Reported by JOHN HARRIS
The next STAR Collaboration Meeting will be held the week of 30 January - 5 February 1994. Below you'll find a calendar of activities. We are presently in the process of blocking hotel rooms. With the change in management at the Shattuck Hotel, this has caused us some delays in sending out the full information on lodging and transportation. The calendar below should allow STAR members to plan and purchase tickets for air travel. Tim Hallman will send out all the relevent hotel information as soon as they are available, and definitely within the next two weeks. Please note that the room assignments for the working groups are tentative. A full agenda and calendar with final room assignments will be e-mailed to STAR members before Christmas.
Sunday, 30 Jan. Monday, 31 Jan. Tuesday, 1 Feb.
============= ============= =============
Cars leave from Hotel Buses leave from Hotel Buses leave from Hotel
at 8:45 AM at 8:30 AM at 8:00 and 8:30 AM
8:00 - 9:00 AM 8:00 - 9:00 AM
Registration Registration
(B.50 Auditorium) (B.50 Auditorium)
9:00 AM 9:00 AM 9:00 AM
Working Groups: Working Groups: Working Groups:
Software/Sims DAQ (B.70, Rm. 3377) TPC (50F Conf. Rm.)
(70A-3377) Trigger (70A-3307)
EMC (50A-5109)
TPC/XTPC/SVT FEE SVT (50D-116)
(50D-116) XTPC (70-191)
12:30 PM Lunch 12:30 PM Lunch 12:30 PM Lunch
1:00 - 5:00 PM
STAR Council Meeting
(B.50 Director's Conf. Rm.)
2:00 PM 2:00 PM 2:00 PM
Working Groups: Working Groups: Working Groups:
Software/Sims DAQ (B.70, Rm. 3377) TPC (50F Conf. Rm.)
(70A-3377)
Trigger (70A-3307)
EMC/TOF FEE EMC (50A-5109)
(50-D, 116) Magnet (?)
SVT (50D-116)
TOF (70-191)
5:30 PM Adjourn
6:00 PM: 6:00 PM:
SAS Committee Mtg. Wine & Cheese
(70A-3377) (Cafeteria)
(Spouses/Friends Welcome)
7:00 PM:
STAR Council Dinner
(local restaurant)
7:15 PM bus to Hotel
7:30 PM
Technical Committee Dinner
Wednesday, 2 Feb. Thursday, 3 Feb. Friday, 4 Feb.
============== ================ ============
Buses leave from Buses leave from Buses leave from
Hotel at 8:00 & 8:30 AM Hotel at 8:00 and 8:30 AM Hotel at 8:00 and 8:30 AM
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Registration
(B.66 Auditorium)
9:00 AM 9:00 AM 9:00 AM
Plenary Session Plenary Session Plenary Session
(B.66 Auditorium) (B. 66 Auditorium) (B. 66 Auditorium)
12:30 PM Lunch 12:30 PM Lunch 12:30 PM Lunch
Council Mtg. open
(Lower level Cafeteria) (Lower level Cafeteria)
2:00 PM 2:00 PM 2:00 PM
Plenary Session Plenary Session Plenary Session
(B. 66 Auditorium) (B. 66 Auditorium) (B. 66 Auditorium)
5:30 PM Adjourn 5:30 PM Adjourn 5:30 PM Adjourn
Bus to Durant Hotel Bus to Durant Hotel Bus to Durant Hotel
6:00 PM 7:00 PM:
Jr. Members Get-Together STAR Collaboration
(70A-3377,details later) Banquet
(Spouses/Friends Welcome)
Saturday, 5 Feb.
================
9:00 AM
STAR Physics Committee
(50-D, 116)
12:30 PM Lunch
2:00 PM
STAR Physics Committee
(50-D, 116)
The CDR Update was completed and has been sent out for publication. The update is dated January, 1993 and presents the detector design status as of that date.
Several project internal design reviews were held in September. The Magnet System PDR was held at BNL on the 9th and 10th. The committee report will be published by mid-October. The committee was satisfied with the design of the critical and timely items, Coils, Return Steel and Support Structure. A Final Design Review (FDR) was held for the TPC Sectors. This review went very well, with the committee expressing reservations only over the fact that there was not a Rsystem testS scheduled in which a significant fraction of front end and readout electronics would be installed in a sector. The Front End Electronics PDR was also held this month on the 20th and 21st. This review was very worthwhile, as several key issues were discovered. Committee reports for both the TPC FDR and the FEE PDR will be published later in October.
