The LHCb experiment at CERN has wrapped up a very successful period of collecting data from proton-proton collisions. This year, the experiment gathered more data than ever before, thanks to the excellent performance of the LHC, as shown in the luminosity plot presented below. The amount of data collected was much higher than in previous years, and the efficiency of selecting specific particles improved significantly due to an upgraded system.
The LHCb detector underwent major upgrades, including new electronics and improved detectors. Most of the sub-detectors were replaced or upgraded to cope with the much more demanding data-taking conditions. These upgrades allowed the experiment to handle more data and perform more precise measurements. The new systems also enabled the study of collisions between protons and various gases, providing valuable insights into particle interactions. A more detailed account of the upgrades can be found on the LHCb Outreach website.
The data acquisition and trigger systems have also changed radically. The entire detector is read out at the full proton-proton collision velocity and the data are transferred to a completely new data centre at the surface, where events are assembled at an unprecedented bandwidth (40 Tb/s). This allows all the event selections to be done in software, with a first layer based on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), then followed by more sophisticated algorithms executed in the upgraded computer farm. This concept, called Real Time Analysis, has been pioneered by LHCb, allowing for a more precise, flexible and efficient data filtering.
The Experimental High Energy Physics Group at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) has been involved in some of these major upgrades. Our team has led the design and construction of the new front-end electronics chip for the electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL), as well as the development of the new trigger system, and the commissioning and operation of both systems.
Overall, the LHCb team recorded a massive amount of data, nearly 40 PB, which were distributed for final processing to more than 20 computing centres of the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) and are now being analysed to further our understanding of particle physics.
