Beam Condition Monitoring With Diamonds at CDF

Abstract

Particle physics collider experiments at the high energy frontier are being performed in increasingly harsh radiation environments. While designing adequate detectors is a challenge in itself, their safe operation relies on fast, radiation-hard beam condition monitoring (BCM) systems to protect these fragile devices from beam accidents. This paper will present a BCM system based on polycrystalline chemical vapor deposition (pCVD) diamond sensors used at the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) experiment operating at Fermilab's Tevatron proton-antiproton synchrotron. We report our operational experience with this system, including the recently commissioned abort system. The system is currently the largest of its kind at a hadron collider. It is similar to designs being pursued at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments.