Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The GlueX-III experiment at Jefferson Lab, planned to run in 2027-2029, will enhance the laboratory's capability to explore charmonium production near threshold and related aspects of QCD in the non-perturbative regime. A central upgrade for GlueX-III is a large-scale triple-GEM Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) optimized for electron identification and pion suppression in the hadron-rich environment of fixed-target photoproduction. This document describes the motivation for and efforts related to such an upgrade, including the design, construction, and performance of a 720x528mm$^{2}$ triple-GEM-TRD prototype that was tested in the existing GlueX-II experimental acceptance during the 2025 run. Results validate the prototype's integration, timing performance, and electron identification capability. Its projected impact in the GlueX-III setting is discussed, with background reduction in a $J/ψ$ candidate sample demonstrated. The development and use of a modern TRD technology in a high-background environment at Jefferson Lab may inform detector design choices as a future upgrade path for the EIC.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institution: Vanderbilt University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214609174