2. STAR Project Summary
Excerpted from the STAR Monthly Report for August 1997.
Project Management Summary and Highlights
The TPC assembly work was completed and the TPC has begun cosmic ray testing! All major subsystems within the TPC (field cages, gas system, laser system, etc.) are working smoothly and 25,000 cosmic and laser events were recorded in the first weekend. This is a major event for STAR; and all indications signify that the TPC will be ready to ship to BNL in (very) early November! A great deal of effort is going into ensuring a smooth and timely shipment.The Magnet assembly work is also progressing. By month's end, the last of the backlegs were staged and ready for installation. EMC support segments had begun to show up at the Assembly Building and their installation is still planned to begin in early September.
Several very large utility construction contracts for STAR are about to be initiated. The STAR water system is out for bid and the electric power contract was close behind.
A number of STAR Conventional Systems hardware contracts are poised for release at this time as well. The rail plate extensions for the South platform, the electronics racks, the cooling radiators, etc. The electronics platform construction is moving forward towards delivery and erection beginning October 1st.
Progress on the electronics front includes delivery of the packaged TPC FEE ICs to BNL for testing and subsequently to MPI Munich for board loading. Testing of production DAQ ASICs has also begun. Orders for many production FEE and DAQ components are in place.
Much of the month was spent developing and implementing plans for completing an estimate to complete the STAR Project. By month's end several of the subsystems had responded with initial results. This effort will be concluded in time for the upcoming annual RHIC TAC Review of STAR. The Project Office was also busy preparing the groundwork for the Preliminary FY98 Budget Request.
TPC Summary and Highlights
The majority of the assembly work on the TPC is complete and the TPC has begun initial testing. All TPC/FEE systems were tested together for the first time with a cosmic ray trigger on Thursday evening (21st). To our great satisfaction the first "begin run" and first event produced a good cosmic ray track. Serious data taking with on-line distortion analysis started on Friday and ran smoothly through the weekend until we terminated the run on Monday. A total of 25k events were collected with various cosmic and laser triggers giving very detailed information on the TPC performance.
Magnet Summary and Highlights
As reported last month, a visit to Ranor, Inc. was conducted to review any issues with regard to the contract. It was noted that they would have difficulties meeting the December 97 delivery date due to limited funding obligated in FY97. As a result, the FY97 funding for the Pole Tip Support Carriages was increased so that orders for materials could be committed. A visit to Atlantic Fluid Power, supplier of the main magnet hydraulic system, was conducted to review progress. The vendor was experiencing difficulty but this has since been resolved. The system should be ready for testing by early September. Power Buss from power supplies to the magnet has been ordered and has been partially delivered. Work continues on the design of the support hangers for the power buss and buss interconnections at the magnet.The second round of RFQ's for the booster power supplies led to the selection of Inverpower as the vendor. Because the specifications had been rewritten to favor the use of commercially available supplies, with very few engineering changes, there was a cost reduction from the first RFQ of almost $100K. The design reviews of the other three supplies are almost completed, and they are still on track for delivery this calendar year.
Electronics Summary and Highlights
Systems Test
In August, the TPC cosmic ray test finally began. Prototype CTB slats (without readout electronics) were installed above and below the TPC for triggering; and 2 inches of lead were installed above the lower scintillator to increase the average cosmic ray muon momentum. Sector 6 (at the bottom of the TPC) was instrumented with front end electronics, with the usual mini-DAQ and slow controls connections.When everything was turned on, the first event showed a clean cosmic ray trigger. This was followed quickly by a smooth weekend run, during which about 20,000 cosmic ray tracks were recorded. Laser runs of up to 5000 events were also taken, along with ground plane pulser and pedestal events, followed by a second weekend long run. All this data is now being analyzed.
Front End Electronics (FEE)
Both the delayed SCA chips and the on-time SAS chips arrived back from their packaging houses and were immediately sent to BNL for testing.FEE Board production has continued at MPI. Starting in September, MPI hopes to produce 200 boards per week until we are done.
Following a recommendation from the FEE Final Design Review, readout board operation has been studied at 60 MHz. Unfortunately, the DAQ Rosie boards do not work properly at 60 MHz; however, it is believed that the board will operate at 60 MHz.
Power supplies arrived at BNL; and power supply chassis and power cable construction continues at LBNL.
Parts have begun to be purchased for the readout boards. Two hundred parts sets will be bought to be distributed between FEE, FTPC FEE, and spares.
The final design has begun for the clock and trigger distribution system. The 9U VME master board has been designed and is being laid out. The daughter card that contains all the TPC FEE specific components is now being designed.
