  Many theoretical models, like the Standard Model or SUSY at large tan(beta),
predict Higgs bosons or new particles which decay more abundantly to final
states including tau leptons than to other leptons. At the energy scale of the
LHC, the identification of tau leptons, in particular in the hadronic decay
mode, will be a challenging task due to an overwhelming QCD background which
gives rise to jets of particles that can be hard to distinguish from hadronic
tau decays. Equipped with excellent tracking and calorimetry, the ATLAS
experiment has developed tau identification tools capable of working at the
trigger level. This contribution presents tau trigger algorithms which exploit
the main features of hadronic tau decays and describes the current tau trigger
commissioning activities.
