Gas support systems for hadronic high-rate detectors—the example of the Inner Tracker of HERA-B

The challenge to avoid aging in the new generation of hadronic high-rate detectors at DESY and CERN requires that new and higher standards for material quality and cleanliness be maintained, not only for the new detectors but also for the gas support systems. The effort that is necessary to test materials for detectors must also be extended to all parts of the system that come into contact with the gas. These detailed and critical investigations must also include the traditional materials and equipment that have been used up to now without any problems. It appears that a number of parts contain outgassing material, which has been negligible so far, but can cause fast aging under high-rate conditions. In addition, quenchers in these conditions can become chemically reactive and limit the number of usable gas system components even further. The gas systems for HERA-B fulfill those requirements, and the Inner Tracker gas system is presented as an example.