Installing the ATLAS calorimeter
The eight toroid magnets can be seen surrounding the calorimeter that is later moved into the middle of the detector. This calorimeter will measure the energies of particles produced when protons collide in the centre of the detector. (Image: CERN)

Magnet System

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Bends particles around the various layers of detector systems

By bending the trajectories of charged particles, ATLAS can measure their momentum and charge. This is done using two different types of superconducting magnet systems – solenoidal and toroidal. These impressive systems are cooled to about 4.5 K (–268°C) in order to provide the necessary strong magnetic fields.

The main sections of the magnet system are: Central Solenoid Magnet, Barrel Toroid and End-cap Toroids.

Central Solenoid Magnet

The ATLAS solenoid surrounds the inner detector at the core of the experiment. This powerful magnet is 5.8 m long, 2.56 m in diameter and weighs over 5 tonnes. It provides a 2 Tesla magnetic field in just 4.5 cm thickness. This is achieved by embedding over 9 km of niobium-titanium superconductor wires into strengthened, pure aluminum strips, thus minimising possible interactions between the magnet and the particles being studied.

  • Bends charged particles for momentum measurement
  • 5.8 m long, 2.56 m outer diameter, 4.5 cm thick
  • 5 tonne weight
  • 2 tesla (T) magnetic field with a stored energy of 38 megajoules (MJ)
  • 9 km of superconducting wire
  • Nominal current: 7.73 kiloampere (kA)
ATLAS,Detector Construction,Liquid Argon,LAr,electromagnetic,barrel,solenoid,Technology,Detectors,Calorimeters,Magnet System

Toroid Magnet

The ATLAS toroids use a series of eight coils to provide a magnetic field of up to 3.5 Tesla, used to measure the momentum of muons. There are three toroid magnets in ATLAS: two at the ends of the experiment, and one massive toroid surrounding the centre of the experiment.

At 25.3 m in length, the central toroid is the largest toroidal magnet ever constructed. It is unique in particle physics and an iconic element of ATLAS. It uses over 56 km of superconducting wire and weighs about 830 tonnes. The end-cap toroids extend the magnetic field to particles leaving the detector close to the beam pipe. Each end-cap is 10.7 m in diameter and weighs 240 tonnes

Barrel Toroid

Barrel Toroid

  • 25.3 m length
  • 20.1 m outer diameter
  • 8 separate coils
  • 1.08 GJ stored energy
  • 370 tonnes cold mass
  • 830 tonnes weight
  • 4 T magnetic field on superconductor
  • 56 km Al/NbTi/Cu conductor
  • 20.5 kA nominal current
  • 4.7 K working point temperature
  • 100 km superconducting wire

End-cap Toroid

End-cap Toroid

  • 5.0 m axial length
  • 10.7 m outer diameter
  • 8 coils in a common cryostat in each
  • 0.25 GJ stored energy in each
  • 160 tonnes cold mass each
  • 240 tonnes weight each
  • 4 T magnetic field on superconductor
  • 13 km Al/NbTi/Cu conductor each
  • 20.5 kA nominal current
  • 4.7 K working point temperature

More

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Final ATLAS Toroid Magnet lowered into experimental cavern
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Installation of the eighth and final coil of the ATLAS barrel toroid magnet
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All of the eight huge toroid magnets installed and fixed in place
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The eight coils of the magnet system and their mechanical support structure
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The ATLAS solenoid approaches its final position
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Descent of the eighth and final coil of the ATLAS barrel toroid into the experimental cavern
After many technical trials and tribulations and an 80-m descent, the vast end-cap of the ATLAS toroid magnet was installed in the experimental cavern. (Video: CERN)

Installation of the first of the big wheels of the ATLAS muon spectrometer, a thin gap chamber (TGC) wheel
The muon spectrometer will include four big moving wheels at each end, each measuring 25 metres in diameter. Of the eight wheels in total, six will be composed of thin gap chambers for the muon trigger system and the other two will consist of monitored drift tubes (MDTs) to measure the position of the muons (Image: CERN)

Muon Spectrometer

Identifies and measures the momenta of muons

The outer layer of the ATLAS experiment is made of muon detectors. They identify and measure the momenta of muons – particles similar to electrons but 200 times heavier, which allows them to cross the thick layers of the ATLAS Calorimeters.

