The readout of the LHC beam luminosity monitor: accurate shower energy measurements at a 40 MHz repetition rate

The LHC beam luminosity monitor is based on the following principle. The neutrals that originate in LHC at every PP interaction develop showers of minimum ionizing particles in the absorbers placed in front of the separation dipoles. The shower energy, measured by suitable detectors in the absorbers is proportional to the number of neutral particles and, therefore, to the luminosity. The principle lends itself to a luminosity measurement on a bunch-by-bunch basis. However, to make such a measurement feasible, the system must comply with extremely stringent requirements. Its speed of operation must match the 40 MHz bunch repetition rate of LHC. Besides, the detector must stand extremely high radiation doses. This paper discusses the solutions adopted to comply with these requirements.