Improving the RPC rate capability

TL;DR

This paper investigates how to enhance the rate capability of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) by analyzing physics principles, optimizing parameters, and reducing avalanche charge, supported by experimental cosmic ray tests.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of RPC rate capability, focusing on minimizing avalanche charge to improve performance in high-radiation environments like the LHC phase 2.

Findings

Reducing avalanche charge improves RPC rate capability.

Experimental results show gas gap size impacts charge delivery.

Ionic signals are significant for understanding charge dynamics.

Abstract

This paper has the purpose to study the rate capability of the Resistive Plate Chamber, RPC, starting from the basic physics of this detector. The effect of different working parameters determining the rate capability is analysed in detail, in order to optimize a new family of RPCs for applications to heavy irradiation environments and in particular to the LHC phase 2. A special emphasis is given to the improvement achievable by minimizing the avalanche charge delivered in the gas. The paper shows experimental results of Cosmic Ray tests, performed to study the avalanche features for different gas gap sizes, with particular attention to the overall delivered charge. For this purpose, the paper studies, in parallel to the prompt electronic signal, also the ionic signal which gives the main contribution to the delivered charge. Whenever possible the test results are interpreted on the base of the RPC detector physics and are intended to extend and reinforce our physical understanding of this detector.