The LHCb vertex locator upgrade — the detector calibration overview

The Vertex Locator (VELO) is a silicon tracking detector in the spectrometer of the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment. LHCb explores and investigates CP violation phenomena in b- and c- hadron decays and is one of the experiments operating on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. After run 1 and run 2 of LHC data taking (2011–2018), the LHCb detectors are being modernized within the LHCb upgrade I program. The upgrade aims to adjust the spectrometer to readout at full LHC 40 MHz frequency, which requires radical changes to the technologies currently used in LHCb. The hardware trigger is removed, and some of the detectors replaced. The VELO changes its tracking technology and silicon strips are replaced by 55 μm pitch silicon pixels. The readout chip for the VELO upgrade is the VeloPix ASIC. The number of readout channels increases to over 40 million, and the hottest ASIC is expected to produce the output data rate of 15 Gbit/s. New conditions challenge the software and the hardware side of the readout system and put special attention on the detector monitoring. This paper presents the upgraded VELO design and outlines the software aspects of the detector calibration in the upgrade I. An overview of the challenges foreseen for the upgrade II is given.

Waveform processing using neural network algorithms on the front-end electronics

In a multi-channel radiation detector readout system, waveform sampling, digitization, and raw data transmission to the data acquisition system constitute a conventional processing chain. The deposited energy on the sensor is estimated by extracting peak amplitudes, area under pulse envelopes from the raw data, and starting times of signals or time of arrivals. However, such quantities can be estimated using machine learning algorithms on the front-end Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), often termed as “edge computing”. Edge computation offers enormous benefits, especially when the analytical forms are not fully known or the registered waveform suffers from noise and imperfections of practical implementations. In this work, we aim to predict peak amplitude from a single waveform snippet whose rising and falling edges containing only 3 to 4 samples. We thoroughly studied two well-accepted neural network algorithms, Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) by varying their model sizes. To better fit front-end electronics, neural network model reduction techniques, such as network pruning methods and variable-bit quantization approaches, were also studied. By combining pruning and quantization, our best performing model has the size of 1.5 KB, reduced from 16.6 KB of its full model counterpart. It can reach mean absolute error of 0.034 comparing to that of a naive baseline of 0.135. Such parameter-efficient and predictive neural network models established feasibility and practicality of their deployment on front-end ASICs.

Upgrade of the CMS resistive plate chambers for the high luminosity LHC

During the upcoming High Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the integrated luminosity of the accelerator will increase to 3000 fb−1. The expected experimental conditions in that period in terms of background rates, event pileup, and the probable aging of the current detectors present a challenge for all the existing experiments at the LHC, including the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. To ensure a highly performing muon system for this period, several upgrades of the Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) system of the CMS are currently being implemented. These include the replacement of the readout system for the present system, and the installation of two new RPC stations with improved chamber and front-end electronics designs. The current overall status of this CMS RPC upgrade project is presented.

CP violation in charm

The existence of CP violation in the decays of strange and beauty mesons is very well established experimentally. On the contrary, CP violation in the decays of charmed particles has been elusive for a long time and has been observed for the first time in 2019 by the LHCb experiment. Since then several studies have been performed in the charm sector. During the LHC Run 1 and Run 2, the LHCb collaboration has collected large samples containing charm hadron decays, on a scale never seen before. Collected data enabled physicists to obtain several new results, most of which surpassed previous results and became new world’s best measurements. Presently the LHCb spectrometer is being upgraded to enhance readout system, improve subdetector components and increase integrated luminosity to 50 fb−1 by the end of Run 4.

A muographic study of a scoria cone from 11 directions using nuclear emulsion cloud chambers

One of the key challenges for muographic studies is to reveal the detailed 3D density structure of a volcano by increasing the number of observation directions. 3D density imaging by multi-directional muography requires that the individual differences in the performance of the installed muon detectors are small and that the results from each detector can be derived without any bias in the data analysis. Here we describe a pilot muographic study of the Izu–Omuroyama scoria cone in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, from 11 directions, using a new nuclear emulsion detector design optimized for quick installation in the field. We describe the details of the data analysis and present a validation of the results. The Izu–Omuroyama scoria cone is an ideal target for the first multi-directional muographic study, given its expected internal density structure and the topography around the cone. We optimized the design of the nuclear emulsion detector for rapid installation at multiple observation sites in the field, and installed these at 11 sites around the volcano. The images in the developed emulsion films were digitized into segmented tracks with a high-speed automated readout system. The muon tracks in each emulsion detector were then reconstructed. After the track selection, including straightness filtering, the detection efficiency of the muons was estimated. Finally, the density distributions in 2D angular space were derived for each observation site by using a muon flux and attenuation models. The observed muon flux was compared with the expected value in the free sky, and is 88 % ± 4 % in the forward direction and 92 % ± 2 % in the backward direction. The density values were validated by comparison with the values obtained from gravity measurements, and are broadly consistent, except for one site. The excess density at this one site may indicate that the density inside the cone is non-axisymmetric, which is consistent with a previous geological study.

