The Pixel-TPC: A feasibility study

The Time Projection Chamber (TPC) as a detector system in particle physics offers continuous tracking with low material budget and therefore is considered in the design of the International Large Detector (ILD) at the planned International Linear Collider. Different readout concepts are currently studied, of which one is the Pixel-TPC. It combines micro-pattern gaseous detectors with pixelised readout. A Micromegas is post-processed on the Timepix chip to form a so called InGrid. However the chips only have a small size such that several have to be placed next to each other to read out a TPC. The construction and operation of a Pixel-TPC with 160 InGrids was carried out in this dissertation as a feasibility study. Therefore, a new readout system was designed based on the Scalable Readout System from the RD51 collaboration at CERN. The firmware has been developed together with a data acquisition software and electronic boards. A final test beam campaign has been performed at the Large Prototype of the LCTPC Collaboration at DESY in 2015, in which the complete system was successfully tested. In a preliminary analysis of parts of the collected data, detector properties are demonstrated and evaluated to provide starting points for further developments in view of a design for an ILD Pixel-TPC.