Five different detector technologies are used: Thin Gap Chambers, Resistive Plate Chambers, Monitored Drift Tubes, Small-Strip Thin-Gap Chambers and Micromegas.

ATLAS Muon Spectrometer
Areas of the ATLAS Experiment covered by the Muon Spectrometer. (Image: ATLAS Collaboration/CERN)

Precision Detectors

The precision detectors of the Muon Spectrometer are able to determine the position of a muon, to an accuracy of less than a 10th of a millimetre!

Monitored Drift Tube (MDTs) detectors are composed of 3 cm wide aluminium tubes filled with a gas mixture. Muons pass through the tubes, knocking electrons out of the gas. These then drift to a wire at the tube’s centre to induce a signal. Over 380,000 aluminium tubes are stacked up in several layers in order to precisely trace the trajectory of each muon.

Fast-Response Detectors

ATLAS uses fast-response detectors to quickly select collision events that are potentially interesting for physics analysis. They make this decision within 2.5 μs (400,000th of a second).

The Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) surround the central region of the ATLAS experiment. They consist of pairs of parallel plastic plates at an electric potential difference, separated by a gas volume. Thin Gap Chambers (TGCs) are found at the ends of the ATLAS experiment and consist of parallel 30 μm wires in a gas mixture. Both chambers detect muons when they ionise the gas mixture and generate a signal.

Micromegas and Small-Strip Thin-Gap Chambers (sTGCs) are two additional detector technologies specially designed for high-intensity LHC collisions. These detectors can track muons in high-density areas on either side of the experiment close to the LHC beam pipe, both quickly and with high precision.

The combined data from fast-response detectors gives a coarse measurement of a muon’s momentum, allowing ATLAS to choose whether to keep or discard a collision event.

Detector Technologies

Resistive Plate Chambers

ATLAS,BOL,RPC,Detector Installation,Muon Chambers,Technology,Detectors,Muon Spectrometer

  • 380,000 channels
  • Electric Field of 5,000 V/mm

Thin Gap Chambers

ATLAS,Big Wheels,TGC,Detector Installation,Muon Chambers,Technology,Detectors,Muon Spectrometer

  • 440,000 channels in the Thin Gap Chambers
  • 350,000 channels in the Small-Thin Gap Chambers

Monitored Drift Tubes

ATLAS,MDT,side C,Big Wheels,Detector Installation,Muon Chambers,Technology,Detectors,Muon Spectrometer

  • 1,171 chambers with total 354,240 tubes (3 cm diameter, 0.85-6.5 m long)
  • Tube resolution 80 μm

Micromegas

ATLAS New Small Wheel

  • 2 million channels
  • 128 chambers

More

ATLAS,LHC,MDT,Detector Testing,Muon Chambers,Technology,Detectors,Muon Spectrometer
Monitored Drift Tubes (MDTs) are used to detect muons. These modules are placed throughout the Barrel Toroid Magnet structure, and make up the MDT Big Wheels.
ATLAS,TGC,MDT,Big Wheels,Muon Chambers,Best,Combined,milestones,Technology,Detectors,Muon Spectrometer
There is one Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) Big Wheel placed on each side of the ATLAS Detector.
ATLAS,MDT,TCG,Big Wheels,Detector Installation,Muon Chambers,Combined,Technology,Detectors,Muon Spectrometer
The Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) Big Wheel is moved next to the Thin Gap Chamber (TGC) Big Wheels.
Detectors,Muon Spectrometer,Technology,Cavern,Point 1 Site,Collaboration,CSC,ATLAS
The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) make up the two muon small wheels, which bookend either side of the ATLAS Detector. These CSCs were removed for repairs and cleaning
This colorful 3D animation is an excerpt from the film "ATLAS-Episode II, The Particles Strike Back." Shot with a bug's eye view of the inside of the detector. The viewer is shown the design of the Muon Spectrometer, what happens when particles pass through it and what it measures. (Video: CERN)

Selection of images showing the assembly and installation of the ATLAS Hadronic end-cap Liquid Argon Calorimeter, between 2002 and 2004 by Roy Langstaff.
View of the ATLAS calorimeters from below (Image: CERN)

Calorimeter

ATLAS,Computer Generated Images,Outreach,Technology,Detectors,Calorimeters

Measures the energy a particle loses as it passes through the detector

They are designed to absorb most of the particles coming from a collision, forcing them to deposit all of their energy and stop within the detector. ATLAS calorimeters consist of layers of an “absorbing” high-density material that stops incoming particles, interleaved with layers of an “active” medium that measures their energy.

