Electron attachment to oxygen, water, and methanol, in various drift chamber gas mixtures

Attachment of electrons to oxygen, water, and methanol molecules has been studied in various gas mixtures based on argon, methane and isobutane, a class of gases often used to operate large drift chambers. The measurements were performed using a drift chamber in which the conditions prevailing in large experiments could be closely reproduced. Attachment coefficients were extracted as a function of the gas composition and pressure, the drift field, and the concentration of the molecules under investigation. The observed effects are compared to other measurements, and are discussed within the frame of physical models. (orig.)