CERN, or European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s leading particle physics research institutes, which currently operates the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The 27-kilometer Large Hadron Collider accelerates protons and heavy ions to almost the speed of light in order to collide them at four large detectors: ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb. This experimental process enables research into the extreme conditions of the early universe. The detectors function as giant high-speed cameras, taking 3D image snapshots of particle collisions from all directions up to 40 million times per second, identifying almost all stable particles while also measuring their energy.
CERN also plans to launch a top priority project called High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) with the aim of increasing collisions. This will enable even more accurate experiments than the ones conducted at present but, at the same time, the detectors and electronic systems monitoring physical phenomena may be subjected to greater loads of current than ever before. The power supplies currently in use were not designed for such extraordinary conditions, so a measuring device was needed that could simulate up to ten times the current load and test the behavior of the detectors even in extreme environments.
Researchers Balázs Ujvári, Melinda Orosz, and Zsolt Mátyus from the University of Debrecen and HUN-REN ATOMKI have managed to handle this challenge and overcome this obstacle successfully. Balázs Ujvári, Assistant Professor at the Department of Data Science and Visualization at the Faculty of Informatics of the University of Debrecen, told hirek.unideb.hu that this development normally includes an electronically switchable resistance network that can simulate the load on the detector channels over a wide range. He added that, during the course of the work on the development, a complete monitoring and testing electronics system and user-friendly control software had also been created.
- We have already presented the prototype of this system at CERN, where international experts conducted and collected measurements and feedback under real-life operating conditions during on-site testing. The test system thus developed allows us to examine all high-voltage power supplies reliably and in detail. The measurements provide an accurate forecast of how these devices might behave in the long run, what the early signs of wear and tear or failure might be, and which units may need to be replaced before the HL-LHC starts operating- said the Hungarian expert.
The power supply units are required for high-energy physical measurements and, thanks to this development, the CMS DT sub-detector will be able to operate in a stable and safe fashion as well as with a high level of accuracy even at the increased collision rates.
The research has been supported and funded by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office: NKFIH 2021-4.1.2-NEMZ_KI-2024-00043.
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