A new system of STRAW chambers operating in vacuum for the NA62 experiment

Large 2.15 × 2.15 m(2) area straw tube chambers have been developed to meet the specific requirements of the NA62 experiment. The main goal of the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS is to measure the branching ratio of the ultra-rare decay with 10% accuracy. This can be achieved by detecting about 100 Standard Model events with 10% background in 2 - 3 years of data taking. A low mass tracking system is necessary to achieve a high resolution on kinematic quantities while timing resolution is mandatory to match the outgoing pion with the incoming kaon. Design, construction and first performance are reported.