TORCH—a Cherenkov based time-of-flight detector

What is it about?

This paper shows an overview talk given by Maarten Van Dijk, then a PhD student at the University of Bristol, outlining a proposed upgrade system for the LHCb detector, part of the LHC at CERN. In this work he outlined the concept to introduce a ultra-fast Time-of-Flight detector to LHCb. This detector would use the instantaneous Cherenkov effect - analogous to a sonic boom but for light - as the light production mechanism. This eliminates more common scintillator materials, which critically take longer to produce light and also to recover after being hit. Whilst this time lag may be extremely small in everyday terms, eliminating it here is critical to function in the highly challenging environs of the LHC. The paper shows all the details that go in to making such a detector system a reality , and is available as an Open Access paper.

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Why is it important?

This is, as far as I can tell, the first and maybe only detector designed specifically to use the Chernekov effect in place of scintillation for time-of-flight measurements. The paper here is a good overview as 3 years prior the concept was in its infancy, whereas by this stage more detailed work had gone into it's development, giving a more rounded outline for the system.

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