New paper pre-print: The BCM1F detector

New Pre-print, ArXiv:2608.27264

A new paper I worked on is now publicly available as a pre-print! This paper details the design and operation of a silicon-based detector that measured the rate of collisions delivered by the LHC to the CMS experiment, which is essential to know for ensuring stable operation of the LHC and for measuring most physics quantities later on.

I served as the convener for BCM1F operations from 2024-2026, until the detector began to feel like a child of mine. In June 2026 it was turned off and is now being decommissioned with the end of LHC Run 3. But as it retires from service, we are happy to present a publication that summarizes the detector and details many design choices, upgrades, and operational challenges along the way. We hope this manuscript documents the legacy of this detector to preserve the knowledge we gained and to benefit future detector design.

Because of the large scope of the paper, it took a team of us a long time to compile everything and make sure that everything was as clear and accurate as possible.

Take a look on the ArXiv above, hopefully coming to a scientific journal near you soon!