Charged particle timing at sub-25 picosecond precision: The PICOSEC detection concept

The PICOSEC detection concept consists in a “two-stage” Micromegas detector coupled to a Cherenkov radiator and equipped with a photocathode. A proof of concept has already been tested: a single-photoelectron response of 76ps has been measured with a femtosecond UV laser at CEA/IRAMIS, while a time resolution of 24ps with a mean yield of 10.4 photoelectrons has been measured for 150GeV muons at the CERN SPS H4 secondary line. This work will present the main results of this prototype and the performance of the different detector configurations tested in 2016–2018 beam campaigns: readouts (bulk, resistive, multipad) and photocathodes (metallic+CsI, pure metallic, diamond). Finally, the prospects for building a demonstrator based on PICOSEC detection concept for future experiments will be discussed. In particular, the scaling strategies for a large area coverage with a multichannel readout plane, the R&D on solid converters for building a robust photocathode and the different resistive configurations for a robust readout.