PHENIX RPC R and D for the fast RPC muon trigger upgrade

The PHENIX collaboration at relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) will measure the maximal parity violating W asymmetries in polarized proton-proton collisions at high transverse momentum in order to make the most precise measurement of the quark and the anti-quark polarizations of the proton. For this measurement, the collaboration is installing resistive plate chambers (RPCs) similar to the CMS Endcap RPCs in the two existing muon spectrometers. In these proceedings, we shall discuss the research and development (R and D) that has been done by the collaboration in order to both understand and develop RPC technology. The R and D has been carried out at Georgia State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with many other institutions contributing as well; each university has focused on the different aspects of the RPCs. Georgia State has focused on detector design, performance, and stability; Colorado has tested the front end electronics and termination schemes; Illinois has performed position resolution studies as well as two-dimensional efficiency scans of RPCs. Additionally, a cosmic ray teststand for final gap QA is currently operational at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).