23063408
Use of Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) technology in FPGAs for the reduction of faults due to radiation in the readout of the ATLAS monitored drift tube (MDT) chambers
The Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) technology allows protection of the functionality of FPGAs against single event upsets (SEUs). Each logic block is implemented three times with a 2-out-of-3 voter at the output. Thus, the correct logical value is available even if there is an upset bit in one location. We applied TMR to the configuration code of a Virtex-II-2000 FPGA, which serves as the on-chamber readout processor of the ATLAS monitored drift tubes (MDTs). We describe the code implementation, results of performance measurements and discuss several limitations of the method. Finally, we present a supplementary technology called “scrubbing”. It permanently checks the configuration memory while the FPGA is operating, and corrects upset configuration bits when necessary.
126243744
Measurement of the reaction π−p→π+π−n on a transversely polarized target at 17.2 GeV
Preliminary results from a high statistics measurement (1 M events) of the reaction π−p→π+π−n on strong polarization effects which must be attributed to amplitudes corresponding to ’’A1’’ exchange.
120324718
Integration, commissioning and installation of monitored drift tube chambers for the ATLAS barrel muon spectrometer
The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is currently being assembled to be ready to take data in 2007. Its muon spectrometer is designed to achieve a momentum resolution better than 10% at 1 TeV. In the barrel part, a toroidal air-core magnet is instrumented with three layers of Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) chambers for precision tracking. The Max-Planck-Institut fur Physik and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich have built 88 MDT chambers for the outermost barrel layer. We report on our experience with the tests of the MDT chambers, their integration with the Resistive Plate trigger chambers and the installation of the muon stations in the experiment. First results of their commissioning in the ATLAS detector will be presented.
118899725
Test, Integration and Commissioning of Monitored Drift Tube Chambers for the ATLAS Barrel Muon Spectrometer
c Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Licence. The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is currently being assembled and to be ready for data taking in 2007. In the barrel region of its muon spectrometer, a toroidal air-core magnet is instrumented with three layers of Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) chambers as precision tracking detectors; the middle and outer layers of drift chambers also carry Resistive Plate chambers (RPCs) of the trigger system. The barrel part of the spectrometer consists of a total of 682 muon stations, with sizes ranging from 1 m 2 to 11 m 2. The installation of the muon detectors has started in January 2005. At the of the second largest chamber type—each covering an area of up to 8 m 2 —are being built for the outermost barrel region. The MDT chambers have to pass a series of stringent tests before installation to ensure their proper operation in the experiment. At the production site in Munich, these tests include gas tightness, high voltage stability and measurements of the noise rate, and the response to cosmic muons. In addition, the individual wire positions and electronic time offsets of the drift tubes are determined from the cosmic ray data. After shipment to CERN, a subset of the tests is repeated and the MDT chambers are integrated on a common support frame with the trigger chambers. The completed muon station is is further checked with cosmic rays. All results are stored in the ATLAS commissioning database and constitute an important basis for LHC data taking. We present the test methods and results, an overview on the integration work of the muon detectors and report on the experience with the installation of the first stations in the ATLAS experiment.
119295158
Performance of Drift-Tube Detectors at High Counting Rates for High-Luminosity LHC Upgrades
Abstract The performance of pressurized drift-tube detectors at very high background rates has been studied at the Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF) at CERN and in an intense 20 MeV proton beam at the Munich Van-der-Graaf tandem accelerator for applications in large-area precision muon tracking at high-luminosity upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The ATLAS muon drift-tube (MDT) chambers with 30 mm tube diameter have been designed to cope with γ and neutron background hit rates of up to 500 Hz/cm 2 . Background rates of up to 14 kHz/cm 2 are expected at LHC upgrades. The test results with standard MDT readout electronics show that the reduction of the drift-tube diameter to 15 mm, while leaving the operating parameters unchanged, vastly increases the rate capability well beyond the requirements. The development of new small-diameter muon drift-tube (sMDT) chambers for LHC upgrades is completed. Further improvements of tracking efficiency and spatial resolution at high counting rates will be achieved with upgraded readout electronics employing improved signal shaping for high counting rates.
