LHCb PROJECT COORDINATION

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: UNLISTED

Abstract

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Description LHCb is a particle physics experiment operating at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Its principal aim is to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model through precision tests of matter anti-matter asymmetries (CP violation) and rare decays in heavy-quark flavour physics. It is the world-leading experiment in this field. The experiment also has a world-class programme in lepton-flavour violation, forward electroweak, and QCD measurements.

The LHCb collaboration was formed in 1995 with UK physicists being founding members. The UK participation in the construction of the LHCb experiment was approved by PPARC in 2000. The UK made the lead contributions to the design, construction and commissioning of the two key subdetector systems of LHCb: the Ring-Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) particle identification system and the silicon vertex locator (VELO) system. The RICH system is unique at the LHC and provides LHCb with its flavour-physics capabilities. The VELO provides all LHCb's time-dependent vertex measurements and has a precision unrivalled in all the LHC experiments.The UK groups are responsible for the physics data-taking and the maintenance and operation of these detector systems; the performance of all UK elements exceeds expectations.

The LHCb collaboration comprises ~60 institutes worldwide, and has ~650 signing authors. The number of participating UK institutes has risen from eight to eleven since 2008 and, including students, now constitutes ~20% of the full collaboration. In addition, the LHCb groups have been highly successful in leveraging funding from a variety of external sources including the European Union, the Royal Society and several university fellowship schemes.

LHCb has recorded 0.04 fb-1 of data in 2010, and 1.1 fb-1 in 2011; in 2012, 2 fb-1; plus additional p-A data in early 2013. The LHCb collaboration has the highest ratio of papers per author from any of the LHC experiments. The results include the world's best constraints on new physics from rare beauty meson decays, the first comprehensive study of the Bs meson system, the first measurement of charm mixing (>5sigma single channel) and the best constraints on CP violation in the charm-meson system. All have key UK leadership.
Exploitation Route Please see Narrative impact section
Sectors Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare
URL http://www.lhcb.ac.uk/LHCb-UK/Welcome.html
 
