Evolution of detectors for particle physics

Abstract

A patrimony of technical skills, observations, and knowledge of natural facts, acquired through ages, has been a powerful motor of human progress. Over the last century, scientific progress has become impressively fast, thanks to a closer interplay of research and technology. The field of particle physics has witnessed a spectacular evolution, with the construction of huge particle accelerators and colliders, associated with massive experimental apparatus, where engineers and physicists have been closely collaborating. The data from these experiments have brought new discoveries, and new questions as well. Few examples are given of ways in which conceptual advances, technological progress, and experimental ingenuity have conspired towards the solution of fundamental physics problems. New challenges in the future are outlined.