Firmware Development and Integration for ALICE TPC and PHOS Front-end Electronics: A Trigger Based Readout and Control System operating in a Radiation Environment

The readout electronics in PHOS and TPC - two of the major detectors of the ALICE experiment at the LHC - consist of a set of Front End Cards (FECs) that digitize, process and buffer the data from the detector sensors. The FECs are connected to a Readout Control Unit (RCU) via two sets of custom made PCB backplanes. For PHOS, 28 FECs are connected to one RCU, while for TPC the number is varying from 18 to 25 FECs depending on location. The RCU is in charge of the data readout, including reception and distribution of triggers and in moving the data from the FECs to the Data Acquisition System. In addition it does low level control tasks. The RCU consists of an RCU Motherboard that hosts a Detector Control System (DCS) board and a Source Interface Unit. The DCS board is an embedded computer running Linux that controls the readout electronics. All the mentioned devices are implemented in commercial grade SRAM based Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Even if these devices are not very radiation tolerant, they are chosen because of their cost and flexibility, and most importantly the possibility to easily do future upgrades of the electronics. Since physical shielding of the electronics is not possible in ALICE due to the architecture of the detector, the radiation related errors need to be handled with other techniques such as firmware mitigation techniques. The main objective of this thesis has been to make firmware modules for the FPGAs reciding in different parts of the readout electronics. Because of the flexibility of the designs, some of them have, with minor adaptations, been applied in different devices surrounding the readout electronics. Additionally, effort has been put into testing and integration of the system. In detail, the work presented in this thesis can be summarized as follows: - Firmware design for radiation environments. All firmware modules that are designed are to be used in a radiation environment, and then special precautions need to be taken. Additionally, a state-of-the-art solution has been designed for protecting the main FPGA on the RCU Motherboard against radiation induced functional failures. - Implementation of Trigger Handling for the TPC/PHOS Readout Electronics. The triggers are received from the global trigger system via an optical link and are handled by an Application Spesific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) on the DCS board. The problem is that the DCS board might have occasional down time 6 due to radiation related errors, so a special interface module is designed for the main FPGA on the RCU Motherboard. This module decodes and verifies the information received from the trigger system. As it is a generic design it has also been implemented as part of the BusyBox. The BusyBox is an important device in the trigger path of the TPC and PHOS sub-detectors. - Testing and Verification of all firmware modules. All firmware modules have been extensively verified with computer simulation before being tested in real hardware. - Maintenance of the DCS board for TPC/PHOS and of the different Fee firmware modules in general. - System Integration and System Level Tests. A big contribution has been done integrating and testing all the modules and sub-systems. This concern both locally on the RCU and the BusyBox, as well as making all the devices play together on a larger scale. - Testing and Verification of all firmware modules. All firmware modules have been extensively verified with computer simulation before being tested in real hardware. - Maintenance of the DCS board for TPC/PHOS and of the different Fee firmware modules in general. - System Integration and System Level Tests. A big contribution has been done integrating and testing all the modules and sub-systems. This concern both locally on the RCU and the BusyBox, as well as making all the devices play together on a larger scale. As the presented electronics are located in a radiation environment and are physically unavailable after commissioning, effort has been put into making designs that are reliable, scalable and possible to upgrade. This has been ensured by following a systematic design approach where testability, version management and documentation are key elements. Some parts of the work described in this thesis have been published and presented in international peer reviewed publications and conferences

Measurement of quarkonium production at forward rapidity in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

The inclusive production cross sections at forward rapidity of J/ψ , ψ(2S) , Υ (1S) and Υ (2S) are measured in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.35 pb‾¹ . Quarkonia are reconstructed in the dimuon-decay channel and the signal yields are evaluated by fitting the μ+μ− invariant mass distributions. The differential production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum pT and rapidity y , over the ranges 0<pT<20 GeV/c for J/ψ , 0<pT<12 GeV/c for all other resonances and for \(2.5 . The measured cross sections integrated over pT and y , and assuming unpolarized quarkonia, are: σJ/ψ=6.69±0.04±0.63 μ b, σψ(2S)=1.13±0.07±0.19 μ b, σΥ(1S)=54.2±5.0±6.7 nb and σΥ(2S)=18.4±3.7±2.9 nb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second one is systematic. The results are compared to measurements performed by other LHC experiments and to theoretical models

