Speaker
Description
Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) have been widely employed in HEP experiments over the past decades for muon triggering and identification thanks to their low cost per unit area and excellent performance in terms of detection efficiency, as well as space and time resolution. The standard gas mixture for RPCs operated in avalanche mode is primarily based on R134a, a greenhouse gas, whose usage and procurement is restricted by European regulations. An intensive R&D activity has thus been undertaken by the RPC community to identify eco-friendly alternatives. New R134a-free gas mixtures have been investigated and their long-term performance has been assessed through a dedicated ageing campaign started in 2022 at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF++). After three years of irradiation, ageing effects are being studied through detailed inspections of the electrode surfaces, complemented by dedicated analyses with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The current results of this study and the future perspectives are presented in this contribution.