Internationales Graduiertenkolleg // International Research Training Group
      Development and Application of Intelligent Detectors
 Job Announcement (Aug 2004)
  
Profile:

The International Research Training Group (IRTG) on intelligent detectors aims at developing and applying detection systems for particle, nuclear and space physics that integrate modern information technologies as key features. The design, building and operation of such detectors is the key for advanced nuclear and particle physics experiments. It requires a profound knowledge in a variety of fields that will be made available in the interdisciplinary cooperation of physicists working on detector design, signal readout and data analysis, together with departments that focus on information science and work on signal processing, pattern recognition and data management. Some of the technological aspects involved here include the design of application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), design and programming of circuits implementing programmable electronics (FPGAs) and the design and operation of large scale compute facilities (Cluster, GRID) that have to be considered an integral part of next generation detector systems.

The IRTG links the expertise that is available in Heidelberg/Mannheim and Norway (Bergen/Oslo), and thus covers complementary aspects of the problem. On both sides many major experiments in high energy elementary particle and nuclear physics are represented: ALICE, ATLAS, BABAR, CBM, CERES, FOPI, H1,  LHCb in Heidelberg/Mannheim and ALICE, ATLAS, BRAHMS, NA57 and space physics (INTEGRAL, POLAR) in Bergen/Oslo, that all exploit similar techniques. Due to the wide variety of applications, synergy is expected. A productive collaboration within the ALICE experiment has already been established in between Heidelberg and Bergen, thereby contributing complementary technical expertise to the joint design of the ALICE high-level trigger. For example ASIC design and cluster computing are centered in Heidelberg, while FPGA-based hardware/software co-design is centered in Bergen. This project-oriented collaboration will be strengthened by the IRTG since common research interests are already expressed for the major future European facilities: GSI and Tesla.
Complete DFG - Proposal

Participating groups:
Group Leader
 Links to Experiment/
Research Activity
 Projects within IRTG
Prof. Dr. F. Eisele
 H1, LHCb
 Heavy quark production at LHC
Prof. Dr. Norbert Herrmann
 ALICE, CBM, FOPI
 Physics performance and monitoring of ALICE - TRD trigger
Open charm trigger for CBM
Hadron Identification with high resolution TOF (RPCs)
Prof. Dr. Volker Lindenstruth
 ALICE, GRID
 High pt global tracking trigger for ALICE
GRID cluster operating system
FPGA coprocessor based high level trigger
Mixed mode electronics development
Time discretising  switched preamps
Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Meier ATLAS
 ATLAS level-1 trigger with liquid argon and tile calorimeter 
Second level Trigger for ATLAS
Search for isolated electrons and photons at LHC (lev-1 trigger requirements)
Radiation tolerant chip designs
Prof. Dr. Johanna Stachel
 ALICE, CERES
 Charm and bottom measurements with ALICE
Electron ID with high rate TRD
Data management for physics simulation (GRID)
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Uwer
 BABAR, LHCb, GRID
 GRID based analysis of B decays
LHCb tracking trigger (data link)
Prof. Dr. P. Fischer
 Chip Development
 Low noise digital electronics
High resolution, low power DLLs
Prof. Dr. R. Männer
 ATLAS, CBM High rate online data readout and processing for CBM
Reconfigurable computing networks based on integrated specialized processors
Load sharing between FPGAs, DSPs and embedded CPUs