Monitoring the stability of the ALEPH vertex detector

University of Glasgow
Max Planck Institut für Physik (Werner-Heisenberg-Institut)
Schweizerischer Bankverein
Sezione di Trieste Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Sezione di Bari Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille
Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics
University of Wisconsin Madison
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
Lancaster University
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Università degli Studi di Firenze
European Organization for Nuclear Research
Seattle University of Washington
Imperial College London

Abstract

The ALEPH Silicon Vertex Detector features an optical fibre laser system to monitor its mechanical stability. The operating principle and the general performance of the laser system are described. The experience obtained during 1997 and 1998 operations confirms the important role that such a system can have with respect to the detector alignment requirements. In particular, the laser system has been used to monitor short-term temperature-related effects and long-term movements. These results and a description of the laser-based alignment correction applied to the 1998 data are presented.