Multigap RPCs in the STAR experiment at RHIC

A large-area (50 m(2)) Time-of-Flight system has recently been installed in the STAR experiment at RHIC. The detectors are Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs) and are digitized using custom electronics based on the CERN NINO and HPTDC chips. Several different prototype systems were built and operated in STAR from 2002 to 2006. The design and performance of the prototypes and the similar to 70%. installed final system during the 2009 RHIC Run will be presented. A possible future upgrade to the STAR experiment is the Muon Telescope Detector (MTD). This system will use very large MRPCs with double-ended read-out to identify via time of flight the muons that pass through steel back-legs of the STAR magnet. The design of this system and the performance of MTD prototype systems will also be presented. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.