Single electron amplification in a "single-MCP + micromegas + pads" detector

We have tested a new gaseous detector structure based on a tandem of two parts, the first one is a single MCP plate (sometimes called the Microchannel plate or capillary plates), and the second one is a Micromegas with pad readout. The new detector responds very well to a single electron signal, both in helium-based and argon-based gases, and it can reach a very large gain. Our overall aim is to couple the proposed electrode structure to a Bialkali photocathode. The main advantage of this avenue of research is that such a detector would operate easily in a very large magnetic field, and it could achieve excellent position resolution and large pixelization, compared to existing vacuum-based MCP-PMT detectors.