  The Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) is to be installed at the Nuclotron Ion
Collider fAcility (NICA) of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR).
Its main goal is to study the phase diagram of the strongly interacting matter
produced in heavy-ion collisions. These studies, while providing insight into
the physics of heavy-ion collisions, are relevant for improving our
understanding of the evolution of the early Universe and the formation of
neutron stars. In order to extend the MPD trigger capabilities, we propose to
include a high granularity beam-beam monitoring detector (BE-BE) to provide a
level-0 trigger signal with an expected time resolution of 30 ps. This new
detector will improve the determination of the reaction plane by the MPD
experiment, a key measurement for flow studies that provides physics insight
into the early stages of the reaction. In this work, we use simulated Au+Au
collisions at NICA energies to show the potential of such a detector to
determine the event plane resolution, providing further redundancy to the
detectors originally considered for this purpose namely, the Fast Forward
Detector (FFD) and the Hadron Calorimeter (HCAL). We also show our results for
the time resolution studies of two prototype cells carried out at the T10 beam
line at the CERN PS complex.
