The HARP resistive plate chambers: Characteristics and physics performance

The HARP Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) system was designed for time-of-flight measurement in the large-angle acceptance region of the HARP spectrometer. It comprised 46 four-gap glass RPCs covering an area of ∼8m2. The design of the RPCs, their operation, intrinsic properties, and system performance are described. The intrinsic time resolution of the RPCs is better than 130 ps leading to a system time resolution of ∼175∼175 ps.