Tracking Chambers with Two-Dimensional Readout used for Extraction of Particle Production Ratios in High Multiplicity Pb+Pb Collisions at 158 A GeV

Abstract: Heavy-ion collisions at high energies calls for new technical solutions to cope with the very high multiplicities of produced particles. In this thesis the design and development of two types of tracking chambers for high multiplicity environments are presented. The first type was developed to be a part of the tracking system of the WA98 experiment. The tracking chambers were designed to provide accurate two-dimensional position resolution by employing a new readout concept based on using a large number low-resolution readout channels. The tracking chambers were succesfully installed in the WA98 experiment and used for extraction of particle ratios in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV. The second type presented in this thesis deals with the design and development of a new concept for two-dimensional position readout of multi-wire proportional chambers to be used as a part of the tracking system in the PHENIX experiment.