A model for RPC detectors operating at high rate

Abstract We present a simple model to describe the behavior of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) exposed to a high particle flux. We show that the RPC current, I , saturates at large flux values and we explain why the dependence of I on the applied voltage V 0 is essentially linear. We show that in the saturated regime the current is controlled by the value of the bulk electrode resitivity, ρ , which is directly related to the performance of the detector at high particle rates. Measuring the I − V 0 curve under these conditions offers a simple and direct method to obtain ρ and to monitor its possible variations.