Micro Amplification Channels: a novel Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector for cosmic ray muon tomography

Cosmic ray tomography consists in using particle detectors to reconstruct the scattering angle of cosmic rays traversing the volume under inspection, thus revealing the presence of materials with high atomic number. Although the validity of the muon tomography has already been demon- strated, its use on a large scale is still disfavored because of the high cost and complexity of the detectors. We propose a novel detector (Micro Amplification Channels, MAC) specifically designed for this application, having the potential to be easily produced on industrial scale. The proposed detector belongs to the category of MPGDs with an amplification region less than 1 mm wide. The use of this device has several advantages: it allows for compact scanning stations and reduced operating costs when compared to other detectors as drift chambers and scintillators; it can be adapted to curved shape to better fit a scanning station and it is competitive from the point of view of the production costs. The potential for industrial mass production makes the MAC a good candidate for the homeland defense market. We illustrate the basic concept of an MAC, its working principle and expected performances. The study of the capability of identifying objects made of different materials is also presented.