Boltzmann equation and Monte Carlo studies of electron transport in resistive plate chambers

Abstract

A multi term theory for solving the Boltzmann equation and Monte Carlo simulation technique are used to investigate electron transport in Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) that are used for timing and triggering purposes in many high energy physics experiments at CERN and elsewhere. Using cross sections for electron scattering in C2H2F4, iso-C4H10 and SF6 as an input in our Boltzmann and Monte Carlo codes, we have calculated data for electron transport as a function of reduced electric field E/N in various C2H2F4/iso-C4H10/SF6 gas mixtures used in RPCs in the ALICE, CMS and ATLAS experiments. Emphasis is placed upon the explicit and implicit effects of non-conservative collisions (e.g. electron attachment and/or ionization) on the drift and diffusion. Among many interesting and atypical phenomena induced by the explicit effects of non-conservative collisions, we note the existence of negative differential conductivity (NDC) in the bulk drift velocity component with no indication of any NDC for the flux component in the ALICE timing RPC system. We systematically study the origin and mechanisms for such phenomena as well as the possible physical implications which arise from their explicit inclusion into models of RPCs. Spatially-resolved electron transport properties are calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation technique in order to understand these phenomena.