Aging phenomena constitute one of the most complex and serious
potential problems which could limit, or severely impair, the
use of gaseous detectors in unprecedented harsh radiation
environments. Long-term operation in high-intensity experiments
of the LHC-era not only demands extraordinary radiation
hardness of construction materials and gas mixtures but also
very specific and appropriate assembly procedures and quality
checks during detector construction and testing. Recent
experimental data from hadron beams is discussed. It is shown
that the initial stage of radiation tests, usually performed
under isolated laboratory conditions, may not offer the full
information needed to extrapolate to the long-term performance
of real and full-size detectors at high energy physics
facilities. Major factors, closely related to the capability of
operating at large localized ionization densities, and which
could lead to operation instabilities and subsequent aging
phenomena in gaseous detectors, are summarized. Finally, an
overview of aging experience with state-of-the-art gas
detectors in experiments with low- and high-intensity radiation
environments is given with a goal of providing a set of rules,
along with some caveat, for the construction and operation of
gaseous detectors in high luminosity experiments.
Abstract: