Hyper-track selector nuclear emulsion readout system aimed at scanning an area of one thousand square meters

Abstract

Automatic nuclear emulsion readout systems have seen remarkable progress since the original idea was developed almost 40 years ago. After the success of its full application to a large-scale neutrino experiment, OPERA, a much faster readout system, the hyper-track selector (HTS), has been developed. HTS, which has an extremely wide-field objective lens, reached a scanning speed of 4700 cm$^2$/h, which is nearly 100 times faster than the previous system and therefore strongly promotes many new experimental projects. We will describe the concept, specifications, system structure, and achieved performance in this paper.