Development of the data acquisition system, commissioning, and operations of the CMS experiment GE1/1 Triple-GEM detector

In the coming years, the CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider) will undergo a series of upgrades to increase its instantaneous luminosity up to 10 × 1034 cm−2s−1,
targeting a total integrated luminosity of 4000 fb−1 after ten years of operation. The CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment, like the other LHC detectors, will face increasingly harsh conditions due to the higher particle flux and the larger radiation doses, particularly in its most forward regions. To meet these challenges, CMS is undergoing several detector upgrades, including the installation in the endcaps of three new muon stations based on the Triple-GEM technology: ME0, GE1/1, and GE2/1.
This thesis focuses on the GE1/1 station, installed during the Long Shutdown 2 (LS2) between July 2019 and September 2020, and operated since the start of Run-3. It first describes the evolution of the data acquisition (DAQ) system from a small-scale project - used for quality control and demonstrator setups - into a fully featured solution suitable for large-scale operations. This evolution required an almost complete redesign and rewrite of the software stack, resulting in a system
with robust control and monitoring capabilities, that have been validated during the commissioning and operations in LS2 and Run-3. Special emphasis was placed on scalability and compatibility with the future ME0 and GE2/1 stations.
This thesis then summarizes key aspects of the electronics quality control, including the optimization strategies implemented which contributed to the successful
delivery and completion of the project.
Further, this thesis discusses the commissioning challenges. Notably, how major communication instabilities with front-end readout electronics were mitigated, and
how the electronics noise levels were reduced to below 1 fC. Finally, the most recent operational performance results are presented. Through careful monitoring, the
readout channel damages due to high-voltage discharges were limited to less than 0.23% after 4 years of operation. The detector timing alignment, together with
additional configuration refinements, led to an average measured efficiency of 94%, approaching the 97% design target.