Event-by-event mean pT fluctuations in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC

Event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum of charged particles produced in pp collisions at TeX TeX 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV, and Pb–Pb collisions at TeX TeX 2.76 TeV are studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity using the ALICE detector at the LHC. Dynamical fluctuations indicative of correlated particle emission are observed in all systems. The results in pp collisions show little dependence on collision energy. The Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET are in qualitative agreement with the data. Peripheral Pb–Pb data exhibit a similar multiplicity dependence as that observed in pp. In central Pb–Pb, the results deviate from this trend, featuring a significant reduction of the fluctuation strength. The results in Pb–Pb are in qualitative agreement with previous measurements in Au–Au at lower collision energies and with expectations from models that incorporate collective phenomena

UPAYA MENINGKATKAN MOTIVASI BELAJAR SISWA MELALUI MEDIA GAME EDUCATION DALAM PEMBELAJARAN IPS DI MTs HASBUR RACHMAN ALIF DESA LENGKONG WETAN KABUPATEN MAJALENGKA

ASEP SAMSUL MA'ARIF : Berdasarkan Observasiawal di kelas VII MTs Hasbur Rachman Alif terlihat proses pembelajaran IPS masih menggunakan media spidol dan papan tulis. Sehingga banyak siswa yang kurang memperhatikan guru pada saat proses pembelajaran., Hal ini berakibat pada kejenuhan dan kebosanan yang berdampak pada hasil belajar siswa yang kurang dari KKM yang diterapkan di MTs Hasbur Rachman Alif yakni 70. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui bagaimana penerapan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Game Education pada mata pelajaran IPS Terpadu, aktivitas siswa dan kinerja guru dengan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Game Education, dan mengetahui motivasi belajar siswa sebelum dan setelah diterapkannya pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Game education pada mata pelajaran IPS Terpadu di MTs Hasbur Rachman Alif. Pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Game Education menekankan motivasi siswa untuk berpikir kritis dan menuangkan. Hal ini memudahkan siswa untuk mengakses materi IPS yang banyak dimanapun, serta mempemudah daya ingat siswa tentang apayatgtelah didapatkan selama proses pembelajaran. Penelitian ini menggunakan Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (pTK) yang dilaksanakan selama tiga siklus. Teknik Pengumpulan data menggunakan observasi, tes, dan dokumentasi. Subjek penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas VII MTs Hasbur Rachman Alif sebanyak 31 siswa yang terdiri dari 18 siswa laki-laki dan 13 siswa perempuan. Pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Game Education dapat meningkatkan motivasi belajar siswa hal ini terlihat dari hasil tes yang telah dilakukan selama tiga siklus, dimana pada pratindakan (pretes) nilai sebesar 65,25 dan ketuntasan belajar 25 yo, siklus I nilai rata-rata sebesar 76,75 dan ketuntasan_ belajar siswa sebesar 65,5%o siklus II nilai rata-rata siswa 85,75 dan nilai ketuntasan belajar sebesar 90% siklus III dengan nilai rata-rata 92,25 dan ketuntasan belajar mengalami peningkatanya itu 97,5yo. Dengan demikian dapat disimpulkan bahwa pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media Game Education merupakan salah satu upaya untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa pada mata pelajaran IPS Terpadu di MTs Hasbur Rachman Alif. Kata Kunci: Game Education, MotivasiBelajar, PTK

Suppression of ψ(2S) production in p-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV .

