Performance evaluation of a GEM-based readout module for the ILC TPC with a large aperture GEM-like gating device by a beam test

Abstract: A high momentum resolution is required for the precision measurement of Higgs boson at the International Linear Collider (ILC) using the recoil mass technique. The International Large Detector (ILD) is designed to meet this requirement by an MPGD-readout Time Projection Chamber (TPC) providing about 200 sample points each with a spatial resolution of 100 $\mu$m operated in a magnetic field of 3.5 T. However, there is a potential problem that many positive ions generated in the gas amplification process in the end-plane detector modules would flow back into the drift volume of the TPC and distort its electric field. These positive ions must be removed by a gating device before reaching the drift volume. We have developed a GEM-like gating device (gating foil) to prevent ions from back-flowing to the drift volume and evaluated its performance. The performance measurement was carried out at DESY, using a 5 GeV electron beam and the Large Prototype TPC in a 1 T magnet field. We have measured the spatial resolution of our MPGD module equipped with the gating foil and the electron transmission rate of the gating device. This was the world first test beam experiment of a "wireless" TPC equipped with a high performance gating device. In this report, we present our results on the spatial resolution and the electron transmission rate.