The performance of the LHCb RICH detectors

The LHCb detector is configured as a single forward-arm spectrometer with open geometry, optimized for detecting the large sample of B-hadrons which will be produced at the LHC. Particle identification using the RICH detectors is an essential component of LHCb[1]. For example, when selecting the Bs → Ds^± K^∓ decay mode, separating pions and kaons using the RICH system suppresses the combinatorial backgrounds from Bs → Ds^± π^∓ channel from a factor of 10 down to around 10%.