Transition Radiation Detector Upgrade for the GlueX-III Charmonium Program

Lauren Kasper; Alexander Austregesilo; Cody Dickover; Sean Dobbs; Sergey Furletov; Yulia Furletova; Ilya Larin; Lubomir Pentchev; Saheli Rakshit; Nizar Septian; Simon Taylor; Julia Velkovska

arXiv · 2609.31585

Transition Radiation Detector Upgrade for the GlueX-III Charmonium Program

Lauren Kasper·Alexander Austregesilo·Cody Dickover·Sean Dobbs·Sergey Furletov·Yulia Furletova·Ilya Larin·Lubomir Pentchev·Saheli Rakshit·Nizar Septian·Simon Taylor·Julia Velkovska

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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.

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Lauren Kasper, Alexander Austregesilo, Cody Dickover, Sean Dobbs, Sergey Furletov, Yulia Furletova, Ilya Larin, Lubomir Pentchev, Saheli Rakshit, Nizar Septian, Simon Taylor, Julia Velkovska. 2026-09-25. Transition Radiation Detector Upgrade for the GlueX-III Charmonium Program. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31585

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