Testing of New Front-End Electronics for the Hadron Calorimeter at CERN

The Hadron Calorimeter (HCAL), a major component of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at CERN, is designed to detect hadrons produced in proton proton collisions supplied by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The HCAL is cur rently being upgraded with new readout modules that contain Silicon Photomultipli ers (SiPMs), photodetectors that accept light from scintillator tiles and convert them to charge signals. Using a test beam capable of producing the same types of particles measured in the CMS detector, the new readout modules were tested in conditions like those of the CMS detector to fully understand their functionality before installa tion. Since the SiPMs in the new readout modules process the signals very differently from the hybrid photodiodes in the old readout modules, the analysis of test beam data provides insight into the features of the SiPMs. A virtual SiPM simulation was also created to assist in the analysis.