BCM1F: brand new components replace half of our detector

Shiny new luminosity and beam conditions instrumentation for CMS

Earlier this year, half of the detector subsystem I work on (BCM1F) was replaced with new components to help cope with radiation damage accumulated during LHC Run 3. This requires the CMS detector to be pulled apart, and involves accessing a small area in the middle of the 5-story tall CMS detector, right next to the beam pipe where colliding protons pass and collide during operation.

Given that we are still in the middle of LHC Run 3, this task could only be completed while the LHC is completely powered down during a narrow window called the year-end technical stop. This window takes place from December into January, but remember that the CERN is closed for winter Holidays! It is a European lab after all, and holidays are important here!

I was lucky enough to join this effort, helping out in the BCM1F back-end readout while our excellent installation crew was mounting the assembly in place and checking connections. Essentially, I hung out near the electronics that receive signals from the new detector components, and made sure they were reading out as expected. Because of the high-radiation environment of the CMS detector during operation, these back-end electronics are in a separate room separated by meters of concrete from the detector.

It was a very fun and intense experience, and just recently the CMS collaboration has made an official post about it summarizing the effort, which you can click above!

Below you can see me in my natural habitat of the electronic racks, as well as on my visit to the installation location, and a photo of the team who made the replacement possible. You can also check out more photos of the installation on this CDS page!