Beam tests of an integrated prototype of the ATLAS Forward Proton detector

TL;DR

This paper reports on beam tests of an integrated prototype of the ATLAS Forward Proton detector, demonstrating high efficiency and spatial resolution, and confirming the system’s readiness for initial low-luminosity runs at CERN.

Contribution

First successful integration and testing of tracking and timing detectors in the AFP prototype, achieving performance metrics surpassing requirements.

Findings

Tracker hit efficiency above 99.9% at 14° tilt

Spatial resolution of approximately 5.5 μm per pixel plane

System time resolution of 35 ps meets initial AFP requirements

Abstract

The ATLAS Forward Proton (AFP) detector is intended to measure protons scattered at small angles from the ATLAS interaction point. To this end, a combination of 3D Silicon pixel tracking modules and Quartz-Cherenkov time-of-flight (ToF) detectors is installed 210m away from the interaction point at both sides of ATLAS. Beam tests with an AFP prototype detector combining tracking and timing sub-detectors and a common readout have been performed at the CERN-SPS test-beam facility in November 2014 and September 2015 to complete the system integration and to study the detector performance. The successful tracking-timing integration was demonstrated. Good tracker hit efficiencies above 99.9% at a sensor tilt of 14{\deg}, as foreseen for AFP, were observed. Spatial resolutions in the short pixel direction with 50 {\mu}m pitch of 5.5 +/- 0.5 {\mu}m per pixel plane and of 2.8 +/- 0.5 {\mu}m for the full four-plane tracker at 14{\deg} were found, largely surpassing the AFP requirement of 10 {\mu}m. The timing detector showed also good hit efficiencies above 99%, and a full-system time resolution of 35 +/- 6 ps was found for the ToF prototype detector with two Quartz bars in-line (half the final AFP size) without dedicated optimisation, fulfilling the requirements for initial low-luminosity AFP runs.