Performance Characterization Studies of sPHENIX Hadronic Calorimeter Scintillating Tiles

We are studying the performance characterization of sPHENIX Hadronic Calorimeter (HCal) scintillating tiles. sPHENIX will be installed in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). It’s goal is to probe the hot, dense state of nuclear matter known as quark gluon plasma using heavy ion collisions. The HCal will measure the energy of outgoing particles resulting from these collisions. The tiles that compose the HCal produce light (scintillate) when hit by a particle, and that light is collected and sent to a computer to compare to other tiles. This is needed to improve energy resolution in the HCal. The tiles are tested using cosmic rays to determine these performance characteristics. Once they are tested, they are shipped to BNL and placed between absorber plates. sPHENIX is on schedule to take its first data in early 2023. This poster will present the status of the HCal tile testing and assembly