The dynamic behaviour of Resistive Plate Chambers

Abstract In this paper the first attempt to extend the usual "static" simulation of Resistive Plate Chambers to the case when the rate of incident particles is not negligible is described. This is done by coupling a simulation of the process of electrode discharging and charging up, together with a simulation of the avalanche processes taking place in the gas. The model accounts for many of the observed peculiar features of this detector, in particular its finite rate capability and degrading performance, as the frequency of the incident particles increases. A comparison with the available experimental results is also presented