Seminars

Vertex detector and the interaction region R&D of the e+e- Future Circular Collider

Name: Vertex detector and the interaction region R&D of the e+e- Future Circular Collider
Start: 2025-11-05T11:30:00+00:00
End: 2025-11-05T12:30:00+00:00
Location: R61 CR03 (RAL)

by Fabrizio Palla (INFN, Pisa)

Wednesday 5 Nov 2025, 11:30 → 12:30 Europe/London

R61 CR03 (RAL)

Description

I will review the status of R&D on the vertex detector and interaction region layout for the e+e- Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee) at CERN.

The FCC-ee is designed as an electroweak, flavour, Higgs and top factory with unprecedented luminosities. Many measurements at the FCC-ee will rely on the precise determination of the vertices, measured by dedicated vertex detectors. All vertex detector designs envisaged so far use Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS). In this seminar, I shall present the status of the fully engineered vertex detectors, their integration with the collider beam pipe, and discuss their predicted performance using GEANT-based full simulation.

I will also show studies of the predicted beam-induced backgrounds, and discuss their impact on the vertex detector, and present possible mitigation methods.

These backgrounds predicted in the FCC-ee detectors will be compared to those post-dicted in SLD, a detector running at the SLC linear collider between 1992 and 1998.

Finally, a critical comparison of the simulation results with the approximate statements made by Chris Damerell at a seminar held at RAL in October 2025 will conclude the presentation.

Biography:

Fabrizio Palla is a senior experimental physicist at INFN Pisa, with over thirty years of experience in high-energy physics and detector technology. He began his research career with the ALEPH Collaboration at LEP, working on electroweak precision measurements and b-quark physics, including the first determination of the number of light neutrino species and the precise measurement of the branching ratio of the Z boson to b-quarks pairs, Rb.

After earning his PhD cum laude from the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa in 1994, he held post-doctoral positions at the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies in Barcelona, and served three times as Scientific Associate at CERN. In parallel with his particle-physics research, Palla contributed to the early development of the VIRGO gravitational-wave interferometer, designing and testing the suspension systems for seismic noise attenuation—an experience that broadened his expertise in precision instrumentation and mechanical design.

Since 1998, he has played a leading role in the CMS experiment at the LHC, coordinating the construction and commissioning of the Silicon Tracker and introducing innovative use of tracking information in the High-Level Trigger. His research spans from heavy-flavour physics to advanced detector R&D, focusing on radiation-tolerant microelectronics, silicon photonics, and high-speed optical data links.

He is currently leading INFN’s participation in the FCC-ee IDEA experiment and co-leading the Machine–Detector Interface (MDI) in the FCC-ee overall project, overseeing the design and integration of the vertex and tracking detectors with the collider environment. His work includes novel lightweight structures, micro-channel cooling, and fast readout systems that will define the next generation of precision detectors.

Alongside his research, Palla has a strong commitment to education and mentoring. He has taught university courses in experimental physics, instrumentation, and thermodynamics, and has supervised numerous Master’s and PhD theses in high-energy physics and photonics, several of which received national awards.