Effect of water vapor on the performance of glass RPCs in avalanche mode operation

Abstract

We studied the effect of water vapor on the performance of glass Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) in the avalanche mode operation. Controlled and calibrated amount of water vapor was added to the RPC gas mixture that has C${}_2$H${}_2$F${}_4$ as the major component. The deterioration in the performance of RPC was observed while operating with wet gas and recovered after switching to standard gas.