Alec York

Abstract:

The TORCH (Time Of internally Reflected Cherenkov light) detector is proposed for the high-luminosity Upgrade II of the LHCb experiment. The aim of TORCH is to measure time-of-flight with a 15 ps resolution per charged-particle, providing particle identification over the momentum range 2–15 GeV/c. TORCH is to be located approximately 9.5 m downstream of the LHCb interaction point, and comprises 18 modules of highly-polished 1 cm-thick quartz plates, each of 250×66cm². Cherenkov photons, radiated in the quartz, are focused onto an array of fast-timing micro-channel-plate detectors (MCP-PMTs) that each have a pixelation of 8 × 64 within an active area of 5.3 × 5.3 cm². Test-beam studies have previously shown that a timing resolution better than 100 ps per single photon can be achieved on a half-height module. Recent advances in the development of a 16 × 96 pixelated MCP-PMT are described. A full-height module is being developed with a light-weight carbon-fibre support structure. A novel exo-skeleton jigging system is used to bond the optical elements and support each module during installation.

Abstract:

MOSAIC is the Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) for the 39m Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), with unique capabilities in terms of multiplex, wavelength coverage and spectral resolution. It is a versatile multi-object spectrograph working in both the Visible and NIR domains, designed to cover the largest possible area (∼40 arcmin2) on the focal plane, and optimized to achieve the best possible signal-to-noise ratio on the faintest sources, from stars in our Galaxy to galaxies at the epoch of the reionization. In this paper we describe the main characteristics of the instrument, including its expected performance in the different observing modes. The status of the project will be briefly presented, together with the positioning of the instrument in the landscape of the ELT instrumentation. We also review the main expected scientific contributions of MOSAIC, focusing on the synergies between this instrument and other major ground-based and space facilities.