Beam Studies of the Segmented Resistive WELL: a Potential Thin Sampling Element for Digital Hadron Calorimetry

TL;DR

This study explores the use of Segmented Resistive WELL detectors as thin, efficient sampling elements for digital hadron calorimetry, demonstrating high detection efficiency and discharge suppression in beam tests.

Contribution

It introduces a novel SRWELL structure with segmented resistive layers, showing promising performance for future collider calorimetry applications.

Findings

Detection efficiency around 98% with ~1.1 pad multiplicity

Effective discharge damping with minimal potential drops

Discharge probabilities of 10^-7 to 10^-6 at kHz/cm^2 rates

Abstract

Thick Gas Electron Multipliers (THGEMs) have the potential of constituting thin, robust sampling elements in Digital Hadron Calorimetry (DHCAL) in future colliders. We report on recent beam studies of new single- and double-THGEM-like structures; the multiplier is a Segmented Resistive WELL (SRWELL) - a single-faced THGEM in contact with a segmented resistive layer inductively coupled to readout pads. Several 10$\times$10 cm$^2$ configurations with a total thickness of 5-6 mm (excluding electronics) with 1 cm$^2$ pads coupled to APV-SRS readout were investigated with muons and pions. Detection efficiencies in the 98$%$ range were recorded with average pad-multiplicity of $\sim$1.1. The resistive anode resulted in efficient discharge damping, with potential drops of a few volts; discharge probabilities were $\sim10^{-7}$ for muons and $\sim10^{-6}$ for pions in the double-stage configuration, at rates of a few kHz/cm$^2$. Further optimization work and research on larger detectors are underway.