CERN SIRAD

CERN SIRAD
Name	CERN SIRAD
Location	Meyrin
Established	2010s
Type	Particle detector test facility
Operator	European Organization for Nuclear Research

CERN SIRAD CERN SIRAD is a specialized test facility at the European Organization for Nuclear Research focusing on small-scale irradiations, particle beam characterization, and radiation effects testing. It supports detector development, electronics qualification, and materials studies for experiments such as ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, LHCb, and for external partners including ESA, ITER, and national laboratories like DESY, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Fermilab. The facility sits within the CERN accelerator complex near Meyrin and interfaces with beamlines used by projects connected to Large Hadron Collider infrastructure and upgrade programs like HL-LHC.

Overview

CERN SIRAD provides controlled exposure to charged particles, neutrons, and photons for prototype validation used by collaborations such as ATLAS Inner Detector Upgrade, CMS Phase-2 Upgrade, NA61/SHINE, and detector R&D groups from Imperial College London, CERN Radiation Protection Group, and Paul Scherrer Institute. The service portfolio addresses requirements from industry partners including Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defence and Space, and microelectronics vendors linked to European Space Agency missions. Its mission aligns with strategic programs like European Strategy for Particle Physics and contributes to test campaigns relevant to awards and recognition in instrumentation such as the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society prizes.

History and development

SIRAD emerged during upgrade cycles driven by the Large Hadron Collider luminosity enhancements and the need to characterize radiation damage for silicon detector technologies pioneered by groups at CERN, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Chicago, and Kyoto University. Early prototypes trace to irradiation facilities at CERN Proton Synchrotron and collaborative efforts with INFN and CNRS. Development milestones coincided with projects such as HL-LHC, the LHCb Upgrade, and cross-disciplinary demands from CERN Neutrino Platform. Historical partnerships involved test campaigns with experiments like COMPASS and NA62 and joint initiatives with space agencies like NASA and JAXA.

Technical design and instrumentation

The facility integrates beam delivery systems adapted from the Proton Synchrotron and transfer lines, with instrumentation including silicon strip detector arrays, scintillator hodoscopes, Cherenkov detector elements, and time-of-flight systems similar to those used by ALICE Time Projection Chamber groups. Dosimetry and fluence measurement rely on devices like activation foils, radFETs, and thermoluminescent dosimeters calibrated against standards maintained by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt and National Physical Laboratory (United Kingdom). Readout electronics follow architectures found in VFAT and APV25 systems used by TOTEM and CMS Tracker, while cooling and mechanical supports borrow designs from ATLAS Insertable B-Layer projects. Beam monitoring uses beam position monitors and profile monitors analogous to those in the CERN Neutrino to Gran Sasso era.

Operation and data collection

Operation scheduling coordinates with accelerator cycles governed by Injector Complex activities and beam time allocation committees involving stakeholders from CERN accelerators department, LHC experiments, and external institutions such as University of California, Berkeley and ETH Zurich. Data collection pipelines export raw waveforms and hit maps to computing resources like CERN OpenStack and WLCG Tier systems, employing analysis frameworks such as ROOT and GEANT4 for simulation and reconstruction. Quality of service includes logging aligned with practices in Beam Instrumentation groups and interfaces to collaboration databases used by ATLAS Calibration and CMS Conditions Database teams.

Applications and research programs

SIRAD supports irradiation campaigns for semiconductor qualification used in missions by European Space Agency and in projects like SKA and ITER diagnostics. It enables sensor R&D for trackers in ILC concepts and calorimetry studies for experiments similar to DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande prototype efforts. Cross-disciplinary programs include radiation hardening of processors for ESA Gaia-class payloads, material studies relevant to CERN Technology Department initiatives, and joint training programs with universities such as University of Geneva and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Safety, calibration, and quality assurance

Safety protocols mirror standards from International Atomic Energy Agency guidelines and local regulations enforced by the CERN Radiation Protection Group and Safety Commission. Calibration traceability follows comparative campaigns with standards from PTB and NPL and intercomparison exercises with facilities at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Quality assurance integrates procedures used in ATLAS and CMS detector construction, including documentation modeled on ISO 9001 frameworks and testing matrices familiar to groups such as CERN Engineering Department.

Collaborations and organizational structure

Governance involves coordination among European Organization for Nuclear Research departments, experiment representatives from ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, LHCb, and partner institutions including DESY, INFN, STFC, CEA, CNRS, and national laboratories like Brookhaven National Laboratory and Fermilab. User access is managed through committees akin to those for CERN Test Beam Facility usage, with collaborative projects often funded by grants from entities like the European Commission and national research councils such as the Swiss National Science Foundation and the UK Research and Innovation.

Category:CERN facilities