Study of the single cluster response of a helium-isobutane drift chamber prototype using 8 keV X-rays

TL;DR

This study investigates the response of a helium-isobutane drift chamber prototype to 8 keV X-rays, aiming to improve single cluster detection and develop advanced recognition algorithms for enhanced detector performance.

Contribution

The paper presents new measurements of single cluster responses and introduces an innovative Wiener filter-based method for cluster recognition in drift chambers.

Findings

Successful measurement of single cluster response using X-rays

Development of a Wiener filter-based cluster recognition algorithm

Gas gain characterization similar to operational conditions

Abstract

The identification of single clusters in the electronic signals produced by ionizing particles within a drift chamber is expected to significantly improve the performances of this kind of detectors in terms of particle identification capabilities and space resolution. In order to develop refined cluster recognition algorithms, it is essential to measure the response of the chamber and its electronics to single ionization clusters. This can be done by irradiating the chamber with X-rays. We report here on the studies performed on a drift chamber prototype for the MEG-II experiment at the X-ray facility of the INFN Frascati's National Laboratories "XLab Frascati". The prototype is operated with a helium-isobutane mixture and instrumented with high bandwidth custom pre-amplifiers. The results of this study have been used to develop an innovative method for cluster recognition, based on the Wiener filter technique. As a side measurement, we also performed a study of the gas gain in a configuration which is similar to that of the MEG-II experiment.