Speaker
Description
Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) are extensively used in high-energy physics due to their excellent spatial resolution, high-rate capability, and radiation tolerance. However, long-term operation under intense irradiation may lead to aging effects, partially driven by radiation-induced modifications of the detector gas mixture. Molecular fragmentation, ionization processes, and the formation of reactive species can alter gas composition and potentially contribute to gain instability and surface degradation phenomena.
We report the development and validation of a dedicated stainless-steel degradation chamber to investigate radiation-induced gas-phase processes under controlled conditions. The system integrates high-precision mass flow controllers delivering a Ar/CO₂(70%/30%) mixture at total flow rate of 8L/h, coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer for real-time monitoring of species with mass-to-charge ratios up to 200 amu. Pressure, flow, and environmental parameters are actively stabilized to ensure reproducibility and sensitivity to subtle compositional changes.
The validation was conducted in two stages: a steady-state non-irradiated reference measurement followed by exposure to X-rays from an X-ray tube under identical operating conditions. Comparative spectral analysis reveals irradiation-driven variations in relative mass peak intensities associated with ionization and fragmentation processes. The setup provides a robust platform for systematic studies of gas-phase chemistry relevant to GEM aging in large-scale gaseous detectors.
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