Design, Construction and Performance Tests of a Prototype MicroMegas Chamber with Two Readout Planes in a Common Gas Volume

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel MicroMegas detector prototype with two readout planes in a shared gas volume, optimized for high-rate environments like the LHC, demonstrating precise angle reconstruction and potential for low energy applications.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new MicroMegas design with dual detection planes in a common gas volume, enhancing angle measurement and reducing material effects for high-energy physics experiments.

Findings

Achieved 2 mrad angle reconstruction precision.

Successfully tested with 4.4 GeV electron beam.

Reduced material budget for low energy applications.

Abstract

In this paper, the design and the performance of a prototype detector based on MicroMegas technology with two detection planes in a common gas volume is discussed. The detector is suited for the forward region of LHC detectors, addressing the high-rate environment and limited available space. Each detection plane has an active area of 9x9 cm^2 with a two-dimensional strip readout and is separated by a common gas region with a height of 14 mm. A micro-mesh, working as a cathode, is placed in the middle of the common gas volume separating it into two individual cells. This setup allows for an angle reconstruction of incoming particles with a precision of 2 mrad. Since this design reduces the impact of multiple scattering effects by the reduced material budget, possible applications for low energy beam experiments can be envisioned. The performance of the prototype detector has been tested with a 4.4 GeV electron beam, provided by the test beam facility at DESY.