Design and performance of a lead fluoride detector as a luminosity monitor

Abstract Precise luminosity measurements for the OLYMPUS two-photon exchange experiment at DESY were performed by counting scattering events with alternating beams of electrons and positrons incident on atomic electrons in a gaseous hydrogen target. Final products of Moller, Bhabha, and pair annihilation interactions were observed using a pair of lead fluoride Cherenkov calorimeters with custom housings and electronics, adapted from a system used by the A4 parity violation experiment at MAMI. This paper describes the design, calibration, and operation of these detectors. An explanation of the Monte Carlo methods used to simulate the physical processes involved both at the scattering vertices and in the detector apparatus is also included.