Recent Progression RPCs for the ALICE-TOF system

The ALICE experiment at the LHC includes a large surface (>100m<SUP>2</SUP>), highly segmented (>10<SUP>5</SUP> channels) time-of-flight system for particle identification in the 0.52 GeV/c range at 14 TeV Pb-Pb collisions. Recent progress of the related R&D effort on Multigap-RPC structures with several thin (~250 &micro;m) gaps, operated with non-flammable gas mixtures at atmospheric pressure, is presented. The performance of multi-channel prototypes - below 90 ps resolution at more than 95 9.405478e-319fficiency - is discussed.