The Muon ATLAS MicroMegas Activity

The luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN (sLHC) foresees a luminosity increase by a factor 5 compared to the LHC. To cope with the corresponding increase in background rates, the Muon System of the ATLAS experiment at CERN will likely need major changes in the very forward/backward region (the high rapidity region). The Muon ATLAS MicroMegas Activity (MAMMA) is focused on the development and testing of large-area muon detectors based on the resistive coating bulk-Micromegas technology as candidates for such an upgrade. This technology has undergone extensive tests with hadron beams at the CERN-SPS area, X-rays in the lab, as well as tests in a neutron beam at the TANDEM accelerator of the N.C.S.R. "Demokritos". In addition a set of prototype chambers have been installed in the ATLAS cavern and are taking data in real LHC conditions. Results on the performance of these chambers are presented.