Upcoming reviews include a Slow Controls (SC) CDR and a Systems Integration (SI) update on October 18th and 19th respectively. Both of these reviews will take place at LBL.
The 2-D envelop drawings have been updated to reflect subsystem design changes. Significant progress is being made on the 3-D CAD modeling of the detector and facilities. Progress was made on the placement of the racks on the platforms of the Detector Structure. The latest rack placement diagram allows eight double (46 inches wide by 30 inches deep) racks per floor platform. With the use of three platforms per each side of the Detector platform, there should be ample room for the required number of racks.
The one-line power diagram for the STAR power has undergone several changes and is approaching closure. The diagram used with a marked-up print of the new Assembly Hall shows where the STAR group needs the power delivered.
Progress was made in the facility Title 2 activities. The latest STAR facility plans submitted to us by BNL plant engineering have been reviewed. Work is proceeding on resolving issues relating to the Assembly Building crane coverage, location of roof support columns and an access door between the Assembly Building and the WAH. A service pit to install the EMC electronics in the Assembly Building was requested.
A gas insulator OFC with a nominal 3 cm gas gap was completed and testing has begun. The initial short-term breakdown voltage was 65-67 kV in dry nitrogen. This is less than that predicted by the Paschen curve, but it is known that, due to fabrication errors, the gap is smaller than the nominal 3 cm. A mandrel for a prototype of 5 cm gap gas insulator has been completed.
The sector prototype was completed and is undergoing tests. The prototype initially held off anode voltage up to 1400 V for several days. Arcing was then observed on the initial anode bias distribution boards, and these were replaced with a revised design. A sector FDR was conduced and went well. The sector pad plane specifications and drawings were sent to procurement and vendors should receive the bid package early in October.
The FY94 budget was completed and given to the STAR project office. The total TPC budget for the next year is estimated to be about $2.2 M. This includes funds for BNL and WSU.
The front end boards have been tested and appear to work, although detailed testing has not yet taken place. FEE held a Preliminary Design Review on September 20-21, 1993. The committee report has not yet been received, but the overall consensus was that the IC and systems development are not really ready for the PDR review stage.
DAQ activity for the month of September concentrated on identifying a new architecture to replace, if necessary, the design described in the CDR which is based on the T9000 transputer. A workshop sponsored by DAQ will be held at LBL on November 11-13. Its purpose is to attempt to accelerate the process of adapting emerging technology to STARUs data acquisition needs.
Development of the software and algorithms for all levels of the trigger continues. A complete set of events for pp through AuAu, 1000 of each type, are now in Monte Carlo on the RSGI00 machine at BNL. An investigation of board-mounted microprocessors that can be used in the level 1 analysis has begun. Development of the DAQ-Trigger interface and the specifications for the slow controls interface have continued.
The Slow Controls group has recently received the slow controls workstation, VME crate, and cpu necessary to set up an EPICS-based development at Creighton.
The data structures database was moved to sirius where Informix commercial database products have been installed. Effort from SAS concentrated on developing a DST production system to create large simulation datasets on which to base an expanded simulation effort.
A more detailed specification of WBS tasks for TPC software has begun. The three main activities in September related to the library, data management and data access routines.
Reported by MIKE LEVINE
The workshop to study DAQ architecture's took place at LBL November 11-13. Thirty people attended. While the majority are affiliated with STAR, there were also contributors from CERN and from industry.
The workshop focused on connectivity: How do we get the data from the detector-specific electronics to the memories of CPUs which will perform level 3 trigger processing and event building.
The choice of CPU was not dealt with in detail. While there are some favorite candidates (PowerPC and DEC ALPHA) it was agreed that our architecture should be structured so that either (or both) CPUs could be incorporated depending on price/performance at the time the initial purchase or later upgrade is made.
Three network technologies were discussed: ATM, SCI, and FiberChannel. Two of these (SCI, FiberChannel) emerged as sufficiently interesting that a working group was formed to study each of them. Each working group was asked to find a connection scheme that met STAR's performance requirements, using components that are available now, with cost estimates based on today's prices. Components that might be available were to be considered only as upgrades.
A report of the SCI working group's efforts has been compiled by its convenor, Volker Lindenstruth. It is worth reading, and is accessible through anonymous FTP from
ribm00::/pub/stardaq/DAQ_SCI_working_group.psThe report of the FiberChannel working group will be posted in the same directory as soon as it is received.
These working groups will continue to work independently refine their ideas until January, when a technology decision will be reached.
