Department of Detector Development and Data Processing

• Investigation of basic properties of matter in the framework of international particle physics experiments
• Development of new detectors
• Data processing
• Past research topics

Investigation of basic properties of matter in the framework of international particle physics experiments

The ATLAS experiment at the LHC collider at CERN – we have been collaborating for a long time on the development and operation of the TILECAL hadron calorimeter and the processing of experiment results. We participate in the development and testing of detectors for ATLAS ITK - planned upgrade of the ATLAS inner detector.

The NOvA experiment operated by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, IL, USA. Our main task is the responsibility in the run coordinating the whole experiment. We develop test facilities for subdetectors.

Development of new detectors

We participate in the CALICE project, which aims at developing calorimeters with high granularity. We specialize in calibration and monitoring systems and data acquisition systems. These calorimeters are used in the detector ILD for the future ILC accelerator and in the detector CMS at LHC at CERN. We also participate in European project AIDA-2020 (Advanced European Infrastructures for Detectors at Accelerators).

We cooperate with other departments of the Division in sensor characterization (SiPM, APD), the development of detectors and electronic circuitry for new projects. We develop detector components, such as space-efficient radiation-resistant low-voltage power supplies.

Data processing

Our laboratory Computing Center hosts computing resources for several high energy and astroparticle physics projects. The center is a recognized Tier-2 center for LHC experiments ALICE and ATLAS. It supplies required computing and storage capacities for these two experiments on behalf of all participating institutions from the Czech Republic. An excellent network connectivity provided by CESNET enables to extend our capacities by servers located in the Nuclear Physics Institute in Řež and in the Troja building of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University. We collaborate in the WLCG (Worldwide LHC Computing Grid) project led by CERN. This project integrates computing centers distributed on the whole world to a unique system called Grid.

Past research topics

The DØ experiment at the TEVATRON proton-antiproton collider in Fermilab. It finished data collection in 2011 and now is analyzing the collected data set. We have contributed to the experiment design and participate in data processing.

The H1 experiment at the HERA electron-proton collider in the DESY laboratory in Hamburg, Germany. The data taking has been finished in June 2007, physics analyses continue. We study the structure of protons and photons, jet physics and diffraction physics.

The DIRAC experiment at CERN studies the space-time development of interactions through the correlations of pion pairs. Data taking finished in 2012. Our contribution is mostly in the analysis of systematic errors caused by finite dimensions of production regions.