The RICH detector of the NA62 experiment

The NA62 experiment at CERN is aimed at measuring the ultra-rare decay K+→π+νν with 10% accuracy. One of the detectors that is crucial for the rejection of background events is the RICH detector: a gas based detector aimed at π/μ separation in the 15–35 GeV/c momentum range with an inefficiency of less than 1%. The RICH must also provide a very precise time measurement (with the time resolution ∼100 ps) to correctly associate the π+ with the parent K+ particle measured by an upstream detector. This paper contains the detailed description of the RICH detector, its readout, and the results of the commissioning run at CERN in 2014.