Voltage control system for a Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers telescope

Abstract

Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs) are gas detectors operating in avalanche saturated mode at a standard voltage ranges around 18 ÷ 20 kV, applied by means of DC Low Voltage to DC High Voltage converters (DC/DC converters). This device is used in the Extreme Energy Events Project (EEE Project), an innovative experiment to study high energy cosmic rays by using a network of tracking detectors, located across the Italian territory plus CERN, over a total area of 105 km2. Each EEE telescope is composed of three MRPCs. A suitable device to supply and control voltage and current for the DC-DC converters and for the MRPCs front-end cards has been developed. This electronic module is interfaced with the DAQ computer, controlled by a dedicated software in LabVIEW and, since computer is permanently online, the LV/HV system can be continuously monitored from remote.