X-ray characterization of a bulk resistive MICROMEGAS operating at low gas pressure

In the last decades, interest has grown in the development of detectors that can accurately measure energy and track of low-energy (1–100 keV) charged particles. In this paper we present our effort to construct a resistive MICROMEGAS detector with a wide amplification gap (192 μm), to achieve high gain with a low discharge probability, even when operating with a low-pressure gas down to 50 mbar. The detector response (gain, energy resolution, relative primary charge collection efficiency) to X-rays from a 55Fe source was measured under different operating conditions of amplification and drift fields, gas pressure and gas mixture composition. The results obtained and their temporal stability demonstrate that the detector can be used for the measurement of low-energy radiation with good energy resolution.