Neural network based cluster creation in the ATLAS Pixel Detector

The read-out from individual pixels on planar semi-conductor sensors are grouped into clusters to reconstruct the location where a charged particle passed through the sensor. The resolution given by individual pixel sizes is significantly improved by using the information from the charge sharing be- tween pixels. Such analog cluster creation techniques have been used by the ATLAS experiment for many years to obtain an excellent performance. How- ever, in dense environments, such as those inside high-energy jets, clusters have an increased probability of merging the charge deposited by multiple particles. Recently, a neural network based algorithm which estimates both the cluster position and whether a cluster should be split has been developed for the ATLAS Pixel Detector. The algorithm significantly reduces ambigui- ties in the assignment of pixel detector measurement to tracks and improves the position accuracy with respect to standard techniques by taking into account the 2-dimensional charge distribution.