Electromagnetic calorimeters measure the energy of electrons and photons as they interact with matter. Hadronic calorimeters sample the energy of hadrons (particles that contain quarks, such as protons and neutrons) as they interact with atomic nuclei. Calorimeters can stop most known particles except muons and neutrinos.

The components of the ATLAS calorimetry system are: the Liquid Argon (LAr) Calorimeter and the Tile Hadronic Calorimeter.

Liquid Argon Calorimeter

The Liquid Argon (LAr) Calorimeter surrounds the ATLAS Inner Detector and measures the energy of electrons, photons and hadrons. It features layers of metal (either tungsten, copper or lead) that absorb incoming particles, converting them into a “shower” of new, lower energy particles. These particles ionise liquid argon sandwiched between the layers, producing an electric current that is measured. By combining all of the detected currents, physicists can determine the energy of the original particle that hit the detector.

The central region of the calorimeter is specially designed to identify electrons and photons. It features a characteristic accordion structure, with a honeycomb pattern, to ensure that no particle escapes unchallenged.

To keep the argon in liquid form, the calorimeter is kept at -184°C. Specially-designed, vacuum-sealed cylinders of cables bring the electronic signals from the cold liquid argon to the warm area where the readout electronics are located.

  • Barrel 6.4m long, 53cm thick, 110,000 channels.
  • LAr endcap consists of the forward calorimeter, electromagnetic (EM) and hadronic endcaps
  • EM endcaps each have thickness 0.632m and radius 2.077m
  • Hadronic endcaps consist of two wheels of thickness 0.8m and 1.0m with radius 2.09m
  • Forward calorimeter has three modules of radius 0.455m and thickness 0.450m each
ATLAS,Detector Construction,Liquid Argon,LAr,electromagnetic,barrel,Technology,Detectors,Calorimeters

Tile Hadronic Calorimeter

The Tile Calorimeter surrounds the LAr calorimeter and measures the energy of hadronic particles, which do not deposit all of their energy in the LAr Calorimeter. It is made of layers of steel and plastic scintillating tiles. As particles hit the layers of steel, they generate a shower of new particles. The plastic scintillators in turn produce photons, which are converted into an electric current whose intensity is proportional to the original particle’s energy.

The Tile Calorimeter is made up of about 420,000 plastic scintillator tiles working in sync. It is the heaviest part of the ATLAS experiment, weighing almost 2900 tonnes!

LHC,ATLAS,Detector Installation,Full Detector,Detector Completed,Best,Combined,milestones,Technology,Detectors,Calorimeters,Point 1 Site,Cavern

  • 2900 tonne total weight
  • Central barrel made of 64 wedges, each 5.6m long; two extended barrels each with 64 wedges, each 2.6m long
  • 420,000 scintillating tiles, weighing 40 tonnes
  • 9,500 photomultiplier tubes

More

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One of the end-cap calorimeters for the ATLAS experiment is moved using a set of rails
ATLAS,LHC,electromagnetic,end-caps,Detector Construction,Liquid Argon,LAr,Technology,Detectors,Calorimeters
After the insertion of the first endcap into this cryostat, the team proceed to the wiring operations
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Moving calorimeter side C in the ATLAS cavern
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One of the end-cap calorimeters for the ATLAS experiment is moved using a set of rails

Combining two major ATLAS inner detector components
The semiconductor tracker is inserted into the transition radiation tracker for the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. These make up two of the three major components of the inner detector. They will work together to measure the trajectories produced in the proton-proton collisions at the centre of the detector when the LHC is switched on in 2008. (Image: CERN)

The Inner Detector

It is the first part of ATLAS to see the decay products of the collisions

It is very compact and highly sensitive. It consists of three different systems of sensors all immersed in a magnetic field parallel to the beam axis. The Inner Detector measures the direction, momentum, and charge of electrically-charged particles produced in each proton-proton collision.

