Systematic study of two-dimensional phenolic RPCs

Abstract

The goal of the present research is to obtain functional improvements in resistive plate chambers (RPCs) with two-dimensional (2D) readout strips for high-energy physics experiments. We used a phenolic high-pressure laminate (HPL) to construct single-gap RPCs with gap thicknesses of 1.0 and 1.6 mm respectively and a double-gap RPC with a gap thickness of 1.4 mm. The detector performance with the RPC modules was examined for cosmic muons by using multi-hit TDCs. The working-point high voltages (HVWP) for the 1.0- and 1.6-mm single-gap RPCs operating with a standard tetrafluoroethane (TFE)-based gas mixture are respectively about 3.6 and 1.4 kV lower than that for typical 2.0-mm single-gap RPCs operating with the same gas mixture. The present study especially on the 1.6-mm gap provides useful results to develop new detectors with environmentally-friendly gas mixtures for a future experiment named the Search for Hidden Particles (SHiP). Finally, we conclude that the double-gap RPC tested in the present research also shows a reliable 2D trigger performance and can be proposed as an alternative model for future CMS RPCs.