Speaker
Description
The challenges posed by forthcoming high-energy physics experiments necessitate the development of particle detection technologies with very high tracking and timing performance, as well as robustness in harsh environments.
In this contribution, we present a summary of the R&D on the µ-RWELL technology, a single-amplification-stage resistive MPGD. The highlights of various tests performed with X-rays and particle beams at the CERN PS-SPS complex facility will be presented, providing a comprehensive characterization of this detector. The typical performance of the µ-RWELL can be summarized as follows: maximum gas gain on the order of 2×10$^4$, 1D spatial resolution of 100 µm over a wide range of incidence angles (0–45 degrees), and time resolution as low as 5 ns.
To address the stringent requirements of the LHCb experiment’s muon system upgrade, which demands unprecedented time resolution and operational stability, we explored innovative detector layouts beyond the conventional µ-RWELL design. A recently proposed solution is based on a hybrid technology, in which a GEM-based pre-amplification stage is combined with the classic µ-RWELL. This new hybrid layout, referred to for brevity as G-RWELL, was recently characterized using X-rays and muon/pion beams at the PS-T10 CERN facility. It demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving a maximum gas gain of up to 10$^5$ and a time resolution as low as 3.8 ns (single gap), setting a new benchmark among classical MPGDs.
The G-RWELL layout has been proposed to address the issue of fine 2D tracking for non-orthogonal particle tracks, which typically require gas gains greater than 104. This latest R&D effort, aimed at studying tracking detectors for the EPIC experiment at the future Electron-Ion Collider facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA), has been conducted in collaboration with the Roma Tor Vergata University group. Preliminary results indicate a spatial resolution well below 100 µm for perpendicular tracks, while the performance for incident particles is still under evaluation.
The G-RWELL appears to be a very promising and groundbreaking technology with extremely high reliability and achieving some of the highest gains in the field of MPGDs and delivering truly remarkable performance.
