Microhexcavity Plasma Panel Detectors for High Energy Physics

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides support for a group with one PI, a senior colleague, a technician and two undergraduate students to work on a new kind of particle detector using a technology similar to that used in flat screen "plasma" television displays. These displays use small hermetically sealed cells containing a gas that can hold electric charge. In this application, the charge will be stimulated by the passage of charged particles passing through the gas cells and can be sensed electronically. The identity of which cells have been charged provides the spatial information on the particles. Preliminary tests suggest that it will be possible for these devices to detect particles in a billionth of a second and that cells can be made with a size of about one tenth of a millimeter. Using experience from commercial providers of flat screen televisions, it is hoped that these detectors can be larger and cheaper than the types in use in other particle physics instruments today. These detectors may find application in the medical or other communities interested in charged particle tracking. These and other particle physics applications will also be discussed in public dissemination. Basic skills in electronics and fabrication techniques will be passed along to undergraduates from U. Michigan State who have the opportunity to work on this project. The proposed R&D plan will allow the development, in three phases, of a prototype device performing at the design resolution of less than 100 micron (spatial) and 1 nanosecond (in time). This award covers the first part of this effort, the completion of the first two phases, providing a resolution of about a factor two (spatially) larger than this.