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CMS software

This page contains a summary of my software activities.

CMS pixel software (offline)

I am responsible for the offline calibration software for the CMS pixel detector. This means I deal with the following types of things:

  • Calibration code that runs on the Filter Farm, High Level Trigger or dedicated DAQ setups. I designed the framework used to do gain calibrations, S-Curve calibrations and Pixel Alive scans in CMSSW.
  • I also analyze and help others analyze the results of calibration runs. These can for example be used to identify the response of our detector, the noise levels, but also things like the quality of a certain configuration of settings on the Pixel detector readout chip or cross-checks on the correctness of cabling maps.
  • I am the calibration contact person for the Pixel groupl. This means I deal with Calibration issues towards the rest of the calibration and work in the Alignment and Calibration taskforce that is responsible for the quality and progress of all software of this type in CMS.
  • Databases in CMSSW. I am responsible for the Pixel part (and more particular the calibrations) in the CMS online and offline databases. As pixel detectors have many channels (the CMS pixel detector has 67 million readout diodes) ordering and maintaining this information keeps me quite busy. This work is for parts of the database very closely related to the calibration.
  • The database work also extends to filling/maintaining current database payloads and writing software to monitor and check database content.
  • I enjoy contributing to various other pixel offline CMSSW projects, as it is interesting to see how the entire reconstruction chain works. For example, I have recently incorporated the use of faulty (dead) pixel database information in various places, like the Digitizer (responsible for creating simulated pixel hits) and the Clusterizer (responsible for making clusters out of pixel hits).
  • I occasionally work on Data Quality Monitoring of offline pixel code.

CMS pixel software (online)

In the pixel online software group I contribute to data taking and interactions between the even-more-online (configuration) database and the offline world. I have been striving to get more involved in online software for a while but the offline responsibilities are keeping me quite busy!

Physics Analysis Tools and other projects

I am an occasional contributer (and a regular tester/complainer/user) of the physics analysis toolkits currently being developed in CMS. My most recent project was to contribute example code that shows users how to build skeleton analyses and book histograms. Also, I use the physics analysis tools for the missing transverse momentum algorithm I'm working on, and the intent is to include this in the package soon.

CMS software tutorials

Information is key. In a large collaboration like the CMS collaboration, one of the more important things is to make sure new young bright people get up to speed as soon as possible. Of course, documentation also helps the more established CMS physicists in their work. In my previous life (at Imperial College) I spent a significant part of my time on CMS and grid software testing, documentation and development. I still spend some time on this effort.