Rate-capability study for a four-gap phenolic RPC with a Cs-137 source

We report test results of a prototype four-gap phenolic resistive plate chamber (RPC) with high-rate gamma rays irradiated from a 200-mCi 137Cs source. The detector signals of the prototype four-gap RPC were digitized at charge thresholds of 80, 130, and 170 fC by using a 32-channel front-end-electronics board, previously developed for the current double-gap RPCs in CMS. We confirmed from the test that the cosmic muons were reliably measured with efficiencies higher than 95pct up to a gamma-background rate of 5.3 kHz cm-2. We concluded from the present R and D that use of the current four-gap phenolic RPCs is advantageous to the high-η triggers in CMS in virtue of the high rate capability.