The main components of the Inner Detector are: Pixel Detector, Semiconductor Tracker (SCT), and Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT).

ATLAS,trackers,Computer Generated Images,Outreach,Technology,Detectors,Inner Detector

Pixel Detector

Located just 3.3 cm from the LHC beam line, the Pixel Detector is the first point of detection in the ATLAS experiment. It is made up of four layers of silicon pixels, with each pixel smaller than a grain of sand. As charged particles burst out from the collision point, they leave behind small energy deposits in the Pixel Detector. These signals are measured with a precision of almost 10 μm to determine the origin and momentum of the particle. The Pixel Detector is incredibly compact, with over 92 million pixels and almost 2000 detector elements.

  • 92 million pixels (92 million electronic channels).
  • Silicon area approx. 1.9m2. 15 kW power consumption
  • Pixel size 50 x 400μm2 for the external layers and 50 x 250 μm2 for the innermost layer (IBL)
  • 4-barrel layers with 1736 sensor modules
  • 3 disks in each end-cap with 288 modules
Pixel

Semiconductor Tracker

The Semiconductor Tracker surrounds the Pixel Detector and is used to detect and reconstruct the tracks of charged particles produced during collisions. It consists of over 4,000 modules of 6 million “micro-strips” of silicon sensors. Its layout is optimised such that each particle crosses at least four layers of silicon. This allows scientists to measure particle tracks with a precision of up to 25 μm - that’s less than half the width of a human hair!

  • 4,088 two-sided modules and over 6 million implanted readout strips (6 million channels)
  • 60m2 of silicon distributed over 4 cylindrical barrel layers and 18 planar endcap discs
  • Readout strips every 80μm on the silicon
Semiconductor Tracker

Transition Radiation Tracker

The third and final layer of the Inner Detector is the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT). Unlike its neighbouring sub-detectors, the TRT is made up of 300,000 thin-walled drift tubes (or “straws”). Each straw is just 4 mm in diameter, with a 30 μm gold-plated tungsten wire in its centre. The straws are filled with a gas mixture. As charged particles cross through the straws, they ionise the gas to create a detectable electric signal. This is used to reconstruct their tracks and, owing to the so-called transition radiation, provides information on the particle type that flew through the detector, i.e. if it is an electron or pion.

  • 350,000 read-out channels
  • Volume 12m3
  • Straw tubes with 4mm diameter, with centred 0.03mm diameter gold-plated tungsten wire
  • 50,000 straws in Barrel, each straw 144 cm long.
  • 250,000 straws in both endcaps, each straw 39 cm long
  • Precision measurement of 0.17 mm (particle track to wire)
Transition Radiation Tracker

More

The first ATLAS inner detector end-cap after complete insertion within the Liquid Argon Cryostat.
The first ATLAS inner detector end-cap after complete insertion within the Liquid Argon Cryostat.
The installation of the ATLAS inner detector end-cap C.
The installation of the ATLAS inner detector end-cap C.
Inner
An ATLAS inner detector end-cap is placed in its cryostat. The instrumentation housed inside the inner end-cap must be kept cool to avoid thermal noise. This cooling is achieved on ATLAS by placing the end-cap inside a liquid argon cryostat. The end-cap measures particles that are produced close to the direction of the beam pipe and would otherwise be missed.

This colorful 3D animation is an excerpt from the film "ATLAS-Episode II, The Particles Strike Back." Shot with a bug's eye view of the inside of the detector. The viewer is taken on a tour of the inner workings of the transitional radiation tracker within the ATLAS detector. Subjects covered include what the tracker is used to measure, its structure, what happens when particles pass through the tracker, how it distinguishes between different types of particles within it. (Video: CERN)

View of the ATLAS detector during July 2007
(Image: CERN)

Detector & Technology

The ATLAS Detector

ATLAS,LHC,Full Detector,Detector Completed,end-caps,Best,milestones,Technology,Detectors,Inner Detector,Calorimeters,Point 1 Site,Cavern
ATLAS,Detector Installation,Combined,Technology,Detectors,Calorimeters

The largest volume detector ever constructed for a particle collider

ATLAS has the dimensions of a cylinder, 46m long, 25m in diameter, and sits in a cavern 100m below ground. The ATLAS detector weighs 7,000 tonnes, similar to the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

The detector itself is a many-layered instrument designed to detect some of the tiniest yet most energetic particles ever created on earth. It consists of six different detecting subsystems wrapped concentrically in layers around the collision point to record the trajectory, momentum, and energy of particles, allowing them to be individually identified and measured. A huge magnet system bends the paths of the charged particles so that their momenta can be measured as precisely as possible.