Description Economic Impact For the VELO, LHCb was first to pioneer and install full-sized n+p sensors; n+p sensors now form the baseline for ATLAS and CMS upgrades and are offered by all major sensor manufacturers (Hamamatsu Photonics, CNM, Micron, etc) as standard to the research, healthcare and aerospace sectors. All sensors for the existing VELO detectors were provided by Micron Semiconductors (the only UK sensors in the LHC vertex detectors), and the technology developed is now offered by them as a standard product line. We are again working closely with this company on the upgrade. The VELO production of hybrids by Stevenage Circuits has allowed this company to produce highly thermally-conductive devices for high radiation environments, a new product line for the company. This collaboration will be extended for the LHCb upgrade. Hawk electronics (who won an NW industry award for their work) can now compete for further EU contracts on the basis of developing "low thermal impact" component-placement technologies for the VELO. Again, this collaboration is being further pursued for the more stringent requirements of the upgrade. The Timepix bump-bonded pixel readout chip, used for the upgraded VELO, is also utilized by the UK PImMS project. This involves the development of fast, pixelated sensors for imaging of low-energy ions coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometers, enabling high-precision imaging for molecular microscopy and atom-probe tomography. Patents for this technology were granted in 2008, 2010 and 2011. An innovative low-mass micro-fabrication based cooling design will be utilized for the first time in the LHCb VELO upgrade. This has widespread potential applications and interest has already been expressed by the light source and fusion communities. There is a potential UK producer for this technology (ICEMOS Ltd), with whom we have previously collaborated. Diamond Light Source is developing a full scale system for their beam-lines inspired by the LHCb VELO upgrade design, and led by a staff member previously trained on the project. Medical applications are also being pursued. The current VELO detectors were installed as a beam-halo monitor at the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology. The high resolution pixel sensors that will be developed by the upgrade are well suited to applications at the two hadron cancer treatments centres that are to be constructed at London and Manchester University hospitals. A collaboration has been formed with the NHS to further this. Several photon-detector technologies have been significantly enhanced by the RICH project where there has been association with external companies. We collaborated closely with DEP/Photonis to produce the LHCb hybrid photon detectors (HPDs). These devices have extensively enhanced Photonis' capabilities for photon detectors in particle physics and space applications. With Hamamatsu (UK/Japan) we have worked to improve the spatial acceptance of multi-anode photomultiplier (MaPMT) devices, the high active-area tubes, which are now commercially available. These devices are very promising for medical imaging and positron emission tomography (PET), and offer tremendous potential in drug development and gene therapy, and this collaboration will be pursued. UK industry benefitted from contracts for the manufacture of the mechanics for the original LHCb RICH detectors. For example, the 30-ton RICH-2 vessel was manufactured at Stainless Metalcraft (Chatteris) Ltd. UK industry will tender for future contracts arising from the redesign of the RICH mechanical components for the LHCb upgrade. Societal & Cultural Impact Skilled people: LHCb-UK has an excellent track record in training students, with approximately half of the 50 UK students graduated since 2006 employed in diverse industrial occupations or commerce. For the Upgrade, state-of-the-art technologies will provide an ideal training ground in silicon, particle ID and fast electronics and mechanics for students, engineering and technical staff. CASE-supported students will again be appointed with UK silicon and electronics companies. Dissemination: LHCb-UK members, from PhD students to group leaders, are fully committed to an active programme of outreach and dissemination. An outreach officer has been appointed for LHCb-UK and the UK maintains a webpage (www.lhcb.ac.uk) to showcase and explain LHCb physics results, detector technology and UK links. In the media, we have stimulated public dialogue through film, radio and the press. We have hosted short films for CERN and with STFC/IoP small awards (shortlisted by two film festivals), guested on LHC documentaries (BBC4, Discovery Channel, Horizon, Bang Goes the Theory, Youtube). Numerous contributions in the broadcast media have been made by LHCb-UK members on BBC News 24, BBC local radio stations, World Service, Radios 4 and 5 and international media (various stations). In the past year alone there have been four lead stories on BBC news online science page as a direct consequence of LHCb-UK interactions. We also disseminate our science directly via talks and exhibits. LHCb-UK institutes regularly participate in schools talks, University masterclasses and in SLC- and IoP-organised continuing professional development presentations to teachers. Talented or economically disadvantaged schoolchildren are further targeted through specialist schemes. LHCb-UK members have also devised spark chamber and cloud chamber cosmic ray demonstrations, and are developing a schools network to allow participating 6th formers to perform their own particle physics research. LHCb-UK members have presented LHCb science to an estimated audience of tens of thousands, at science festivals (British, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, ESOF, Guardian Open, Gravity Fields, Hay, Jodrell Bank, Manchester), at learned institutions (IoP, Institute of Engineering Technology, Royal Institution, Royal Society), technology conferences (LIFT, TEDx, Thinking Digital), and numerous local university and non-university societies. Women in SET are targeted through their organized talks and presentations at "Women in Science Residential" access events. Non-traditional audience sectors are targeted by science and arts initiatives - collaborations with the novelists Stella Duffy and Sara Maitland, and participation in events with artists from fields as diverse as opera, media and visual arts. LHCb-UK members have participated in Royal Society summer exhibits and the IoP Big Bang fair. VELO modules are exhibited at Microcosm (CERN) and form part of a permanent display at the LHCb pit. One of the LHCb-UK groups hosts the first Science Museum Fellow of Modern Science, who is Head of Content for the forthcoming Science Museum "Collider" exhibition, which will tour Europe and will also showcase VELO technology. PhD students play a very active part in science communication. Many LHCb-UK students are registered CERN guides, one student won the 2013 Swiss Famelab final, another an IoP communication competition, and a third has been awarded a POST internship for 2013.
First Year Of Impact 2008
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Economic
 
Title web search 
Description We collaborate with the search-engine company Yandex who developed a multivariate classifier technique for targeted advertisements. We have adapted the technique to categorise LHCb events into signal and background to get substantial gains in sensitivity in some high-profile analyses. 
Type Of Material Data handling & control 
Year Produced 2012 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact see above 
 
