Speaker
Description
The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal), the central hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is undergoing a major Phase-II upgrade to meet the challenging requirements of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The upgrade introduces a completely redesigned electronics architecture to cope with trigger rates of up to 1 MHz, increased radiation levels and higher pile-up conditions, while improving the detector’s maintenance flexibility and performance.
As part of the extensive research and development programme, a Phase-II Upgrade Demonstrator module was constructed in 2014, implementing the new electronics architecture while maintaining backward compatibility with the existing ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition systems. Following successful validation in CERN test beam campaigns, the Demonstrator was installed in the ATLAS detector in 2019 and operated under collision conditions in Run 3 (2022-2026). Its operation provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the upgraded hardware and software in a realistic experimental environment over an extended period.
This contribution presents the design and development of the Phase-II Demonstrator, including its upgraded electronics and software, and discusses its operational experience and performance during Run 3. The results from collision data demonstrate the stability and reliability of the upgraded system, providing valuable input for the final design, integration and commissioning of the TileCal Phase-II upgrade for the HL-LHC.