Performance study of a GEM-TPC prototype using cosmic rays

Time projection chambers (TPCs) have been successfully used as the central tracking devices in a number of high-energy physics experiments. However, the performance requirements on TPCs for future high-energy physics experiments greatly exceed the abilities of traditional TPCs read out by multi-wire proportional chambers (MWPCs). Micro-pattern gas detectors (MPGDs), such as gas electron multipliers (GEMs) or micromegas, have great potential to improve TPC performance when used as readout detectors. In order to evaluate its feasibility, a GEM-based TPC prototype with a drift length up to 50 cm was designed. Measurements of the spatial resolution of cosmic-ray tracks without and with a magnetic field (B=1 T) are presented. A very good performance is achieved, matching the analytic formula for the spatial resolution of a MPGD-readout TPC. A dedicated study shows that the increase of GEM detector gain can improve the TPC's spatial resolution.