An infrared light-guide based target positioning system for operation in a harsh environment

In the PANDA experiment’s hypernuclear and hyperatom setup, a positioning system for the primary production target is required, which will be located in the center of the solenoid magnet, in ultra-high vacuum, and exposed to high radiation levels. In this work, a prototype for a positioning sensor was built using a bisected light guide for infrared light and a low-priced readout system based on microcontrollers. In contrast to many modern positioning systems that require electronics in direct proximity, this setup has no active electronic components close to the moving parts. The prototype system was operated with a resolution of better than 5$\text{micro}$m, and with a repeatability of better than $\pm$18$\text{micro}$m in a total of 14000 measurements. The demonstrated performance is by far satisfying the positioning requirement of $\pm$300 $\text{micro}$m in the hypernuclear and hyperatom setup at PANDA.