Single electron amplification in a “single-MCP+Micromegas+pads” detector

We have tested a new gaseous detector structure based on a tandem of two parts, the first one is a single MCP plate11In this paper we have decided to use the MCP name throughout, both for vacuum and gaseous applications. times called the Microchannel plate or Capillary plate), and the second one is a Micromegas with pad readout. The new detector responds very well to a single electron signal, both in Helium- and Argon-based gases, and it can reach a very large gain. We also measure the ion backflow. Our overall aim is to couple the proposed electrode structure to a Bialkali photocathode. The main advantage of this avenue of research is that such a detector would operate easily in a very large magnetic field, and it could achieve excellent position resolution and large pixelization, compared to existing vacuum-based MCP-PMT detectors, and that the glass-based MCP structure is compatible with the Bialkali photocathode. We propose a new concept of angled MCP holes for the gaseous detectors to reduce the ion backflow towards the photocathode material.