Data Acquisition (DAQ)
Purchasing of all major components for DAQ boards is in progress. Production ASICs have been received; a small sample have been tested with no failures. The VRAM chips have also been received, including generous spares.The full-functionality receiver board prototype (CHER II) in PCI format is ready for fabrication. The production of all remaining printed circuit boards, prototype and production, will be handled under a single purchase order. The vendor selection process is underway. The fully-functional PCI version of the mezzanine card (Sunny II) is in the final design stages. It is expected to be released to a printed circuit shop in late September.
The PMC versions of the Vmetro/Dolphin PCI adapters are on order.
Trigger
The trigger hardware effort has concentrated on finalizing the documentation and tests for the CTB final design review. The project has been split into two pieces, an electronic and a mechanical part. The mechanical is nearly ready for the FDR, while the electronic part is a few months behind. The setup of the trigger test system has begun at LBNL.The trigger software effort is concerned with cleaning up all the loose ends in the simulation code documentation and in beginning a new look at the cosmic ray background. The peripheral collision program places more severe constraints on the CR background rejection, and it was suggested that arrival time information be added to hits in the CTB. These studies are expected to conclude within the next 2 months.
Slow Controls
The EPICS based Slow Controls system in use in the TPC cosmic ray test is stable and operating reliably. The EPICS based VME crate monitoring system has been extended to cater for multi-crates. Discussions on interfacing Slow Controls to the new on-line have been initiated.
Computing Summary and Highlights
Responding to the recommendations of the July RCF review, RHIC-wide and STAR-internal efforts were initiated to refine the physics-driven computing requirements, and to come to a decision on event store technology, both to be completed by November 1. The simulation effort saw the appointment of a new leader (Peter Jacobs) and the release of a major new version of GSTAR/G2T. Further packages were developed to the SL97A level, but SL97A wasn't officially released. Development of TPC reconstruction software proceeded rapidly, driven by the needs of cosmic ray testing; the cosmic ray data is now available to STAF users. A month of on-line system design brainstorming culminated in a well-attended workshop on August 27 at which requirements and design input from other groups (Trigger, DAQ, etc.) were aired along with the ideas developed over the previous month; there was general accord on the presented approach, as far as it went, and a weekly series of meetings and brainstorming sessions (initiated at the workshop) is continuing the work.STAR internal Software and Computing Review, October 20 - 22, at BNL. The committee membership, charge and preliminary agenda can be found on the web at:
http://rsgi01.rhic.bnl.gov/star/starlib/doc/www/html/star_computing.html
RHIC Technical Advisory Committee Review of the SVT, Nov. 17-18, at BNL. For further information please contact Tom Ludlam, BNL.
STAR Collaboration Meeting, Week of January 5th, 1998. Location LBNL. For further information, please contact John Harris at Yale.
Peripheral Collisions Come of Age
With the formal approval of the Peripheral Collisions (PEC) Physics Program by the STAR Council, the PEC Working group has shifted into high gear, with a renewed focus on preparing for Year 1 physics. Much of our work has focused on simulating backgrounds, and developing more detailed background rejection algorithms for triggering and analysis. More information is available on our new web pages, (through the STAR working groups), in STAR Notes 294 and 298, and on our new email list (starpc-l@bnl.gov).
For the background studies, Joakim Nystrand has implemented new Monte Carlo generators for photo-nuclear interactions and cosmic rays. The photo-nuclear simulation is based on DTUNUC, by Ralph Engel and Stephan Roessler, with a photon spectrum developed by Spencer Klein and Evan Scannapieco. We are fine-tuning our analysis cuts to optimize the signal to noise ratio.
Cosmic ray muons can be a significant trigger problem. Joakim has simulated these muons with the HEMICOSM muon generator developed by Michael Bringle for BaBar. He and Eleanor Judd are working to minimize this background in trigger Level 0.
We have also studied the backgrounds from upstream interactions, as outlined by Alan Stevens. These do not appear to present a significant problem.
Although the two-photon signals have been understood for some time, Pomerons interactions have been much more problematic. Recently, we reached the point where we have a reasonable model for photon-Pomeron interactions, and are now ready to begin detailed rate calculations. For double-Pomeron interactions, the situation is quite confused. New pp --> double Pomeron results from WA102 (cf. hep-ph/9701222) show that cuts on transverse momentum can separate quark anti-quark mesons from other interaction products. This is tantalizing, but, in the absence of a good theoretical explanation, it is difficult to predict this will affect interactions at RHIC.
In another area, Valeri Emel'yanov and Alexander Khodinov, working with Ramona Vogt and myself, have been studying gluon-gluon fusion in relatively large impact parameter collisions. These collisions can probe the spatial distribution of the gluon structure function, especially at large radii. This work is described in STAR Note 296, which will appear in Physical Review C.
There are still many opportunities for new people to join us. As the first experiment to explore these coherent interactions, there are many new and interesting ideas to explore. To learn more, please contact me at SRKLEIN@LBL.GOV or (510) 486-5470.
