Suppressing drift chamber diffusion without magnetic field

The spatial resolution in drift chamber detectors for ionizing radiation is limited by diffusion of the primary electrons. A strong magnetic field along the drift direction is often applied (Fancher et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 161 (1979) 383) because it suppresses the transverse diffusion, improving the resolution but at considerable increase in cost and complexity. Here we show that transverse track diffusion can be strongly suppressed without any magnetic field. This is achieved by using a gas additive which reversibly captures primary ionization electrons, forming negative ions. The ions drift with thermal energies even at very high drift fields and low pressures (E/P = 28.5 V/cm torr), and the diffusion decreases with increasing drift field. Upon arrival at the avalanche region of the chamber the negative ions are efficiently stripped and ordinary avalanche gain is obtained. Using this technique, r.m.s. transverse diffusion less than 200 mu m has been achieved over a 15 cm drift path at 40 torr with zero magnetic field. The method can provide high spatial resolution in detectors with long drift distances and zero magnetic field. Negative ion drift chambers would be particularly useful at low pressures and in situations such as space-based or underground experiments where detector size scaleability is important and cost, space, or power constraints preclude the use of a magnetic field. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.