Usage of a capillary plate as a pre-gas-amplification device for a neutron microstrip gas chamber

A capillary plate (CP) comprising an assembly of fine glass tubes was applied as a pre-gas-amplification device for a microstrip gas chamber (MSGC) operating under a gas pressure of 3 atm of helium-3 for use in neutron detection. The collection efficiency of the electrons between the CP and MSGC was maximally 17% using neutrons. The effective gas gain of the detector system was /spl sim/600 at a gas pressure of 3 atm with a 10% mixture of ethane with helium-3, confirming the feasibility of the CP as a pre-gas-amplification device. Moreover, we demonstrated that the coincidence measurement of the signals between the CP and the anodes of MSGC decreased the background levels of electronics noise, electronic discharges, and gamma-rays, indicating that a detector system with a low background can be constructed using the CP.