122359864
Large-scale production of Monitored Drift Tube chambers for the ATLAS muon spectrometer
Abstract Precision drift tube chambers with a sense wire positioning accuracy of better than 20 μm are under construction for the ATLAS muon spectrometer. 70% of the 88 large chambers for the outermost layer of the central part of the spectrometer have been assembled. Measurements during chamber construction of the positions of the sense wires and of the sensors for the optical alignment monitoring system demonstrate that the requirements for the mechanical precision of the chambers are fulfilled.
108645383
The ATLAS Silicon Pixel Sensors
Abstract Prototype sensors for the ATLAS silicon pixel detector have been developed. The design of the sensors is guided by the need to operate them in the severe LHC radiation environment at up to several hundred volts while maintaining a good signal-to-noise ratio, small cell size, and minimal multiple scattering. The ability to be operated under full bias for electrical characterization prior to attachment of the readout integrated circuit electronics is also desired.
110657741
Novel silicon n-in-p pixel sensors for the future ATLAS upgrades
Abstract In view of the LHC upgrade phases towards HL-LHC the ATLAS experiment plans to upgrade the inner detector with an all silicon system. The n-in-p silicon technology is a promising candidate for the pixel upgrade thanks to its radiation hardness and cost effectiveness that allow for enlarging the area instrumented with pixel detectors. We present the characterization and performance of novel n-in-p planar pixel sensors produced by CiS (Germany) connected by bump bonding to the ATLAS readout chip FE-I3. These results are obtained before and after irradiation up to a fluence of 10 16 1-MeV n eq cm − 2 , and prove the operability of this kind of sensors in the harsh radiation environment foreseen for the pixel system at HL-LHC. We also present an overview of the new pixel production, which is on-going at CiS for sensors compatible with the new ATLAS readout chip FE-I4.
18975570
Mass hierarchies from MSSM orientifold compactifications
We investigate phenomenologically viable four- and five-stack MSSM D-brane quivers which exhibit realistic fermion mass hierarchies. In our analysis, the mass hierarchies arise either from higher order terms containing the VEV’s of SM singlets or from D-instanton effects, where the latter utilizes either family splitting or a factorizable Yukawa matrix. Extending the systematic bottom-up analysis of [1], we present the only four-stack quiver with a semi-realistic Yukawa texture. Investigation of five-stack MSSM models reveals many more quivers with analogous Yukawa textures, as well as a few examples which exhibit three different mass scales for the up-quarks, down-quarks, and electrons. Potential problems in this class of quivers are the presence of U(1) instantons, which might lead to undesired effects, such as R-parity violating couplings, and the presence of dimension 5 operators that could lead to rapid proton decay. We present a five-stack setup which overcomes all of these problems and exhibits three different mass scales for the up-quarks, down-quarks and electrons.
110855495
Performance of novel silicon n-in-p planar pixel sensors
Abstract The performance of novel n-in-p planar pixel detectors designed for future upgrades of the ATLAS Pixel system is presented. The n-in-p silicon sensors technology is a promising candidate for the pixel upgrade thanks to its radiation hardness and cost effectiveness that allow for enlarging the area instrumented with pixel detectors. The n-in-p modules presented here are composed of pixel sensors produced by CiS connected by bump-bonding to the ATLAS read-out chip FE-I3. The characterization of these devices has been performed before and after irradiation up to a fluence of 5×10 15 1 MeV n eq cm −2 . Charge collection measurements carried out with radioactive sources have proven the functioning of this technology up to these particle fluences. First results from beam test data with a 120 GeV/ c pion beam at the CERN-SPS are also discussed, demonstrating a high tracking efficiency of (98.6±0.3)% and a high collected charge of about 10 ke for a device irradiated at the maximum fluence and biased at 1 kV.
120631402
Characterization of silicon microstrip detectors using an infrared laser system
Abstract An infrared laser system with variable wavelength is used to study fundamental properties of silicon microstrip detectors. Results of measurements concerning charge sharing among adjacent readout strips and depletion mapping are presented. The results are interpreted in a model framework which describes the charge sharing with the help of the so-called η -function. The wavelength dependence of the η -function is studied. Surface effects important for short wavelengths are observed.