A model of breakdown in parallel-plate detectors

Author

Fonte, P.

Author_Institution

Inst. Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra, Portugal

Volume

43

Issue

3

fYear

1996

fDate

6/1/1996 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2135

Lastpage

2140

Abstract

Parallel-plate avalanche chambers (PPACs) have many desirable properties, such as a fast, large area particle detector. However, the maximum gain is limited by a form of violent breakdown that limits the usefulness of this detector, despite its other evident qualities. The exact nature of this phenomenon is not yet sufficiently clear to sustain possible improvements. A previous experimental study is complemented in the present work by a quantitative model of the breakdown phenomenon in PPACs, based on the “streamer theory”. The model reproduces well the peculiar behavior of the external current observed in PPAC´s and resistive-plate chambers. Other breakdown properties measured in PPAC´s are also well reproduced

Keywords

avalanche breakdown; ionisation chambers; external current; fast large area particle detector; maximum gain; parallel-plate avalanche chambers; parallel-plate detectors breakdown; resistive-plate chambers; streamer theory; violent breakdown; Computational efficiency; Detectors; Electric breakdown; Electrodes; Electrons; Instruments; Ionization; Poisson equations; Predictive models; Space charge;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9499

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/23.502307

Filename

502307