Study of Resistive Plate Counter

Abstract

Resistive plate counters (RPCs) are rugged and affordable gaseous detectors that have found extensive use in astroparticle experiments. The main features of these counters are their low cost per unit area of coverage, good time resolution and high efficiency. A proto-type RPC of size 15 × 15 cm, gas gap 2 mm, was developed and tested with potential gradient 4.6 kV/mm for detecting charged particles which produces a count rate of at least 1 count/sec. To increase the effective area with higher count rate a large area resistive plate counter (LARPC) of detector size 30 × 30 cm and gas gap 1 mm is designed and tested using front end electronics in the mini array laboratory, Physics Department, Guwahati University and the department of electronics St. Edmund’s College. A number of such detectors are proposed to be fabricated and used in the mini array method of detecting ultra-high energy (UHE) Cosmic rays. Design, testing and supporting front end electronics is discussed in the paper.

Keywords: count rate, experimental set-up, resistive plate counters