For Columbia University engineers, having their hands in particle physics has led to an exciting recent achievement. They finished their first article testing and finally released full production of a new analog-to-digital converter (ADC). This cutting edge technology inherently digitizes signals with a high degree of precision. It enables particle physicists to pursue discoveries of the most transformative science, such as the Higgs boson. The ADC is central to the ATLAS experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It will operate in some of the most extreme environments seen in the field.
In the development of the ADC, physicists and engineers worked together. It’s going to improve data collection capabilities dramatically, as it will be able to process the information from millions of particle collisions each second. The team are personally passionate about innovation. To do this, they’ve developed unique silicon chips, like the ADC, purpose-built to withstand high radiation levels, an aspect that commercial components have been unable to overcome.
Breakthrough in Signal Digitization
Unsurprisingly, the newly minted ADC is an 8-channel, 15-bit device that is capable of sampling at 40 million samples per second (MSPS). This amazing capability enables it to take highly-detailed snapshots of particle interactions that today’s other detectors couldn’t consistently capture. Rui (Ray) Xu, one of the lead engineers on the project, shared that their approach had been to test common commercial components. Unfortunately, those components burned out because of the heavy radiation.
This resilience is important. That’s pretty impressive, considering that the ADC had to survive the harsh environment at the LHC for over a decade. One other Columbia-designed chip, the trigger ADC, will help propel the next set of stunning discoveries at this cutting-edge facility. In the background, the data acquisition ADC will ensure all the measurements are made accurately with precision. This historic production run and the subsequent integration of these two chips into the ATLAS experiment’s upgraded readout electronics represents an important step forward in experimental physics.
Collaboration Across Disciplines
The production of this new ADC highlights the positive impacts that can result when engineers and physicists work together to push the boundaries of science. John Parsons, an engineer on the project, made clear how remarkable this partnership was. These types of partnerships between physicists and engineers are extremely important to developing the tools that allow us to probe fundamental questions about our universe,” he said.
As McCarthy wrote, the project spotlights the need for academia to intervene where industry has been reluctant to do so. Peter Kinget, a professor of electrical engineering who helped launch the initiative, raised an alarm. He continued, “Industry just could not justify the effort, so academia had to step up.” This renewed collaboration has united public health, law enforcement, and other stakeholders’ expertise, creating a unique space for developing and implementing innovative solutions.
Ongoing Impact on Particle Physics Research
Originally conceived in 2017 and validated in 2022, the ADC is now in production, having overcome the rich government research-to-development startup curve. On July 1, the interdisciplinary team—consisting of seven researchers from numerous disciplines—shared their findings in the IEEE Open Journal of the Solid-State Circuits Society. This publication makes an important addition to our field’s body of knowledge. The collaborative project serves as a powerful example of the commitment to both technological advancement and the commitment to furthering scientific exploration.
Rui (Ray) Xu expressed his enthusiasm for working on this project: “The opportunity as an engineer to contribute so directly to fundamental science is what makes this project special.” The ADC is positioned to play a vital role in future particle physics research, allowing scientists to make pioneering discoveries that could reshape our understanding of the universe.
