A test of planar spark counters at the PEP storage ring

A test of planar spar counters (PSCs) at the PEP electron-positron storage ring showed the following. PSCs can be used under harsh experimental conditions without long term degradation of resolution. On-line time-of-flight resolutions were below 200 ps, coordinate resolutions better than 4 mm, both limited to these values by the resistivity of the semiconducting glass and the electronics used. The best single counter time resolution under realistic conditions at the storage ring was 76 ps. Pulse height was a good indicator of the number of particles striking a counter. Subsequent measurements using cosmis rays gave a single counter time resolution of 50 ps. (orig.)