The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) group was one of the original groups on the CMS Collaboration, contributing to early R&D for photon and electron detection and finally joining the collaboration in 1992. The group’s long-standing expertise in electromagnetic calorimeters was brought to bear on CMS’s ambitious crystal calorimeter. RAL took the lead role in designing and delivering the endcap ECAL, and had particular responsibility for procuring and testing the novel photodetectors (vacuum photo-triodes) used in the detector. The endcaps were delivered in time for first beam at the LHC. The RAL group also worked on the readout of the Tracker. With the arrival of beam, the group enthusiastically started the analysis of the eagerly anticipated data. A wide variety of analyses — covering searches for new particles such as Z’ bosons, quantum black holes, long-lived particles and exotic types of Higgs bosons — have been and are being tackled. On the computing front, RAL supplies major resources to CMS providing one of the Tier-1 centres and a Tier-2 facility.

In recent years RAL has expanded its interests to include the Trigger system. As part of the calorimeter trigger team, RAL has helped deliver the Phase-1 Trigger Upgrade. Looking to the future and the HL-LHC, RAL is already hard at work on a variety of detector upgrades. The creation of an entirely new element of the Trigger, namely the provision of tracks to the Level-1 hardware trigger, is a challenging and scientifically enriching current activity. This is also the case for the upgrade to the ECAL and the overall Level-1 Trigger, where RAL is making key contributions.

About The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL)

From: United Kingdom

CMS member since: 1992