Future RPC developments

Abstract

Abstract The Resistive Plate Chamber detectors (RPC) proposed in the '80s had time resolution of the order of ns, the spatial resolution of the order of cm and counting capability of tens of Hz/cm2. These detectors underwent since then a great improvement in their performances. The improvement in counting capability was obtained decreasing the average counting charge thanks to a very high-performance front-end, which made it possible to switch from the streamer discharge to the avalanche discharge regime. The improvement in time resolution was achieved by decreasing the thickness of the gas gap (MultiGap-RPCs) or increasing the gas pressure (Pestov-RPCs). The improvement in spatial resolution was obtained by measuring the position with the charge weighted centre method by means of a very low noise analogic electronics. In this paper, we suggest the possibility of creating cylindrical RPCs called RCCs (Resistive Cylindric Chambers). We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the cylindrical configuration, which could allow to obtain high temporal resolution with a single thick pressurized gas-gap. Very preliminary results were obtained with a RCC prototype. Possible application in future experiments are discussed.