Beams of particles travelling at energies up to seven trillion electron-volts, or speeds up to 99.999999% that of light, from the LHC collide at the centre of the ATLAS detector producing collision debris in the form of new particles which fly out in all directions. Over a billion particle interactions take place in the ATLAS detector every second, a data rate equivalent to 20 simultaneous telephone conversations held by every person on the earth. Only one in a million collisions are flagged as potentially interesting and recorded for further study. The detector tracks and identifies particles to investigate a wide range of physics, from the study of the Higgs boson and top quark to the search for extra dimensions and particles that could make up dark matter.

Length

0

meters long & 25m of diameter

Ground

0

meters below ground

Weight

0

tonnes

Collision

0

collisions / second

Technology

ATLAS Awards

Collaboration,Awards,ATLAS
Winners of the ATLAS Thesis Awards 2024 at the award ceremony on 20 February 2025. (Image: K.Anthony / ATLAS Experiment © 2025 CERN)

Collaboration,Awards,ATLAS
Recipients of the ATLAS Outstanding Achievement Awards 2024. (Image: Y. Tsouflidis / ATLAS Collaboration © 2024 CERN)

ATLAS Thesis Awards

The ATLAS Collaboration has over 5500 members in over 180 institutions around the globe. But, did you know that over 1000 of these members are PhD students? Students contribute strongly and critically to all areas of the experiment while learning valuable skills for their degrees. The ATLAS Thesis Awards are selected annually by a dedicated committee to recognise outstanding contributions in the context of PhD theses.

Outstanding Achievement Awards

The Outstanding Achievement Awards give recognition to excellent contributions made to the collaboration. Nominations come from across the collaboration, in areas such as technical coordination, detector systems, as well as activity areas including upgrade, combined performance and outreach. Winners are selected annually by the Collaboration Board Chair Advisory Group.

Join as a Technical Associate Institute

The status of a Technical Associate Institute is designed for research laboratories or universities that seek to have a close cooperation with the ATLAS Collaboration on primarily technical work for a dedicated project over an extended (multi-year) but limited period of time. They do not intend to join the ATLAS Collaboration as a full member Institution and do not intend to contribute to the ATLAS physics programme.

The principal reason for a Technical Associate membership is cooperation on one or more challenging technical project(s) relevant for the ATLAS Collaboration. These projects are possible in the areas of detector development, engineering, electronics, firmware, software and computing. They may be linked to detector upgrade programmes. Engagement in R&D activities that could potentially be of interest for ATLAS is possible as well. There should be clear benefit to the group joining, as well as to ATLAS, from the application.

Given that no full membership is anticipated, no financial contribution to enter the collaboration and no M&O costs have to be paid. Technical Associate Institutes are not required to contribute to the OT tasks; however, they are welcome to do so, concerning the maintenance and operation of their deliverables.

Technical Associate Institutes appear under a separate heading on the list of ATLAS Institutions. While members from the Technical Associated Institutes do not sign the physics publications of the ATLAS Collaboration, they sign all project-related technical papers where they are involved together with authors from the ATLAS Collaboration.