The ALICE Collaboration has studied the inclusive production of the charmonium state ψ(2S) in proton-lead (p-Pb) collisions at the nucleon-nucleon centre of mass energy √sNN = 5.02TeV at the CERN LHC. The measurement was performed at forward (2.03 < ycms < 3.53) and backward (−4.46 < ycms < −2.96) centre of mass rapidities, studying the decays into muon pairs. In this paper, we present the inclusive production cross sections σ (2S), both integrated and as a function of the transverse momentum pT, for the two ycms domains. The results are compared to those obtained for the 1S vector state (J/ψ), by showing the ratios between the production cross sections, as well as the double ratios [σ (2S)/σJ/ ]pPb/[σ (2S)/σJ/ ]pp between p-Pb and proton-proton collisions. Finally, the nuclear modification factor for inclusive ψ(2S) is evaluated and compared to the measurement of the same quantity for J/ψ and to theoretical models including parton shadowing and coherent energy loss mechanisms. The results show a significantly larger suppression of the ψ(2S) compared to that measured for J/ψ and to models. These observations represent a clear indication for sizeable final state effects on ψ(2S) production

The Behavior, onḂ0,11, of an Oscillatory Integral with Polynomial Phase Function

AbstractWe study the convolution oscillatory singular integral operatorTf=p.v.Ω∗f, with Ω(x)=eiq(x)K(x), whereqis a real-valued polynomial of a real variable, of degreed≥2, andKis a Calderón–Zygmund-type kernel. We prove that this operator extends to an operator that maps the Besov spaceḂ0,11into the Hardy-type spaceH10

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate mediates activation of transcription factors CREB and ATF-1 via a Gα11-coupled receptor in the spermatogenic cell line GC-2

AbstractDehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is a circulating steroid produced in the adrenal cortex, brain, and gonads. Whereas a series of investigations attest to neuroprotective effects of the steroid in the brain, surprisingly little is known about the physiological effects of DHEAS on cells of the reproductive system. Here we demonstrate that DHEAS acting on the spermatogenic cell line GC-2 induces a time- and concentration-dependent phosphorylation of c-Src and Erk1/2 and activates the transcription factors activating transforming factor-1 (ATF-1) and cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB). These actions are consistent with the non-classical signaling pathway of testosterone and suggest that DHEAS is a pro-androgen that is converted into testosterone in order to exert its biological activity. The fact, however, that steroid sulfatase mRNA was not detected in the GC-2 cells and the clear demonstration of DHEAS-induced activation of Erk1/2, ATF-1 and CREB after silencing the androgen receptor by small interfering RNA (siRNA) clearly contradict this assumption and make it appear unlikely that DHEAS has to be converted in the cytosol into a different steroid in order to activate the kinases and transcription factors mentioned. Instead, it is likely that the DHEAS-induced signaling is mediated through the interaction of the steroid with a membrane-bound G-protein-coupled receptor, since silencing of Guanine nucleotide-binding protein subunit alpha-11 (Gnα11) leads to the abolition of the DHEAS-induced stimulation of Erk1/2, ATF-1, and CREB. The investigation presented here shows a hormone-like activity of DHEAS on a spermatogenic cell line. Since DHEAS is produced in male and female reproductive organs, these findings could help to define new roles for DHEAS in the physiology of reproduction

Transverse momentum dependence of inclusive primary charged-particle production in p–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV

The transverse momentum ( pT ) distribution of primary charged particles is measured at midrapidity in minimum-bias p–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the range \(0.15 GeV/ c . The spectra are compared to the expectation based on binary collision scaling of particle production in pp collisions, leading to a nuclear modification factor consistent with unity for pT larger than 2 GeV/ c , with a weak indication of a Cronin-like enhancement for pT around 4 GeV/c . The measurement is compared to theoretical calculations and to data in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV

Production of charged pions, kaons and protons at large transverse momenta in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76 TeV

Transverse momentum spectra of $\pi^{\pm}, K^{\pm}$ and $p(\bar{p})$ up to $p_T$ = 20 GeV/c at mid-rapidity, |y| $\le$ 0.8, in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV have been measured using the ALICE detector at the LHC. At intermediate $p_T$ (2-8 GeV/c) an enhancement of the proton-to-proton ratio, (p + \bar{p})/(\pi^+ + \pi^-\(), with respect to pp collisions is observed and the ratio reaches 0.80 in central Pb-Pb collisions. The measurement of the nuclear modification factors for \(\pi^{\pm}, K^{\pm} and $p(\bar{p})$ indicates that within the systematic and statistical uncertainties they are the same at high $p_T$ (> 10 GeV/c), suggesting that the chemical composition of leading particles from jets in the medium is similar to that of vacuum jets.publishedVersio