Operation of the ATLAS end-cap calorimeters at sLHC luminosities: An experimental study

The expected increase of luminosity at sLHC by a factor of ten with respect to LHC luminosities has serious consequences for the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeters in the end-cap (EMEC, HEC) and in the forward region (FCAL). Small modules of each type of calorimeter have been built and exposed to a high intensity (up to 1012 pps) proton beam of 60 GeV at IHEP/Protvino. The correlation between beam intensity and the read-out signal has been studied. Also, the dependence of the HV currents as well as calorimeter module temperature on the beam intensity has been measured.