This chapter will discuss the experimental techniques used to acquire data presented in this work. The accelerator facility at the Paul Scherrer institute (PSI) is discussed including descriptions of the main components of the accelerator and the process by which it creates a pion beam. The detector design for the pibeta is also discussed with each of the components described in some detail. Finally, the data acquisition system composed of the electronics and computer system is discussed.
The goals of the 1996 and 1997 pibeta beam times were:
* Collect data which would measure the detector response of the CsI crystals
* Collect data which would measure the detector response of the plastic veto
* Test the electronics and the logic which they implemented
* Mount the CsI crystals and plastic veto half-staves on one of the final pibeta endcaps to test mechanical compatibility under in-beam conditions.
* Make a measurement of the Panofsky ratio for pion decays.
For part of the data taken in 1996 and 1997, the trigger electronics were set up to measure the p + -> e+ n decay rate. The analysis of those data is presented in Chapter 5. The measurement of the Panofsky ratio is to be presented in the thesis of University of Virginia student Penny Slocum.