The virtual cathode chamber

We describe the operating principle and the first experimental results obtained with gas micro-strip detectors realized with anodes only on the active side, the multiplying field being provided from the back-plane and drift electrodes. For high rate operation, the detector has to be implemented on electron conducting supports, with resistivity around 10$^{11}\Omega$‡ cm. By construction, the ³Virtual Cathode Chamber² is not subjected to the possibility of discharges between anodes and cathodes, thus avoiding one of the most dangerous problems met with standard micro-strip chambers.