1307.8101 (Jean-François Caron et al.)

Improved Particle Identification Using Cluster Counting in a Full-Length
Drift Chamber Prototype    [PDF]

Jean-François Caron, Christopher Hearty, Philip Lu, Rocky So, Racha Cheaib, Jean-Pierre Martin, Wayne Faszer, Alexandre Beaulieu, Samuel de Jong, Michael Roney, Riccardo de Sangro, Giulietto Felici, Giuseppe Finocchiaro, Marcello Piccolo

Single-cell prototype drift chambers were built at TRIUMF and tested with a $\sim\unit[210]{MeV/c}$ beam of positrons, muons, and pions. A cluster-counting technique is implemented which improves the ability to distinguish muons and pions when combined with a traditional truncated-mean charge measurement. Several cluster-counting algorithms and equipment variations are tested, all showing significant improvement when combined with the traditional method. The results show that cluster counting is a feasible option for any particle physics experiment using drift chambers for particle identification. The technique does not require electronics with an overly high sampling rate. Optimal results are found with a signal smoothing time of $\sim\unit[5]{ns}$ corresponding to a $\sim\unit[100]{MHz}$ Nyquist frequency.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1307.8101