Performance of the new RD51 VMM3a/SRS beam telescope---studying MPGDs simultaneously in energy, space and time at high rates

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the performance of a new high-rate beam telescope equipped with advanced electronics, demonstrating improved energy, space, and time resolution for studying MPGDs at CERN.

Contribution

It introduces a new VMM3a/SRS-based beam telescope system and provides comprehensive performance analysis across multiple test campaigns.

Findings

High electronics time resolution (~1 ns) achieved

Capability to handle high rates up to MHz regime

Enhanced dynamic range compared to previous electronics

Abstract

The RD51 collaboration maintains a common infrastructure at CERN for its R & D activities, including two beam telescopes for test beam campaigns. Recently, one of the beam telescopes has been equipped and commissioned with new multi-channel and charge-sensitive front-end electronics based on the ATLAS/BNL VMM3a front-end ASIC and the RD51 Scalable Readout System (SRS). This allows to read out the detectors at high rates (up to the MHz regime) with electronics time resolutions of the order of 1 ns and the ability to handle different detector types and sizes, due to a larger dynamic range compared to the previous front-end electronics based on the APV25 ASIC. Having studied and improved the beam telescope's performance over the course of three test beam campaigns, the results are presented in this paper.