Kalman filter tracking and vertexing in a silicon detector for neutrino physics

This article describes the application of Kalman filter techniques for the tracking and vertexing of particles inside the NOMAD-STAR detector a silicon vertex detector installed in NOMAD, one of the neutrino oscillation experiments at the CERN-SPS. The use of the Kalman filter simplifies computationally the tracking and vertex procedure for NOMAD-STAR. The alignment of NOMAD-STAR is shown as an example of the application of the Kalman filter for tracking purposes. The accuracy of the method is such that one obtains alignment residuals between 9 and 12 μm. Furthermore, a preliminary measure of the impact parameter (with an RMS ∼36 μm) illustrates the vertexing capabilities of this technique