Optimizing Neon-based Gas Mixtures for Two-stage Amplification Fast-timing Micromegas Detectors

Working gas components significantly impact the performance of gaseous detectors. A fast-timing Micromegas detector with two-stage amplification is prone to notable deterioration of uniformity when scaled up. This paper presents a simulation study based on Garfield++ that aims to enhance the performance of such detectors by exploring different gas mixtures. The properties of various gas compositions and their impact on detector performance including gain uniformity and time resolution were investigated in the simulation study. The gain uniformity and single-photon time resolution of the detector were evaluated in tests using a multi-channel PICOSEC Micromegas (MM) prototype with different gas mixtures. The experimental results are consistent with the findings of the simulation. Both simulation and experimental results indicate that a higher concentration of neon improves the detector's gain uniformity, while the impact of gas mixtures on time resolution should also be considered as a critical performance indicator. The study presented in this paper offers valuable insights for improving uniformity in large-area PICOSEC MM detectors and optimizing overall performance.