An LGAD-Based Full Active Target for the PIONEER Experiment

PIONEER is a next-generation experiment to measure the charged pion branching ratios to electrons vs. muons Re/μ=Γπ+→e+ν(γ)Γπ+→μ+ν(γ) and pion beta decay (Pib) π+→π0eν. The pion to muon decay (π→μ→e) has four orders of magnitude higher probability than the pion to electron decay (π→eν). To achieve the necessary branching-ratio precision it is crucial to suppress the π→μ→e energy spectrum that overlaps with the low energy tail of π→eν. A high granularity active target (ATAR) is being designed to suppress the muon decay background sufficiently so that this tail can be directly measured. In addition, ATAR will provide detailed 4D tracking information to separate the energy deposits of the pion decay products in both position and time. This will suppress other significant systematic uncertainties (pulse pile-up, decay in flight of slow pions) to <0.01%, allowing the overall uncertainty in to be reduced to O (0.01%). The chosen technology for the ATAR is Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD). These are thin silicon detectors (down to 50 μm in thickness or less) with moderate internal signal amplification and great time resolution. To achieve a 100% active region several emerging technologies are being evaluated, such as AC-LGADs and TI-LGADs. A dynamic range from MiP (positron) to several MeV (pion/muon) of deposited charge is expected, the detection and separation of close-by hits in such a wide dynamic range will be a main challenge. Furthermore, the compactness and the requirement of low inactive material of the ATAR present challenges for the readout system, forcing the amplifier chip and digitizer to be positioned away from the active region.

The Effect of Ionising Radiation on the Luminescence Properties of Fluoroperovskites

<p>The luminescence of crystalline compounds can be used to monitor many physical phenomena, including doses of ionising radiation. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermoluminescence (TL), and radiophotoluminescence (RPL) have been successfully employed in dosimetry. However, few materials possess both the structural and luminescence properties required for medical dosimetry. This thesis aimed to investigate the luminescence features of the class of compounds known as fluoroperovskites. Emphasis was placed on studying the effects of irradiation on the luminescence properties, such that the compounds could be evaluated regarding potential applications in clinical dosimetry. Samples were primarily characterised using photoluminescence (PL), radioluminescence (RL), OSL, RPL, TL, and transmittance spectroscopy. OSL was observed in the majority of samples due to the existence of electron trapping F-type centres. F-centre/Mn complexes were observed in all AMgF3:Mn compounds after irradiation and the energy levels of the complexes in each compound were experimentally determined. The most promising potential dosimeter host material was the near tissue-equivalent NaMgF3. When doped with Mn2+, the compound exhibited RPL via the formation of F-centre/Mn complexes and OSL via several trapping centres. The RPL could be probed independently to the OSL such that the compound could function as a hybrid OSL/RPL dosimeter. In the NaMgF3:Ln compounds, RPL occurred via the radiation-induced reduction Ln3+ → Ln2+ for Ln = Sm, Dy, and Yb. The reduction Sm3+ → Sm2+ was highly stable and could be non-destructively probed independently to the OSL. The Sm doped compound also exhibited radiation-induced conductivity that could be coupled with the RL, such that the compound could function as a real-time hybrid optical/electrical dosimeter. Charge kinetics, thermal quenching, and binding energy models were developed and applied to the compounds. Finally, a two-dimensional readout system was designed and constructed. The capabilities of the system were evaluated using the OSL of NaMgF3:Eu and NaMgF3:Mn. Sensitivities to doses from < 10 mGy to > 1 Gy were obtained along with sub-millimetre spatial resolutions.</p>

The Effect of Ionising Radiation on the Luminescence Properties of Fluoroperovskites

<p>The luminescence of crystalline compounds can be used to monitor many physical phenomena, including doses of ionising radiation. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermoluminescence (TL), and radiophotoluminescence (RPL) have been successfully employed in dosimetry. However, few materials possess both the structural and luminescence properties required for medical dosimetry. This thesis aimed to investigate the luminescence features of the class of compounds known as fluoroperovskites. Emphasis was placed on studying the effects of irradiation on the luminescence properties, such that the compounds could be evaluated regarding potential applications in clinical dosimetry. Samples were primarily characterised using photoluminescence (PL), radioluminescence (RL), OSL, RPL, TL, and transmittance spectroscopy. OSL was observed in the majority of samples due to the existence of electron trapping F-type centres. F-centre/Mn complexes were observed in all AMgF3:Mn compounds after irradiation and the energy levels of the complexes in each compound were experimentally determined. The most promising potential dosimeter host material was the near tissue-equivalent NaMgF3. When doped with Mn2+, the compound exhibited RPL via the formation of F-centre/Mn complexes and OSL via several trapping centres. The RPL could be probed independently to the OSL such that the compound could function as a hybrid OSL/RPL dosimeter. In the NaMgF3:Ln compounds, RPL occurred via the radiation-induced reduction Ln3+ → Ln2+ for Ln = Sm, Dy, and Yb. The reduction Sm3+ → Sm2+ was highly stable and could be non-destructively probed independently to the OSL. The Sm doped compound also exhibited radiation-induced conductivity that could be coupled with the RL, such that the compound could function as a real-time hybrid optical/electrical dosimeter. Charge kinetics, thermal quenching, and binding energy models were developed and applied to the compounds. Finally, a two-dimensional readout system was designed and constructed. The capabilities of the system were evaluated using the OSL of NaMgF3:Eu and NaMgF3:Mn. Sensitivities to doses from < 10 mGy to > 1 Gy were obtained along with sub-millimetre spatial resolutions.</p>