High-resolution timing of MIPs with RPCs – a model

Resistive Plate Chambers made with glass and metal electrodes forming accurately spaced gas gaps of a few hundred micrometers have reached timing accuracies below 50 ps σ with efficiencies above 95%. This type of detector, operating at atmospheric pressure with non-flammable gases, seems well suited for large-area TOF systems, providing performances comparable to the existing scintillator-based TOF technology but with significantly lower price per channel. In this work we discuss the principles of operation and describe the performance of several chamber configurations.