Expanding the precision timing frontier for particle tracking at hadron colliders

重叠质子-质子相互作用（堆积）数量的大量增加是HL-LHC物理项目的主要实验挑战之一。一种新颖而有力的方法是使用高精度的定时信息来区分空间上非常接近但时间上分离良好的碰撞。在这种环境下，新型探测器的发展既能实现极好的位置分辨率，又能实现几十皮秒的定时是至关重要的。低增益雪崩二极管传感器（LGADs）已经显示出合适的时间响应，但是为了形成内部电场所必需的边缘结构阻碍了小像素的形成。此外，lgad还不能在ATLAS ITk像素探测器的最内层运行，也不能被纳入LHCb实验的升级。其他正在开发的实现超快速计时的方案包括电极穿透体的3d传感器和新型单片传感器。为了提高大型强子对撞机的实验和未来对撞机的实验，需要改进仪器，提供必要的定时能力，以推进这些新型传感器的发展。这些新设备将为STFC的所有科学领域和设施带来革命性的机遇，从粒子到核物理和光子科学。这笔拨款将允许采购一个12 ghz信号发生器和快速示波器（每个样品7.8 ps），这将使传感器的操作更接近实际的操作条件，以及对其（超快）响应信号的精确测量，从而能够正确表征超高速硅探测器（lgad和3D传感器）。

The large increase in the number of overlapping proton-proton interactions (pileup) is one of the leading experimental challenges for the HL-LHC physics program. A novel and powerful approach to mitigating the effects of the pileup is to use high-precision timing information to distinguish between collisions occurring very close in space but well-separated in time. The development of novel detectors achieving both superb position resolution and a few tens of picoseconds timing is critical for operation in such environment. Low-gain avalanche diode sensors (LGADs) have shown suitable time response, but edge structures necessary to shape the internal electric field prevent the formation of small pixels. Furthermore, LGADs not yet radiation hard to operate in the innermost layers of the ATLAS ITk pixel detector or to be included in the upgrades for the LHCb experiment. Other options under development to reach Ultra-Fast Timing are 3-D sensors where the electrodes penetrate the bulk, and novel monolithic sensors.Improved instrumentation providing the necessary timing capability is needed to advance the development of these novel sensors for the upgrades of LHC experiments and experiments at future colliders. These new devices will bring revolutionary opportunities across all STFC's science areas and facilities, from Particle to Nuclear physics and Photon science.This grant will allow procuring a 12-GHz signal generator and fast oscilloscope (7.8 ps per sample) which will enable to properly characterise ultra-fast silicon detectors (LGADs and 3D sensors) by enabling the operation of the sensors closer to realistic operating conditions as well as precise measurements of their (ultra-fast) response signals.