Path to Technical Associate Institute membership

  • Initial contact should be with the ATLAS Spokesperson or with Project or Activity Leaders of Technical Projects in ATLAS.
  • The applicant group should prepare an Expression of Interest detailing the interest of the group in a specific project, its background and the involved personnel (scientist, engineers and students) as well as the timeline of the common project between the ATLAS Collaboration and the applicant group and, linked to this, the duration of the association.
  • The applicant group will be associated to one or more ATLAS detector systems and/or activity areas and well-defined deliverables should be defined. Long-term maintenance and OT linked to the deliverable of a Technical Associate Institute is the responsibility of the respective system or activity area. The Project Leaders and/or Activity Coordinators have to find appropriate groups (ATLAS Institutions) to cover this. Therefore, it is desirable that Technical Associate Institutes collaborate closely with existing ATLAS Institutions. It is also possible that the Technical Associate Institutes stay engaged beyond the development and construction phase and take longer-term commitments for operation.
  • Technical Associate Institutes might partake in the resources available for technical projects in ATLAS, e.g. for upgrade projects or for software and computing projects, from central ATLAS resources or from resources in the respective countries. In the latter case the agreement of the respective national ATLAS community and the funding agency is required and a supporting letter from the corresponding NCP is expected.
  • Before Technical Associate Institute status is granted, an agreement between the Technical Associate Institute and CERN (as the Host Laboratory) has to be prepared. Such an agreement should specify the details and deliverables of the project as well as ownership and definition of responsibilities for maintenance and operations. Where the technical project involves a contribution to an ATLAS Upgrade Project, the Technical Associate Institute has to comply with the agreed ATLAS procedures for preparation and implementation including critical reviews and timelines.
  • The agreement with CERN is presented by the Spokesperson to the ATLAS CB, and a formal vote on the admission is taken. After admission by the CB and after signature of the agreement the Technical Associate Institute status is granted. The admission of a new Technical Associate Institute does not require an endorsement by the RRB, as the CB composition is unchanged; however, the RRB would be notified.

Interested in ATLAS membership?

Join as an associate institute

The Associate Institute status is intended for universities or research labs that are on the path to joining ATLAS as a full institutional member.

The Associate Institute is hosted by a current ATLAS full-member Institution, which takes some responsibility for the associated group. Members of the Associate Institute will collaborate with the host Institution. There should be clear benefit shown to the Institution being joined, as well as to ATLAS, from the application.

Associate Institutes do not appear on the list of Institutions in the ATLAS author list. Scientific authors from Associate Institutes instead appear as authors of the host Institution, with an “Also at [Associate Institute]” footnote upon request. Associate Institutes are generally not a visible part of the ATLAS Collaboration. They do not appear in the CERN "Grey Book", nor do they have the right to open a Team Account at CERN based on their ATLAS Associate Institute status.​

Path to Associate Institute membership

  • Initial contact should be made with the team leader of the Institution proposed, or directly with the ATLAS Spokesperson, who will put the group in touch with nearby member Institutions, if appropriate. In any case, informal contact should be made at an early stage with the Spokesperson and with the NCP of the nation concerned.
  • The applicant group should prepare a short statement of interest, including a description of the general structure (staff, students, engineers) and background of the group, expectations for its evolution, specific interests (projects, activity areas in ATLAS) and work programme. It is expected that members of the applicant institute will begin qualification to become ATLAS authors.
  • Statements of support will be required from the team leader of the Institution being joined and the NCP, who should also ensure that the funding agency concerned is in agreement.
  • With an Associate Institute joining, the institutional responsibilities (M&O and OT shares) are increased. These are assigned to the host Institution, which should agree with the Associate Institute how they will be met. Payment of the additional M&O contributions will start for the calendar year after admission.
  • The acceptance of an Associate Institute is at the discretion of the Spokesperson and Collaboration Board chair. The Collaboration Board shall be informed and comments solicited, before acceptance is implemented. The admission of a new Associate Institute does not require a CB vote or endorsement by the RRB, as the CB composition is unchanged.

Interested in ATLAS membership?

JOIN AS A CLUSTERED INSTITUTION

Clustered Institutions (Clusters) are typically intended for institutes in nations where the High-Energy Physics community is still developing, and where it may be difficult to form individual university groups large enough to stand alone in ATLAS. It is expected that members of a Cluster (Cluster institutes) work closely together and build up a coherent effort in ATLAS.

Each Cluster will have one vote in the ATLAS Collaboration Board.

The requirements for a new Cluster to join ATLAS are the same as for single Institutions. The obligations on joining fees, M&O and OT contributions have to be fulfilled by the Cluster as a whole.

The requirements for a new institute joining a Cluster as an additional institute are less stringent. No entrance fee has to be paid, however the financial and effort obligations (M&O and OT contributions) of the Cluster increase according to the number of additional authors. The application should benefit the Cluster being joined, as well as the ATLAS Collaboration as a whole.

Clusters appear – and are marked as such – in the list of institutes in ATLAS publications. The individual Cluster institutes are listed conse­cutively.