Greetings from Long Island. September was a generally pleasant month here on Long Island. At the beginning of the month our day time high temperatures were in the low 80 F range. The day time highs have been dropping through the month and are now running in the high 60s to low 70s. September has been much dryer here on the Island than usual. The deciduous trees are starting to change in ernest now. The fraction that have changed is probably still only about 5 - 8%, but from here on the trees will start changing rapidly.
There was a lot of progress out at the STAR site in September. The installation of the top 15 magnet backlegs was completed. The Personnel access labyrinths on both the East and the West side of the AB to WAH doorway are now complete. The supports for the EMC arrived on site and the installation of these supports in the magnet has gotten off to a good start. The triple wide trailer, often refered to as the STAR operations building, was moved out to the site and has been setup and hooked up. Towards the end of the month work got started on the installation of the magnet and electronics water runs on the South wall of the AB and into the WAH.
In October the installation will continue on the EMC supports. The installation of the modified Chilled water system will get going and the installation of the magnet water system will continue. The materials for the south electronics platform are scheduled to arrive in early October, with the assembly of the platform expected to take about two weeks. Also in October the steel plates in the floor of the AB will be extended out onto the apron of the AB. There will also be a roll-up door installed that will close up the opening between the AB and the second story mechanical area.
The semi-annual DOE review of RHIC took place here at BNL on the 23rd through the 25th of September. I believe that no one will argue with the statement that STAR's progress and status was viewed by all as Stellar! The RHIC project as a whole got positive comments, with the only real concern for the collider being the successful construction of the DX dipole magnets. As has been the case in essentially all reviews of RHIC, the funding was seen as very tight, but the committee felt that RHIC management was on top of it.
The position is open until filled; but to assure full consideration, applications should be received by December 15, 1997. To initiate the application process, request an application package by writing an e-mail message to forms@physics.ucdavis.edu. Those who do not have access to e-mail should send curriculum vitae, publication list, research statement, and the names (including address, e-mail, FAX, and phone number) of three or more references to:
The University of California, Davis, is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer with a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of diversity among its faculty and staff.
The RNC Group plays a leading role in the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven with responsibility for the construction of the central detector (TPC) and software development, and has active experimental programs at the CERN SPS (NA49) and at the Brookhaven AGS (E895).
Applicants are requested to submit a curriculum vitae and a list of publications. In addition, they should arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to: H.G. Ritter, LBNL MS 50A-1148, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, or e-mail to: HGRitter@lbl.gov. The position is open till filled. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
3. Notice of Meetings:
STAR final mechanical review of the CTB, October 9th, at BNL. For further information please contact Hank Crawford, SSL.
4. Contributions
Contributed by Spencer Klein
5. Christies Corner
6. Comings and goings at STAR
7. Employment opportunities
Faculty Position
Experimental Relativistic Heavy-ion Physics
Department of Physics
University of California, Davis
The Department of Physics at the University of California at Davis invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in experimental relativistic heavy-ion physics which will be available no later than July 1, 1999, contingent upon final administrative approval. We seek a candidate who will strengthen our existing program in relativistic heavy-ion physics which is currently centered on analysis of data from the E895(AGS) and NA49(SPS) experiments; and on design, software developement, and fabrication of the FTPC subsystem of STAR(RHIC). We expect to hire the candidate who will provide leadership in the ongoing STAR effort and also in future efforts at the LHC. The successful candidate will have a doctoral degree and an excellent record of accomplishments in relativistic heavy-ion physics. Dedication to high quality undergraduate and graduate teaching and supervision of graduate students is essential. The appointment will be at the Assistant or Associate Professor level as determined by qualifications and experience.
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH POSITION
RELATIVISTIC HEAVY ION COLLISIONS
The Ohio State University
The Relativistic Heavy Ion Group at The Ohio State University invites applications for a postdoctoral research position available immediately. The successful candidate will spend most of his/her time on the LHC ALICE experiment carrying out software development for physics simulations for the Inner Tracker System (ITS). The ALICE ITS consists of two layers each of pixels, silicon drift detectors and silicon strip detectors. The OSU group is also involved in the RHIC STAR Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT), so some overlap with that project is also possible. The candidate should have strong programming skills. The OSU Relativistic Heavy Ion Group currently consists of three faculty members, three postdoctoral researchers, six graduate students, three undergraduate students and an electrical engineer. Interested candidates should send an application consisting of a curriculum vitae, a description of research experience and interest and the names of three references to Thomas J. Humanic, Department of Physics, Smith Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 or via E-mail to humanic@mps.ohio-state.edu. The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and encourages all qualified candidates to apply.
Postdoctoral Fellowship in High Energy Nuclear Physics
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Nuclear Science Division has an opening for a postdoc position in the area of experimental high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. The appointment initially will be for a term of two years. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in nuclear or particle physics, and is expected to participate in the STAR activities of the RNC group with residency in Berkeley or Brookhaven.