OPERATING AND IMPLEMENTING A MUON DETECTOR USING ARDUINO NANO

Abstract

The muon detector is designed to be a hand-held, low-cost educational tool that enables students to construct their own detectors, study ionizing radiation from cosmic rays, and analyze real measurements. Before construction, the interaction of muons with matter, the role of the BC-408 plastic scintillator, the conversion of photons to an electric pulse in a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), and on-board signal processing using custom PCBs and an Arduino Nano are reviewed. Performance is evaluated through altitude-dependent muon flux, angular-distribution measurements using coincidence techniques, dead-time studies with β (Sr-90) and γ (Co-60) sources, β-attenuation in aluminium, and radiation-mapping in a protection laboratory. Results confirm the detector's effectiveness and versatility for classroom and outreach use.