The "Tracking Detector Department" (TDD) named in the past as "The Group of gas-discharge devices" was formed in 1972 at PNPI. A.G.Krivshich heads this department starting from 1982.

The first Multiwire Proportional Chambers (MWPC) were designed and produced in PNPI by this team in 1973. MWPC were used at series of experiments on small-angle scattering of hadrons (PNPI, Saclay, Protvino and CERN) on the lightest nuclei at intermediate and high energy.

The design and production of the Transition Radiation Detectors (TRD) become an important achievement of the TDD. Their contribution to the studies of hyperon rare decays at FNAL (E-715, E-761, E-781) was decisive. The rejection coefficient obtained by the TRD is one of the highest and the TRD itself is biggest in the world.
       In the 1980’s a high accuracy tracking system based on MWPC was produced in TDD for the 1GeV proton channeling experiment. A space resolution of 60 microns provided the detection of the channeling effect in the bent crystal.

For the experiment L3 on accelerator LEP in CERN in TDD was designed a tracking detector involved in the experimental set up. To measure a precise coordinate of the crossing charged particle a drift time of the track electrons have been measured. Next coordinate of the particle was measured by the charge division method. This detector successfully operated for 10 years in L3 experiment and was used for data analysis.

At the beginning of 1990’s, a coordinate system of 18 MWPC planes have been designed and manufactured for the HERMES experiment in DESY (Germany). The system of MWPC successfully operated inside of the dipole magnet gap with a magnet field of B=0.5 T during 13 years.
       In frame of the R&D activities for the experiments on LHC collider in TDD were performed aging mechanism studies of the gas-discharge detectors. A new aging mechanism of the anode wires was observed and called – “swelling” during this work. The obtained results were used in creation of the tracking detectors for the ATLAS, CMS and LHC-B experiments.

Since of 1995 to the present TDD participates in scientific program
of mu-capture in hydrogen study. A coordinate tracking system including MWPC and Time Projection Chamber (TPC) have been designed for experimental set up. The working gas of TPC is pure hydrogen at 10 bar. The results obtained in experiment are included in the Particle Data Group.
(See Historical overview of main activities).

       At this time, the Tracking Detector Department is participating in several international experiments carried out at leading world scientific centers: TOTEM (CERN, Switzerland), Muon-capture (PSI, Switzerland), PANDA (GSI, Germany).
       The TDD department actively participates in the development of the gas filled neutron detectors. The main goal of this research work is the creation of the thermal neutron detection complex for the reactor PIK in PNPI which is expected to start operation in 2012. (See more NIMA581(2007)_NDet.pdf).
       In addition, TDD carries out studies of the processes related to aging of the gas discharge detectors. Over years of work, a unique measuring set up has been assembled to monitor the aging processes. The technique of recovery of aged detectors using glow discharge is in development in our department.
(See old site - "Ageing Test Station").
       At TDD, experiments are also performed involving generation of the lightning balls with promising results already published in referred journals and motivating follow up investigation. In fact it is a study of a new gas discharge mechanism. A life time of the lightning balls is about of 1 second.

From 1973 to the present, most of the particle detectors for the high-energy physics experiments, carried out by PNPI HEPD in different scientific centers have been designed and produced by Tracking Detectors Department.
(See Current Projects).

The obtained results are published in referred scientific journals, see List of Pub.