Calibration and performance of the precision chambers of the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer

The ATLAS Muon Spectrometer consists of a system of precision tracking and trigger chambers embedded in a 2-8 Tm magnetic field generated by three large air-core superconducting toroids. The precision Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) chambers measure the track sagitta up to a pseudorapidity of 2.7 with a 40μm uncertainty yielding a design muon transverse momentum resolution of 10% at 1 TeV. Muon tracking is complemented in the very forward region by Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC). The calibration program, essential to achieve the spectrometer design performance and physics reach, is conducted at three worldwide computing centers. These centers each receive a High Level Trigger data stream that enables high statistics determination of timing offset constants and drift-time to drift-space conversion relationship. During the LHC data taking periods in 2010 and 2011, a system of periodic calibration updates has been established. The calibration algorithms, methods and tools and performance results for this first period of LHC collision data will be presented.