Investigation of the Operation of Resistive Plate Chambers

The properties of various resistive plate chambers were investigated with particular regard to their suitability for use as a fast muon trigger system in the expected environment of future high energy particle colliders Two distinct classes of pulses were observed a class of small pulses the avalanche mode and a class of large pulses the streamer mode Evidence was found for a transition between the two modes The efficiencies of the chambers were measured The variations in the shape and timing characteristics of the read out pulses were examined with changes in chamber parameters