Last year, we have received first-stage approval for physics. Then various simulation studies for these measurements were carried out. Last month, we presented the results of studies and demonstrated that we will be able to measure jet, direct gamma, W+, W-, and Z0 with excellent signal to noise ratio. A recent letter from Mel Schwarts describes "The Program Advisory Committee was enthusiastic about the potential for spin physics at RHIC and reiterated its approval of your proposal as an essential part of the Brookhaven program". This is full approval of the proposal on spin physics using the RHIC Polarized Collider. Reported by Aki Yokosawa
Reported by MATT BLOOMER
Work on a complete off-line production chain for DST level output resumed with a bang during the Software Experts Workshop held at LBL from Nov. 1 through Nov. 5. A core group of 15 participants began or continued to develop the following TAS modules that comprise level 1 DST output:
Module Who Description MCT* Morse Converts GEANT banks to tables TFS* Jones TPC GEANT hits to points TPT* Sakrejda TPC tracking TTE* Sakrejda TPC tracking evaluation STK Pruneau SVT tracking STE Pruneau SVT track evaluation SGR* Prindle SVT point grouping SVM* Ray SVT-TPC track matching EVR~ Judd Reconstruction of event vertex SVR* Prindle Reconstruction of event vertex - SVT only TID* Mitchell TPC dE/dx calculation SPR* Paganis SVT dE/dx calculation VPS* Milosevich VPD GEANT hits to photo electrons VPV* Milosevich VPD vertex location CTS* Yepes CTB GEANT hits to photo elec, TDC CTU* Yepes CTB photo ele into mult, time MWS* Yepes MWC GEANT hits to ADC MWC* Yepes MWC ADC to mult * = ready for December Users workshop (below) ~ = bogus version ready for "All the above modules will be ready in time for some simulations before the January collaboration meeting, including, hopefully, a preliminary TAS version of the TPC slow simulator. In addition to the software chain, the priorities for initial data sets (systems, detector configurations, number of events, etc.) were also discussed, both by the SAS committee and the participants. (Look in WWW using xmosaic under STAR / STAR Workshops / 1-5nov93 to see what was presented during the workshop, especially the wrapup session).
The intense focus started during the expert workshop has continued during November, in preparation for the Software Users Workshop, which we be held from Monday Nov. 29 through Friday Dec. 3 at BNL. Curious people can look in WWW using xmosaic under STAR /STAR Workshops / 29Nov93 to get a preview of the workshop. The purpose is to bring new users of STAR software together for an informal and fun(?) introduction to TAS and to the available simulated data sets. It is hoped that this will boost interest in a collaboration-wide simulation effort (how can you not do it when it's so easy?) necessary for useful results by the next collaboration meeting. A preliminary list of prioritized simulation tasks has been distributed to the collaboration at large as workshop "homework." Bill Love has initiated the offline production system by generating the large data files to be used during the workshop.
Reported by JAY MARX
The SVT technical review was held on October 28 and 29 by a panel of experts advising RHIC management and DoE observers . The committee was very pleased with the overall approach taken in the SVT R&D program and indicated that the progress to date was excellent. The committee concluded that it looked likely that our approach would lead to a working detector meeting STAR's requirments. There were several useful suggestions made by the committee that will be followed. The most significant one was that we use the current guarded detector design as a baseline and jump ahead as rapidly as possible to an overall system test so that system level problems are uncovered. This design should also be used to gain experience with fabrication by industrial sources. Development of the mini-guarded design would also proceed in parallel. The outcome of this review has given the RHIC management sufficent confidence in our work to assure continuation of our efforts throughout the R&D phase (FY94-FY95). Following this successful review, STAR management acted to release the major portion of FY94 R&D funds for the SVT.
Reported by BILL LOVE
Come one, come all. RSVP.
Second Notice..... by Bill Love
The response so far has been small. This is a reminder since inexpensive airfares require advance reservations.
The second BNL workshop on Simulations for STAR is scheduled for 29 November through 3 December 1993. The workshop will take place in Building 510 at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973.
Please respond to Sharon Smith ((516) 282-3995 or smith2@bnldag.ags.bnl.gov) if you are planning to come and tell her what sort of housing arrangements you would like.
This time of the year on-site housing should not be a problem and would certainly be more convenient.
We hope to have a supply of simulated data in various forms from raw hits to DSTs available to work with, so that the main activity of the workshop will be extracting physics signals from the data. Of course, the need for new data simulations will turn up in the course of this work.