Particle tracking in kaon electroproduction with cathode-charge sampling in multi-wire proportional chambers

TL;DR

This paper presents a new charge-based tracking algorithm for multi-wire proportional chambers used in high-intensity electron beam experiments, improving particle detection efficiency amidst background noise.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel charge distribution algorithm for MWPCs that enhances track reconstruction efficiency in high-background environments.

Findings

Efficiency depends on beam current and signal amplitude.

Particle species affect detection efficiency due to energy-loss differences.

Algorithm performs well with multiple-particle tracks in strong backgrounds.

Abstract

Wire chambers are routinely operated as tracking detectors in magnetic spectrometers at high-intensity continuous electron beams. Especially in experiments studying reactions with small cross-sections the reaction yield is limited by the background rate in the chambers. One way to determine the track of a charged particle through a multi-wire proportional chamber (MWPC) is the measurement of the charge distribution induced on its cathodes. In practical applications of this read-out method, the algorithm to relate the measured charge distribution to the avalanche position is an important factor for the achievable position resolution and for the track reconstruction efficiency. An algorithm was developed for operating two large-sized MWPCs in a strong background environment with multiple-particle tracks. Resulting efficiencies were determined as a function of the electron beam current and on the signal amplitudes. Because of the different energy-losses of pions, kaons, and protons in the momentum range of the spectrometer the efficiencies depend also on the particle species.