In May 2022, the Vertex Locator (VELO), was installed at LHCb to mark the end of 15 years worth of construction and development.
With its millions of microscopic micropixels measuring 55 x 55 millimeters each, the pixel detector can reconstruct particles’ trajectories at an incredible speed of 40,000,000 times per second. It is located just 3 millimeters away from the LHCb collision site. This speed will allow for a complete picture to be taken of all collisions in LHC.
The VELO weighed 800 kilograms and was placed by the LHCb team using the best care to protect its sensitive sensors. The VELO was then lowered 100m through the shaft of the experiment before it was placed right up to the collision point.
Watch the interview with Paula Collins, LHCb physicist to learn more about the installation of VELO.
