A Highly Selective First-Level Muon Trigger With MDT Chamber Data for ATLAS at HL-LHC

TL;DR

This paper presents a highly selective first-level muon trigger system for the ATLAS experiment at HL-LHC, utilizing MDT chamber data to reduce trigger rates and meet strict latency requirements.

Contribution

It introduces a fast MDT read-out chain and track reconstruction algorithm, demonstrating hardware and software performance suitable for HL-LHC conditions.

Findings

Successful testing of the fast read-out chain at CERN facilities

Implementation of a fast track reconstruction algorithm on a trigger processor

Achieved trigger rate reduction with acceptable latency

Abstract

Highly selective triggers are essential for the physics programme of the ATLAS experiment at HL-LHC where the instantaneous luminosity will be about an order of magnitude larger than the LHC instantaneous luminosity in Run 1. The first level muon trigger rate is dominated by low momentum muons below the nominal trigger threshold due to the moderate momentum resolution of the Resistive Plate and Thin Gap trigger chambers. The resulting high trigger rates at HL-LHC can be sufficiently reduced by using the data of the precision Muon Drift Tube chambers for the trigger decision. This requires the implementation of a fast MDT read-out chain and of a fast MDT track reconstruction algorithm with a latency of at most 6 microseconds. A hardware demonstrator of the fast read-out chain has been successfully tested at the HL-LHC operating conditions at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility. The fast track reconstruction algorithm has been implemented on a fast trigger processor.