Design and Test Results of the First Prototype Detector Based on Thin-Walled Drift Tubes for the NA62 Experiment

The design of the prototype detector produced for the NA62 experiment by the Laboratory of High Energy Physics at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research is described. This detector is based on thin-walled drift tubes (straws) and is intended for operation in vacuum. The resolution and efficiency of the drift tubes for this prototype detector have been measured on the CERN SPS beams with different front-end electronic systems, gas mixtures, and beam rates. Recommendations for the full-scale detector design are formulated.