Re-stacking MoNA

This post is a little out of order, since this activity occured Monday, May 24 and Tuesday May 25. After de-cabling MoNA, we proceeded to re-stack the detectors into two separate arrays, each 8 detectors tall and 9 layers deep, before jacking the arrays to their proper height.

Amanda and Alegra working on the other side of MoNA viewed through the taller array walls, and Warren helping with the de-cabling

The re-stacking - shifting bars from the top layers to produce additional shorter layers

Positioning the bars to be lined up properly, and carefully negotiating the taller bars past the support posts

Alegra adjusting one of the stacked bars, and Amanda and Alegra helping to organize the loose cables

The two array halves elevated to height using stacking bricks, Shea's new cable outfit, and Michelle stepping lightly over the cabled floor

Cabling MoNA - continued

Today we continued re-cabling MoNA. Thomas Baumann calculated that MoNA has approximately 5 miles of cable in total.

Routing timing cables across the top of the electronics racks

Alegra and Amanda finishing the connections behind the electronics racks, then finding a comfortable seat in the black spaghetti

Cabling MoNA back together again

Today, Wednesday May 26, we began the process of re-cabling the MoNA array. High voltage lines, anode signals (used for timing) and dynode signals (used for energy) were reconnected to the photomultiplier bases.

The beginning of the untangling and rearranging stage of operations. Quite a lot of cables to keep track of!

Amanda, Alegra, and Michelle pack extra long cables into delay boxes.

A break for lunch at Sindhu's for Shea, Michelle, Amanda, Alegra and Warren (not pictured), some hard-hat modeling, and a view of Alegra's expert delay cable packing job ...

Alegra, Brad, Ben, and Amanda posing next to their finished delay box project. the green beast, and Amanda pulling the cable box into the underbelly of MoNA while Brad assists from outside ...

Shea running cables underneath the beam-right array, and the Westmont-Wabash-Ohio Wesleyan undergrad contingent posing together after a long day's work

Uncabling the MoNA array

On our first day at the NSCL (Monday May 24), along with other members of the MoNA collaboration, including several other undergraduate students, we removed all of the signal and high voltage cables from MoNA in order to reconfigure and move the array.

To keep the cables from getting tangled up, they had to be draped on the floor as they were removed. After a full morning of this work, we took a break for lunch with group members at Owens Hall dining center.

Artemis Spyrou moves part of the array into place. Cables are draped over the floor to keep them organized.

Second day of MoNA reconfiguration, Tuesday May 25. Group members work to align and position the two array halves

Thomas Baumann, Jim Brown, and Jesse Snyder lift one section of the array to the beam height

Soldering the LISA PMT bases

Lewis Elliott (left) and Phil Kasavan (right) are pictured here soldering the circuit board voltage divider bases (the small green circular boards) to the signal and high voltage lines for the photomultipliers.