arXiv subjects

K. Whalen

Publications and source records attributed to K. Whalen.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Serenity-S1, a CMS Tracker Readout and Data Processing Card for HL-LHC

The CERN Large Hadron Collider will be upgraded to the High-Luminosity LHC, increasing the particle-collision rate and the demands on detector readout. A key element of this upgrade is the new CMS Tracker, whose silicon sensors will generate data at an aggregate rate of about 10 TB/s. This data must be routed efficiently to processing systems and filtered before storage. Serenity-S1 is an ATCA readout and data-processing card based on an AMD Virtex UltraScale+ VU13P FPGA with 128 high-speed serial transceivers. Twenty 12-channel Samtec FireFly optical modules provide up to 120 transmit and 120 receive channels at line rates of up to 25 Gb/s, while an additional optical module supports CMS Tracker links at up to 10 Gb/s per channel. The modular optical layout, combined with the large FPGA, makes Serenity-S1 suitable for several applications within and beyond CMS. ATCA provides the power and cooling required for operation in the CMS service cavern. Low-level management and the IPMI interface are provided by an OpenIPMC mezzanine, while an AMD Kria K26 system-on-module running AlmaLinux 9 performs higher-level board management and application control. Firmware and software frameworks provide common infrastructure so that users can focus on application-specific logic. The paper describes the hardware, firmware and software architecture of Serenity-S1 and its deployment in CMS Tracker integration and R&D activities.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Science of High Resolution X-ray Imaging

This report summarizes potential studies of the Hi-ReX Science Analysis Group for an Ultra-High Angular Resolution X-ray Observatory. Many potential science cases are presented, spanning a range of astrophysical topics from solar system planets and exoplanets to supermassive black holes and cosmology. These cases demonstrate the value of X-ray imaging beyond current capabilities with an aim toward milli-arcsecond and micro-arcsecond angular scales. There is an imaging gap between the current capability of the best X-ray imaging telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, compared to that of instruments across the electromagnetic spectrum. Next-generation, ultra-high angular resolution X-ray imaging will close this gap and transform our understanding of the universe and fundamental physics.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Virgo Filaments II: Catalog and First Results on the Effect of Filaments on galaxy properties

Virgo is the nearest galaxy cluster; it is thus ideal for studies of galaxy evolution in dense environments in the local Universe. It is embedded in a complex filamentary network of galaxies and groups, which represents the skeleton of the large scale Laniakea supercluster. Here we assemble a comprehensive catalog of galaxies extending up to ~12 virial radii in projection from Virgo to revisit the Cosmic Web structure around it. This work is the foundation of a series of papers that will investigate the multi-wavelength properties of galaxies in the Cosmic Web around Virgo. We match spectroscopically confirmed sources from several databases and surveys including HyperLeda, NASA Sloan Atlas, NED, and ALFALFA. The sample consists of ~7000 galaxies. By exploiting a tomographic approach, we identify 13 filaments, spanning several Mpc in length. Long > 17 Mpc/h filaments, tend to be thin (< 1 Mpc/h in radius) and with a low density contrast (< 5), while shorter filaments show a larger scatter in their structural properties. Overall, we find that filaments are a transitioning environment between the field and cluster in terms of local densities, galaxy morphologies, and fraction of barred galaxies. Denser filaments have a higher fraction of early type galaxies, suggesting that the morphology-density relation is already in place in the filaments, before galaxies fall into the cluster itself. We release the full catalog of galaxies around Virgo and their associated properties.

astro-ph.GA↗