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This repo contains an implementation of the Artificial Retina algorithm for LHCb VELO tracking.

Currently contains:

• numerical optimization methods as main subroutine for local maximum search;
• multi-start as a global search method;
• 2 initial seeding algorithms;
• Retina response function as well as its gradient and Hessian matrix implemented via theano (thus supposed to be computed on a GPU or a multi-core CPU);
• simplified LHCb VELO simulation with parameters inspired by the upgrade TDR;
• utils for efficiency measuments.

Future work:

• primary vertex fitting;
• fine tuning of the meta-parameters (sigma cooling, optimizer's parameters);
• advanced initial seeding (based on hits and VELO's geometry);
• hit's timing;
• multi-stage helix curve fitting.