First data from the ALFA detector at ATLAS using high β* runs of LHC

The ALFA (Absolute Luminosity for ATLAS) detector is one of the ATLAS forward detectors and is located about 240 m away from the ATLAS interaction point in the LHC tunnel. ALFA is a scintillating fibre tracking detector that is designed to measure elastic proton-proton scattering up to the smallest scattering angles. The detector is housed in roman pots and can approach the beam to distances of about 1 millimetre range. In the last two years data were taken with various beam energies and beam optics with the aim to measure the elastic and the total cross section, the nuclear slope and the Coulomb-nuclear interference region. First results from the analysis of special low intensity LHC runs at √(s) = 7 TeV with β* = 90 m and at √(s) = 8 TeV with β* = 90 m and β* = 1000 m are presented in this talk.