A Silicon Transition Radiation Detector for space and accelerator applications

We have developed an unconventional Transition Radiation Detector (SiTRD) based on silicon strip detectors (SSDs) operating inside a magnetic field. In this way, the path of the radiating particle is deflected with respect to the transition radiation X-rays that convert in a detector region far away from the charged particle track. In this paper we will show the results of a beam test performed at low momenta, up to 5GeV/c, with a reduced scale detector prototype. We have also implemented a full Monte Carlo simulation to design a SiTRD for an accelerator or a cosmic ray experiment at higher momenta, up to 100GeV/c. We have simulated two different detector configurations and we have studied their performance.