Longevity Study on the CMS Resistive Plate Chambers for HL-LHC

TL;DR

This study evaluates the long-term durability of CMS Resistive Plate Chambers under increased background radiation expected during the HL-LHC phase, using accelerated gamma irradiation tests to predict detector longevity.

Contribution

It provides experimental data on the aging effects of RPC detectors under HL-LHC-like conditions through dedicated irradiation testing.

Findings

RPC detectors can withstand the expected integrated charge during HL-LHC.

Aging effects are within acceptable limits for HL-LHC operation.

The longevity test results inform future detector maintenance and upgrades.

Abstract

The CMS Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) system has been certified for 10 years of LHC operation. In the next years, during the High luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) phase, the LHC instantaneous luminosity will increase to a factor five more than the existing LHC luminosity. This will subject the present CMS RPC system to background rates and operating conditions much higher with respect to those for which the detectors have been designed. Those conditions could affect the detector properties and introduce nonrecoverable aging effects. A dedicated longevity test is set up in the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF++) to determine if the present RPC detectors can survive the hard background conditions during the HL-LHC running period. During the irradiation test, the RPC detectors are exposed to a high gamma radiation for a long period and the detector main parameters are monitored as a function of the integrated charge. Based on collecting a large fraction of the expected integrated charge at the LH-LHC, The results of the irradiation test will be presented.