6–10 Jul 2026
University of the Western Cape
Africa/Johannesburg timezone
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Testbeam Analysis of HGTD Prototype Modules for the ATLAS Phase-II Upgrade

9 Jul 2026, 09:30
20m
Lecture Hall GH3 (University of the Western Cape)

Lecture Hall GH3

University of the Western Cape

Oral Presentation Track B - Nuclear, Particle and Radiation Physics Nuclear, Particle and Radiation Physics -2

Speaker

Karabo Tau (University of the Witwatersrand (ZA))

Description

The High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) is a key upgrade to the ATLAS experiment for the High-Luminosity LHC, designed to mitigate the effects of high pile-up through precision timing measurements. The detector will be installed between the barrel and end-cap calorimeters, covering the pseudorapidity region $2.4 < |\eta| < 4.0$, and is based on Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) with a target time resolution of 30 ps per track, degrading to 50 ps after irradiation. This work presents a testbeam analysis of HGTD prototype modules using data collected during the October 2025 and January 2026 campaigns. Currently, the analysis focuses on data from the October test beam collected with the FM-A-03 module, which is equipped with ALTIROC-A readout electronics. ALTIROC (ATLAS LGAD Timing ReadOut) chips are application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) fabricated in 130 nm CMOS technology, with each module integrating two ALTIROC ASICs and two LGAD sensors. The experimental setup is based on beam tests performed at facilities such as CERN SPS and DESY, providing controlled environments for detailed detector characterisation. Data acquisition is performed using the EUDAQ2 framework, while event reconstruction and analysis are carried out with Corryvreckan. The analysis workflow includes event loading, telescope-based alignment, spatial efficiency evaluation, and timing reconstruction using digitised front-end signals. Particular emphasis is placed on the integration of LGAD sensors with ALTIROC readout electronics and the validation of the reconstruction chain. Ongoing studies focus on the evaluation of timing performance and detector efficiency, as well as the optimisation of reconstruction and calibration procedures. This work contributes to the validation of HGTD detector technologies and the development of analysis strategies for precision timing measurements in the ATLAS Phase-II upgrade.

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Author

Karabo Tau (University of the Witwatersrand (ZA))

Co-authors

Dr Rachid Mazini (University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)) Ms Roja Rimer (University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)) Mr Thabo Lepota (University of the Witwatersrand (ZA))

Presentation materials