Secondary electron yield from aluminium-coated foils for muon tagging and beam monitoring up to 60 MeV/c

Abstract

The feasibility of foil-based muon tagging is investigated in the momentum range below 60 MeV/c, with particular focus on its applicability to the low-momentum range spanning approximately 2.5 MeV/c to 20 MeV/c, where no efficient and minimally invasive detection scheme is currently established for continuous beams. Secondary electron emission from a 7 um Mylar foil coated with 50 nm aluminium is investigated using a continuous negative muon beam with nominal momenta between 12 MeV/c and 60 MeV/c at the piE1 beamline at PSI. The emitted electrons are detected with position-sensitive microchannel plate detectors, enabling particle tagging and spatial characterization of the beam. The detection efficiency and corresponding secondary electron yield are extracted and benchmarked against literature data for protons, showing good agreement and confirming reliable muon tagging. The observed trend for negative muons is consistent with the well-established increase in ion-induced secondary electron emission toward lower particle velocities, suggesting improved performance in the low-momentum regime. A proof-of-principle reconstruction of the muon beam profile is demonstrated by correlating detected electron positions with their emission point at the foil. These results establish foil-based tagging as a viable approach for combined timing and minimally invasive beam monitoring, bridging the gap between high- and low-energy muon instrumentation.