Long-term stability study of single-mask triple GEM detector: impact of continuous irradiation

Abstract

A study has been carried out to evaluate the performance stability of Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) chamber prototypes in the laboratory using $^{55}$Fe radiation source with Argon and CO$_2$ gas mixture. This research focuses on the characterisation of the GEM detector's gain, efficiency (count rate with radioactive source), and energy resolution under varying operational conditions. A patch on the detector has been subjected to continuous and absolutely uninterrupted radiation for about 98 days. The gain and energy resolution of the detector are measured along with the ambient parameters temperature (t), pressure (p) and relative humidity (RH). In addition to that, the long-term behaviour of the count rate with a strong radioactive source are also studied. This work is very relevant for Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGD) such as GEM before installing on large experiment. The experimental setup, methodology, and results are presented in this article.