R&D Mechanical Studies of the Photon Detector Microcells and Modules for the EUSO Experiment

During the phase A of the EUSO experiment 5),6), extensive R&D studies have been done to optimise the mechanical arrangement of the photon multipliers on the focal surface. The activity has been focused on micro-cell and photon detector module sub-assemblies, the modular units that should tessellate the focal surface of the instrument. Alternative solutions have been investigated, simulations have been performed, prototypes built and tested. All that activity allowed to check the compliance of several features with the space environment, thus identifying those that could be applied in the final design.