Two dimensional position sensitive transmission parallel plate avalanche counter

A parallel plate avalanche counter with an active area of 8X10 cm2 has been developed for the detection of heavily ionizing particles. The detector has X-Y position sensitivity and can be used in a transmission mode. A time resolution better than 180 ns (fwhm) has been obtained for heavy ions ranging from krypton to uranium. The position resolution in the X and Y coordinates is ΔX=2 mm and ΔY=5 mm(fwhm), respectively. Special care has been given to the construction of the detector housing, which was designed to minimize the absorption and scattering of γ rays and neutrons. Experimental results for the elastic scattering of 238U by 197Au and 208Pb, obtained with a pair of the above detectors, are presented. (Auth.)