The response of drift tubes to variations in wire diameter and gas filling

A systematic study of the response of single-wire drift tubes to variations in the wire diameter and gas fillings has been conducted. Gas gain as a function of applied voltage and pulse-shape characteristics were measured for both the proportional and streamer modes. Argon gas fillings with mixtures of ethane, methane, isobutane, and carbon dioxide were studied. Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol admixtures were added to determine effects on stability. Additional studies were conducted on nonstandard gas mixtures such as Freon and neon fillings, and ''magic gas''. Wire diameters included in the study were 20, 25, 50, and 100 μm. The results demonstrate that streamer operation can be achieved with most gases and wire diameters. However, in most cases, admixtures of alcohol were necessary to obtain adequate streamer mode plateaus for the smaller diameter wires. (orig.)