Path to Clustered Institution membership

  • Initial contact should be made with the leader of the Cluster team the new institute proposes to join, or directly with the ATLAS Spokesperson. In any case, informal contact should be made at an early stage with the Spokesperson and with the National Contact Physicist (NCP) of the nation concerned.
  • The applicant group should prepare a short statement of interest, including a description of the general structure (staff, students, engineers) and background of the group, expectations for its evolution, specific interests (projects, activity areas in ATLAS) and work programme. Connections and relations to other institutes in the Cluster they wish to join should be described. Members of the applicant institute are expected to begin qualification to become ATLAS authors.
  • Support will be required from the leader of the Cluster being joined and the NCP of the nation, who should also ensure that the funding agency concerned is in agreement.
  • The applicant institute, and the Cluster they propose to join, need to accept the financial and effort implications of joining, i.e. increased shares of M&O and OT contributions, commensurate with the number of additional authors, qualifiers and students (see above). Payment of the additional M&O contributions will start for the calendar year after admission. The leader of the Cluster is responsible for ensuring that these commitments will be met by the engaged institutes in the Cluster.
  • The addition of the institute to the Cluster is at the discretion of the Spokesperson and Collaboration Board chair. The Collaboration Board shall be informed and comments solicited, before the admission to the Cluster is completed. The admission of a new institute into a Cluster does not require a CB vote or endorsement by the RRB, as the CB composition is unchanged.

Interested in ATLAS membership?

Join as an Institution

Full Institutional Members (Institutions) have full rights and obligations in the Collaboration. In particular, they are represented in the Collaboration Board (CB). This is an assembly of all ATLAS Institutions, where major decisions for the collaboration are discussed and voted on. Every Institution is equal, with one vote each.

ATLAS Institutions are expected to contribute to the Operation and Maintenance (M&O), to Operation Tasks (OT), and physics programme of the ATLAS experiment, as well as to the detector upgrade programme for operation at the High-Luminosity LHC. ATLAS Institutions have the following obligations:

  • To enter the ATLAS Collaboration as a full Institutional Member, a financial contribution must be paid. This contribution can, in part, be delivered “in-kind”, by providing well-defined deliverables in technical areas, e.g. software or firmware. Details are to be discussed with the Spokesperson.
  • There is a yearly share of M&O costs of around 10 kCHF per author (or qualifying author) holding a PhD or equivalent (M&O author). In addition, a common fund contribution of about 1.5 kCHF per M&O author, per year is paid during the High-Luminosity LHC detector upgrade phase (2018–2025). There are no M&O payments for students.
  • Institutions take on a share of the OT, such as shifts or data quality monitoring, and corresponding institutional commitments. For the OT requirements students are also included, however with a lower weight of 0.75. An increased OT share is expected to be taken by the joining groups during the first two years.
  • New groups are also expected to contribute to the Phase-II upgrade of the ATLAS experiment.
  • The admission of a new full member Institution is taken by a vote at the CB and endorsement by the Resources Review Board (RRB) need to be obtained.

Path to Institutional membership

  • A new group usually starts working with ATLAS before any formal engagement is taken. This happens most efficiently by being hosted by an existing ATLAS Institution, e.g. as an Associate Institute (see below). This initial work helps to establish and foster the mutual interest for future long-term Institutional Membership.
  • After about one year, the new group may submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) to join the ATLAS Collaboration, describing its general structure (staff, students, engineers), the expertise of the group, its planned activities and contributions to ATLAS as well as its projected evolution. At that stage the group must demonstrate a critical size, i.e. it should have permanent staff and typically more than one faculty member. The group must have a well-defined set of interests and a plan for long-term engagement within the collaboration.
  • The EoI is announced by the Spokesperson to the ATLAS CB, followed by a short presentation of the group leader of the applicant institute. Earliest one CB later (there are three per year) a formal vote on the admission can be taken. A statement of support is required from the National Contact Physicist of the respective nation, who should also ensure that both the ATLAS national community (if it exists already) and the funding agency/ies concerned are in agreement. In addition, a supporting statement from the Project Leader or Activity Coordinator of the areas where the new group plans to get engaged is required.

Interested in ATLAS membership?