.; Ito, M. M.; Jacobs, G.; Jenkins, D.; Joo, K.; Joyce, D.; Kashy, D.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Klusman, M.; Kossov, M.; Kramer, L.; Koubarovski, V.; Kuhn, S. E.; Lake, A.; Lawrence, D.; Longhi, A.; Lukashin, K.; Lachniet, J.; Magahiz, R. A.; Major, W.; Manak, J. J.; Marchand, C.; Martin, C.; Matthews, S. K.; Mcmullen, M.; Mcnabb, J. W. C.; Mestayer, M. D.; Minehart, R.; Mirazita, M.; Miskimen, R.; Muccifora, V.; Mueller, J.; Murphy, L. Y.; Mutchler, G. S.; Napolitano, J.; Niculescu, I.; Niczyporuk, B. B.; Nozar, M.; O'Brien, J. T.; Opper, A. K.; O'Meara, J. E.; Pasyuk, E.; Philips, S. A.; Polli, E.; Price, J. W.; Pozdniakov, S.; Qin, L. M.; Raue, B. A.; Riccardi, G.; Ricco, Giovanni; Riggs, C.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Robb, J.; Ronchetti, F.; Rossi, P.; Roudot, F.; Salgado, C.; Sapunenko, V.; Schumacher, R. A.; Serov, V. S.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Smith, E. S.; Smith, L. C.; Smith, T.; Sober, D. I.; Stavinsky, A.; Stepanyan, S.; Stoler, P.; Taiuti, MAURO GINO; Taylor, W. M.; Taylor, S.; Tedeschi, D. J.; Thoma, U.; Thompson, R.; Tilles, D.; Todor, L.; Tung, T. Y.; Tuzel, W.; Vineyard, M. F.; Vlassov, A. V.; Weinstein, L. B.; Welsh, R. E.; Weygand, D. P.; Wilkin, G. R.; Witkowski, M.; Wolin, E.; Yegneswaran, A.; Yergin, P.; Yun, J.

doi:10.1016/S0168-9002(03)01001-5

The CEBAF large acceptance spectrometer (CLAS) is used to study photo- and electro-induced nuclear and hadronic reactions by providing efficient detection of neutral and charged particles over a good fraction of the full solid angle. A collaboration of about 30 institutions has designed, assembled, and commissioned CLAS in Hall B at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The CLAS detector is based on a novel six-coil toroidal magnet which provides a largely azimuthal field distribution. Trajectory reconstruction using drift chambers results in a momentum resolution of 0.5% at forward angles. Cherenkov counters, time-of-flight scintillators, and electromagnetic calorimeters provide good particle identification. Fast triggering and high data-acquisition rates allow operation at a luminosity of View the MathML source. These capabilities are being used in a broad experimental program to study the structure and interactions of mesons, nucleons, and nuclei using polarized and unpolarized electron and photon beams and targets. This paper is a comprehensive and general description of the design, construction and performance of CLAS.