Atlas is one of the four most important experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It is a general particle physics experiment driven by international collaboration and, together with the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), is designed to take advantage of its discovery potential and the wide range of physics opportunities provided by the Large Hadron Collider.
The Atlas experiment is used by research groups to test whether the predictions of the Standard Model of physics are correct. The Standard Model encapsulates our current knowledge about the composition of matter and how its fundamental building blocks interact: protons, electrons, neutrons, photons, quarks, muons, bosons.
The SAPHIR Millennium Institute has solidified its position at the forefront of particle physics through a growing collaboration with CERN’s ATLAS experiment, one of the most important detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). During Phase II of the detector’s modernization, SAPHIR has contributed to various key aspects of the project, reaffirming Chile’s role in cutting-edge science on the international stage. Among its most notable contributions is its participation in the design and production of the muon spectrometer’s charge monitoring system (TGC Charge Monitoring System), an essential component for improving the precision of detecting these fundamental particles.
In addition, the team associated with SAPHIR has actively collaborated on the development of the cooling system for the new internal tracker (iTK), a crucial technology that will completely replace the current trace detector. Researchers from the institute have also worked on the production of the MOPS-HUB system and have led the design and fabrication of the environmental housing that will protect the iTK barrel section during assembly. This final phase is being carried out at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in the United Kingdom, with direct participation from South American scientists. Finally, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, through SAPHIR, plays a central role in the quality assurance of the detector’s flexible cabling (FLEX), ensuring that each component meets CERN’s rigorous standards. These contributions reflect the institute’s growing impact on one of the most ambitious experiments in modern science.