A novel design of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs), using only a single resistive plate, is being proposed. Based on this design, two large size prototype chambers were constructed and were tested with cosmic rays and in particle beams. The tests conf
irmed the viability of this new approach. In addition to showing an improved single-particle response compared to the traditional 2-plate design, the novel chambers also prove to be suitable for calorimetric applications.
Showers produced by positive hadrons in the highly granular CALICE scintillator-steel analogue hadron calorimeter were studied. The experimental data were collected at CERN and FNAL for single particles with initial momenta from 10 to 80 GeV/c. The c
alorimeter response and resolution and spatial characteristics of shower development for proton- and pion-induced showers for test beam data and simulations using Geant4 version 9.6 are compared.
A detailed study of hadronic interactions is presented using data recorded with the highly granular CALICE silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter. Approximately 350,000 selected negatively charged pion events at energies between 2 and 10 GeV ha
ve been studied. The predictions of several physics models available within the Geant4 simulation tool kit are compared to this data. A reasonable overall description of the data is observed; the Monte Carlo predictions are within 20% of the data, and for many observables much closer. The largest quantitative discrepancies are found in the longitudinal and transverse distributions of reconstructed energy.
We report on studies of fast triggering and high-precision tracking using Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs). Two beam tests were carried out with the 180 GeV muon beam at CERN using RPCs with gas gaps of 1.00 or 1.15 mm and equipped with readout strips
with 1.27 mm pitch. This is the first beam test of RPCs with fine-pitch readout strips that explores simultaneously precision tracking and triggering capabilities. RPC signals were acquired with precision timing and charge integrating readout electronics at both ends of the strips. The time resolution was measured to be better than 600 ps and the average spatial resolution was found to be 220 um using charge information and 287 um using timing information. The dual-ended readout allows the determination of the average and the difference of the signal arrival times. The average time was found to be independent of the incident particle position along the strip and is useful for triggering purposes. The time difference yielded a determination of the hit position with a precision of 7.5 mm along the strip. These results demonstrate the feasibility using RPCs for fast and high-resolution triggering and tracking.
