High-rate operation of the Micro-Hole and Strip Plate gas detector

We report the performance of the Micro-Hole-and-Strip-Plate (MHSP) operated in xenon, under high-flux irradiation of a 30-kV X-ray Cu-tube. Stable operation in pulse-counting mode for gas gains above 104 was measured up to counting rates of 5×105 Hz/mm2. A gain variation of less than 5% was observed for gains of 104, while the energy resolution for 8-keV X-rays degrades from ∼16% to ∼18%. No visible degradation was observed on the MHSP irradiated area.