Search

Abstract: LHCb is the dedicated heavy flavour experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The partially assembled silicon vertex locator (VELO) of the LHCb experiment has been tested in a beam test. The data from this beam test have been used to determine the performance of the VELO alignment algorithm. The relative alignment of the two silicon sensors in a module and the relative alignment of the modules has been extracted. This alignment is shown to be accurate at a level of approximately and for translations and rotations, respectively, in the plane of the sensors. A single hit precision at normal track incidence of about is obtained for the sensors. The alignment of the system is shown to be stable at better than the level under air to vacuum pressure changes and mechanical movements of the assembled system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: LHCb is one of the four main experiments of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project, which will start at CERN in 2008. The experiment is primarily dedicated to B-Physics and hence requires precise vertex reconstruction. The silicon vertex locator (VELO) has a single hit precision of better than and is used both off-line and in the trigger. These requirements place strict constraints on its alignment. Additional challenges for the alignment arise from the detector being retracted between each fill of the LHC and from its unique circular disc strip geometry. This paper describes the track-based software alignment procedure developed for the VELO. The procedure is primarily based on a non-iterative method using a matrix inversion technique. The procedure is demonstrated with simulated events to be fast, robust and to achieve a suitable alignment precision. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN uses a scintillator-iron technique for its hadronic Tile Calorimeter (TileCal). Scintillating light is readout via 9852 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). Calibration and monitoring of these PMTs are made using a LASER based system. Short light pulses are sent simultaneously into all the TileCal photomultiplier''s tubes (PMTs) during ATLAS physics runs, thus providing essential information for ATLAS data quality and monitoring analyses. The experimental setup developed for this purpose is described as well as preliminary results obtained during ATLAS commissioning phase in 2008. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article describes a new charged-particle track fitting algorithm designed for use in high-speed electronics applications such as hardware-based triggers in high-energy physics experiments. Following a novel technique designed for fast electronics, the positions of the hits on the detector are transformed before being passed to a linearized track parameter fit. This transformation results in fitted track parameters with a very linear dependence on the hit positions. The approach is demonstrated in a representative detector geometry based on the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The fit is implemented in FPGA chips and optimized for track fitting throughput and obtains excellent track parameter performance. Such an algorithm is potentially useful in any high-speed track-fitting application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: LHCb is the dedicated b-physics experiment of the LHC. Its vertex detector, the VErtex LOcator (VELO), will operate in a harsh radiation environment with limited access due to its proximity to the LHC beam. To ensure the long term operation and performance, every module was required to pass a set of quality assurance tests. These were specifically developed for the VELO modules to take into account their operational environment and assembly steps. Each VELO module was rigorously inspected, tested and thermally cycled in the Glasgow module burn-in procedures. This paper provides details of the burn-in procedures and summarises the main results that were found. Some of the major results presented in this paper are: the full characterisation of the leakage currents; identification of bad channels; and signal to noise measurements. A few minor problems were identified through visual inspections of the modules and the feedback into the production process proved critical. As a result of the electrical and thermal tests, one module out of the 45 that were tested was rejected due to its thermal performance. Studies are also reported, based on individual modules, characterising the front end read out chip pulse shape. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]