Point-to-point readout for the ALICE EMCal detector

It is anticipated that the LHC will deliver Pb+Pb collisions at a minimum bias interaction rate of about 50 kHz after the second long shutdown of the LHC in 2018. This will be roughly two orders of magnitude greater than the current data recording rate capability of the ALICE experiment. Therefore a major upgrade of the ALICE detector is planned for the next shutdown to enable ALICE to record data at the full Pb+Pb minimum bias interaction rate delivered by the LHC. A new point-to-point readout system for the electromagnetic calorimeter (EMCal) of ALICE has been developed, to replace the legacy readout bus, that essentially accomplishes this goal, and is being installed during the current LHC shutdown (2013–2014). The new readout uses the existing EMCal front end electronics yet provides more than an order of magnitude decrease in the readout time, to about 21 μ s , with modest cost and effort.