L. Bonechi

The LHCf detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

LHCf is an experiment dedicated to the measurement of neutral particles emitted in the very forward region of LHC collisions. The physics goal is to provide data for calibrating the hadron interaction models that are used in the study of Extremely High-Energy Cosmic-Rays. This is possible since the laboratory equivalent collision energy of LHC is 1017 eV. Two LHCf detectors, consisting of imaging calorimeters made of tungsten plates, plastic scintillator and position sensitive sensors, are installed at zero degree collision angle ±140 m from an interaction point (IP). Although the lateral dimensions of these calorimeters are very compact, ranging from 20 mm × 20 mm to 40 mm × 40 mm, the energy resolution is expected to be better than 6% and the position resolution better than 0.2 mm for γ-rays with energy from 100 GeV to 7 TeV. This has been confirmed by test beam results at the CERN SPS. These calorimeters can measure particles emitted in the pseudo rapidity range ηxa0>xa08.4. Detectors, data acquisition and electronics are optimized to operate during the early phase of the LHC commissioning with luminosity below 1030xa0cm-2xa0s-1. LHCf is expected to obtain data to compare with the major hadron interaction models within a week or so of operation at luminosity ~xa01029xa0cm-2xa0s-1. After ~xa010 days of operation at luminosity ~xa01029xa0cm-2xa0s-1, the light output of the plastic scintillators is expected to degrade by ~ 10% due to radiation damage. This degradation will be monitored and corrected for using calibration pulses from a laser.

Status of the LHCf experiment

The LHCf experiment is an LHC experiment dedicated to measure the production spectra of forward neutral particles, photons, π0’s, and neutrons. The aim of the LHCf is to provide critical data to test and tune hadronic interaction models which are used in MC simulations for cosmic-ray air shower developments. The LHCf had an operation in 2015 with pp collisions at

First year results from LHCf

sqrt{s}

The status and preliminary results of the LHC forward experiment: LHCf

= 13 TeV, which corresponds to the collision energy of

LHCf: calibration of hadron interaction models for high energy cosmic‐ray physics at the LHC energy

0.9×10^{17}

The performance of LHCf detector

eV in the laboratory frame. The resent results of the LH√Cf, the inclusive energy spectra for forward photons and neutrons obtained with pp collisions at

Performance of the prototype detector for the LHCf experiment

sqrt{s}

Technical design report of the LHCf experiment: Measurement of photons and neutral pions in the very forward region of LHC

= 13 TeV, are presented. In addition, future prospects of LHCf analyses and activities are reviewed.

LHCf Measurements of Very Forward Particles at LHC

We give a brief description of the purpose of the LHCf experiment, detectors and their performance, and what has been done in the first year experiment. A short summary of results at su2009=u2009900u2009GeV is given although the energy is not an “intrinsic” LHC energy. Since detailed results at su2009=u20097u2009TeV will appear soon elsewhere, here we limit ourselves to giving also a brief account of what will come in that paper.

Astroparticle physics at LHC: The LHCf experiment ready for data taking

H. MENJO∗a, O. Adriani ab, L. Bonechi a, M. Bongi a, G. Castellini ac, R. D’Alessandro ab, A. Faus d, K. Fukatsu e, M. Haguenauer f , Y. Itow e, K. Kasahara g, K. Kawade e, D. Macina h, T. Masee, K. Masuda e, Y. Matsubara e, G. Mitsuka e, Y. Muraki i , M. Nakaig, K. Noda e, P. Papini a, A-L. Perrot h, S. Ricciarini a, T. Sakoe, G. Sinatra l , K. Suzuki e, T. Suzuki g, Y. Shimizu g, K. Taki e, T. Tamura j , S. Torii g, A. Tricomi kl, J. Velasco d, W. C. Turner m and K. Yoshida n aINFN Sezione di Firenze, Italy bUniversità degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy cIFAC CNR, Florence, Italy dIFIC, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain eSolar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan f Ecole-Polytechnique, Palaiseau Cedex, France gRISE, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan hCERN, Genève, Switzerland iDepartment of Physics, Konan University, Koube, Japan j Institute of Physics, Kanagawa University, Yokohama, Japan kUniversità degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy l INFN Sezione di Catania, Catania, Italy mAccelerator and Fusion Research Division, LBNL, Berkeley, USA nFaculty of System Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Saitama, Japan