Effect of electrical properties of glass electrodes on the performance of RPC detectors for the INO-ICAL experiment

TL;DR

This study investigates how the electrical properties of glass electrodes influence the performance of RPC detectors in the INO-ICAL experiment, highlighting the importance of bulk resistivity and permittivity for optimal detector operation.

Contribution

It compares the electrical properties of glasses from two manufacturers and links these properties to RPC performance, providing guidance for material selection in neutrino detection.

Findings

Glasses with higher bulk resistivity and permittivity improve RPC performance.

RPCs with better electrical properties operate at lower bias currents and voltages.

Enhanced electrical properties lead to improved time resolution.

Abstract

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) collaboration has chosen glass Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) as the active detector elements for the Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) experiment. In the present work, we study the electrical properties such as bulk resistivity and relative permittivity of the glasses from two different manufacturers and compared the performances of RPCs built using these glasses. We conclude that the glass electrodes with larger bulk resistivy and permittivity are better suited for manufacturing RPCs for the ICAL experiment, as these detectors could be operated at lower bias currents and voltages, and produce better time resolutions compared to those built with glass electrodes of smaller bulk resistivity and permittivity.