The design and commissioning of the MICE upstream time-of-flight system

In the MICE experiment at RAL the upstream time-of-flight detectors are used for particle identification in the incoming muon beam, for the experiment trigger and for a precise timing (sigma of about 50 ps) with respect to the accelerating RF cavities working at 201 MHz. The construction of the upstream section of the MICE time-of-flight system and the tests done to characterize its individual components are shown. Detector timing resolutions of about 50 to 60 ps were achieved. Test beam performance and preliminary results obtained with beam at RAL are reported.