A Decade of Timepix for Beam Instrumentation at CERN: Looking Back and Ahead

by Hampus Sandberg (CERN)

Friday 16 Oct 2026, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

40/S2-A01 - Salle Anderson (CERN)

 

​Over the past decade, Timepix hybrid pixel detector technology has developed from a promising option for a specific beam diagnostic into a versatile platform for several beam instrumentation applications at CERN. The first major application was the Beam Gas Ionisation (BGI) profile monitor, where Timepix3 detectors are used to detect electrons produced by the interaction of the circulating beam with residual gas, providing a non-invasive measurement of the transverse beam profile. Timepix3-based BGI instruments have been installed in both the PS and SPS, and the experience gained through their development, commissioning and use has highlighted both the potential of the technology and a number of practical challenges, including detector integration, calibration, radiation effects, data-rate limitations and real-time processing.

During the same period, the technology has found applications beyond beam profile measurements, including beam-loss studies, radiation-to-electronics measurements and, more recently, tracking telescopes for crystal characterisation. The associated BIPXL readout system has also evolved through several generations, driven not only by increasing data rates and processing requirements, but also by the challenges of integrating pixel detectors into the accelerator environment. These include radiation tolerance, timing and controls integration, reliable data transport from the tunnel, and providing a maintainable system that can be operated within the wider CERN accelerator infrastructure.

This seminar will look back at this evolution, highlight some of the lessons learned from using Timepix3 in accelerator environments, and discuss how these experiences are shaping the move towards Timepix4, including future BGI instruments for the HL-LHC and other emerging beam instrumentation applications.

Coffee will be served at 10:30