Test beam results for a Silicon TRD (SiTRD) prototype

In this paper, a new design for transition radiation detection is proposed. Based on the technology of silicon microstrip detectors (SSDs) in magnetic field, the Silicon Transition Radiation Detector (SiTRD) joints particle identification capability of a TRD with tracking performance of a magnetic spectrometer. In order to study the SiTRD performance, a four modules prototype has been exposed to an electron-pion beam with momenta ranging from 3 to 5 GeV/c. The results in terms of electron identification efficiency, pion contamination and pion rejection power for different values of the beam momentum and the magnetic field are presented. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.