The ScIDEP Muon Radiography Project at the Egyptian Pyramid of Khafre
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2024
Abstract
The ScIDEP (Scintillator Imaging Detector for the Egyptian Pyramids) Collaboration is constructing a new muon telescope based on scintillator technology to investigate with the cosmic-ray muon-based muography technique the internal structure of the Egyptian Pyramid of Khafre at Giza near Cairo. Although slightly smaller than the Great Pyramid, the known internal structure of the Khafre Pyramid appears to be much simpler, which could point to the existence of yet unknown hidden rooms or structures inside this monument. The first and only muography campaigns conducted at this pyramid were actually performed already in the 1970s by Alvarez et al. but did not, at that time, reveal any hidden structures. The ScIDEP project aims to install a new muon telescope either inside the king’s burial chamber, located at the base of the pyramid, or on the outside of the pyramid. The initial base detector comprises two plastic scintillator planes measuring 61×61×2 cm3 each, with wavelength shifting fibers embedded orthogonally in both faces to capture X-Y hit information for the muon trajectory reconstruction. The scintillation light is measured by Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) connected to each individual fiber. The first version of the data-acquisition system is based on the commercial CAEN DT5550W module equipped with Petiroc2A-ASIC boards. In addition, custom-made readout electronics based on Weeroc ASICs in combination with FPGAs is under development. Simultaneously, a detailed Geant4-based simulation framework for the full setup is being developed, including a very detailed detector model and a CAD model of the pyramid containing its currently known internal structure. The cosmic ray spectrum is derived from either the CRY or EcoMug cosmic muon generator coupled to the Geant4 code. An overview of the project is provided, including the detector prototyping studies, the development of the data-acquisition system and the development of the detailed simulation framework.
Recommended Citation
Aly, Shereen; Assran, Yasser; ElMahdy, Basma; Gamal, Manar; Hecht, A.; Kouzes, Richard T.; Mahrous, Ayman; Siciliano, Edward; Tytgat, Michael; Valencia, Jesus; Wang, Z.; and Yaseen, Mohammed N., "The ScIDEP Muon Radiography Project at the Egyptian Pyramid of Khafre" (2024). Centre for Theoretical Physics and Computations. 367.
https://buescholar.bue.edu.eg/centre_theoretical_physics/367