Timing and Charge measurement of single gap Resistive Plate Chamber Detectors for INO-ICAL Experiment

TL;DR

This paper presents timing and charge response measurements of single-gap Resistive Plate Chambers for the INO-ICAL neutrino experiment, focusing on detector performance, charge induction, and effects of gas mixture variations.

Contribution

It provides experimental data on timing and charge responses of RPC detectors under various conditions, including gas mixture effects, crucial for detector optimization.

Findings

Timing response varies with gas mixture composition.

Charge induction depends on bias voltage and gas mixture.

Optimal operating conditions improve muon detection accuracy.

Abstract

The recently approved India-based Neutrino Observatory will use the world's largest magnet to study atmospheric muon neutrinos. The 50 kiloton Iron Calorimeter consists of iron alternating with single-gap resistive plate chambers. A uniform magnetic field of $\sim$1.5 T is produced in the iron using toroidal-shaped copper coils. Muon neutrinos interact with the iron target to produce charged muons, which are detected by the resistive plate chambers, and tracked using orthogonal pick up strips. Timing information for each layer is used to discriminate between upward and downward traveling muons. The design of the readout electronics for the detector depends critically on an accurate model of the charge induced by the muons, and the dependence on bias voltages. In this paper, we present timing and charge response measurements using prototype detectors under different operating conditions. We also report the effect of varying gas mixture, particularly $SF_6$, on the timing response.