Development of the MRPC for the TOF system of the MultiPurpose Detector

TL;DR

This paper reports the development and characterization of a multi-gap resistive plate chamber (MRPC) for the time-of-flight system in the MPD detector, demonstrating high time resolution and efficiency suitable for heavy-ion collision experiments.

Contribution

It presents the design, parameters, and performance results of a new MRPC for the TOF system in the MPD, including tests with deuteron beams at JINR.

Findings

Time resolution of ~40 ps with 99% efficiency

Rate capability with 60 ps resolution at 2 kHz/cm² flux

Stable long-term operation of the MRPC

Abstract

The Multipurpose Detector (MPD) \cite{cite1.MPD_CDR} is designed to study of hot and dense baryonic matter in collisions of heavy ions over the atomic mass range 1--197 at the centre of mass energy up to $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$ = 11 GeV (for Au79+). The MPD experiment will be carried out at the JINR accelerator complex NICA \cite{cite2.NICA_CDR} which is under construction. The barrel part of the MPD consists of various detectors surrounding the interaction point. It includes a precise tracking system (time projection chamber (TPC) and silicon inner tracker (IT)) and high-performance particle identification system based on time-of-flight (TOF) and calorimeter (ECal). The triple-stack multigap resistive plate chamber is chosen as an active element of the TOF. It provides good time resolution and long term stability. This article presents parameters of the MRPC obtained using the deuteron beam of JINR accelerator Nuclotron. The time resolution is $\sim$40 ps with efficiency of 99\%. Rate capability studies resulted with a time resolution of 60 ps and efficiency higher than 90\% on the beam with particle flux densities up to 2 kHz/cm$^2$.