Study of the mechanical stability of the ATLAS Insertable B-Layer

During the commissioning and alignment of the ATLAS Insertable B-Layer (IBL) using cosmic-ray data, a mechanical distortion of the IBL was observed. This distortion is caused by a difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the IBL stave components. The results of a preliminary study of the mechanical stability of the IBL are presented in this note. The qualitative properties of the distortion are confirmed using a 3D finite element analysis. Using cosmic-ray data collected in March 2015, the magnitude of the distortion is found to depend linearly on the operating temperature of the IBL, with a gradient of $\sim10~{\rm \mu m/K}$. The peak-to-peak temperature variation of the IBL staves is measured to be less than 0.2 K during the same cosmic-ray run. The expected bias to the transverse impact parameter $(d_{0})$ of charged tracks under a temperature variation of 0.2 K is evaluated to be $\sim 1~{\rm \mu m}$ using $Z\rightarrow{\mu^+\mu^-}$ events from a Mote Carlo simulation of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13~{\rm TeV}$.