Description LHCb 
Organisation European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
Department Large Hadron Collider Beauty Experiment (LHCb)
Country Switzerland 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution The LHCb collaboration was formed in 1995 with UK physicists being founding members. The UK participation in the construction of the LHCb experiment was approved by PPARC in 2000. The UK made the lead contributions to the design, construction and commissioning of the two key subdetector systems of LHCb: the Ring-Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) particle identification system and the silicon vertex locator (VELO) system. The RICH system is unique at the LHC and provides LHCb with its flavour-physics capabilities. The VELO provides all LHCb's time-dependent vertex measurements and has a precision unrivalled in all the LHC experiments.The UK groups are responsible for the physics data-taking and the maintenance and operation of these detector systems; the performance of all UK elements exceeds expectations. The LHCb collaboration has published 100 papers in peer reviewed journals, the highest ratio of papers per author from any of the LHC experiments. The results include the world's best constraints on new physics from rare beauty meson decays, the first comprehensive study of the Bs meson system, and the first evidence for CP violation in the charm-meson system. All have key UK leadership.
Collaborator Contribution The LHCb collaboration comprises 60 institutes worldwide, and has 624 signing authors. Design, construction, operation of experimental apparatus and analysis of result were all performed as cooperation between UK and international partners.
Impact Full list of publications.
Start Year 2006
 
Title RICH 
Description Several photon-detector technologies have been significantly enhanced by the RICH project where there has been association with external companies. We collaborated closely with DEP/Photonis to produce the LHCb hybrid photon detectors (HPDs). These devices have extensively enhanced Photonis? capabilities for photon detectors in particle physics and space applications. With Hamamatsu (UK/Japan) we have worked to improve the spatial acceptance of multi-anode photomultiplier (MaPMT) devices, the high active-area tubes now being commercially available. These devices are very promising for medical imaging and positron emission tomography (PET), and offer tremendous potential in drug development and gene therapy UV/Visible/IR detectors 
Type Of Technology Detection Devices 
Year Produced 2008 
Impact see above 
 
Title VELO 
Description Several technologies were innovated by the VELO and Particle-ID projects. For the VELO, LHCb was first to pioneer and install full-sized n+p sensors; in 2012 we completed production of the first complete LHC vertex detector using this technology. n+p sensors now form the baseline for ATLAS and CMS upgrades and are offered by all major sensor manufacturers (Hamamatsu Photonics, CNM, Micron, etc) as standard to the research, healthcare and aerospace sectors. The VELO production of hybrids by Stevenage Circuits has allowed this company to produce highly thermally-conductive devices for high radiation environments. Hawk electronics (who won an NW industry award for their work) can now compete for further EU contracts on the basis of developing ?low thermal impact? component-placement technologies for the VELO. The VELO detectors were installed as a beam-halo monitor at the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology leading to cross-over research between tracking detectors and Healthcare. A collaboration has formed with the NHS to further this. Radiation hard detectors 
Type Of Technology Detection Devices 
Year Produced 2008 
Impact see above 
 
Description Outreach 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact LHCb-UK is fully committed to an active programme of outreach and dissemination.

In the media, we have stimulated public dialogue through film, radio and press. LHCb members have hosted short films for CERN, shortlisted by film festivals in 2011 and 2012, guested on LHC documentaries (BBC4, Discovery Channel, Horizon, Bang Goes the Theory and Youtube: The matter with Antimatter). Numerous contributions in the broadcast media have been made by LHCb-UK members on BBC News 24, BBC local radio stations, World Service News-hour, Radios 4 and 5 and international media (various stations). Print articles include many national newspapers and online (BBC News Online). VELO modules have been exhibited at the Royal Society Summer exhibition, at Microcosm (CERN), and will form part of the Science Museum LHC touring exhibition.

LHCb physicists host VIP tours; examples of visitors to LHCb being the Science Minister, the Science Select Committee and several university vice-chancellors. We also regularly conduct LHCb public visits, and are fully engaged in the UK Masterclass programmes. One of the LHCb-UK groups hosts the first Science Museum Fellow of Modern Science who has played a primary role in the Collider exhibition at the London Science Museum and Manchester Museum Of Science and Industry (MOSI)

see above.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014
URL http://www.lhcb.ac.uk/LHCb-UK/Welcome.html