1. |
- Aamodt, K., et al.
(author)
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The ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC
- 2008
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 3:S08002
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a general-purpose, heavy-ion detector at the CERN LHC which focuses on QCD, the strong-interaction sector of the Standard Model. It is designed to address the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma at extreme values of energy density and temperature in nucleus-nucleus collisions. Besides running with Pb ions, the physics programme includes collisions with lighter ions, lower energy running and dedicated proton-nucleus runs. ALICE will also take data with proton beams at the top LHC energy to collect reference data for the heavy-ion programme and to address several QCD topics for which ALICE is complementary to the other LHC detectors. The ALICE detector has been built by a collaboration including currently over 1000 physicists and engineers from 105 Institutes in 30 countries, Its overall dimensions are 16 x 16 x 26 m(3) with a total weight of approximately 10 000 t. The experiment consists of 18 different detector systems each with its own specific technology choice and design constraints, driven both by the physics requirements and the experimental conditions expected at LHC. The most stringent design constraint is to cope with the extreme particle multiplicity anticipated in central Pb-Pb collisions. The different subsystems were optimized to provide high-momentum resolution as well as excellent Particle Identification (PID) over a broad range in momentum, up to the highest multiplicities predicted for LHC. This will allow for comprehensive studies of hadrons, electrons, muons, and photons produced in the collision of heavy nuclei. Most detector systems are scheduled to be installed and ready for data taking by mid-2008 when the LHC is scheduled to start operation, with the exception of parts of the Photon Spectrometer (PHOS), Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) and Electro Magnetic Calorimeter (EMCal). These detectors will be completed for the high-luminosity ion run expected in 2010. This paper describes in detail the detector components as installed for the first data taking in the summer of 2008.
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2. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(author)
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Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
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In: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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3. |
- Aggarwal, M. M., et al.
(author)
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Pion freeze-out time in Pb plus Pb collisions at 158 AGeV/c studied via pi(-)/pi(+) and K-/K+ ratios
- 2006
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In: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 48:2, s. 343-352
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effect of the final state Coulomb interaction on particles produced in Pb + Pb collisions at 158AGeV/c has been investigated in the WA98 experiment through the study of the pi(-)/pi(+) and K-/K+ ratios measured as a function of T-m- (m)0. While the ratio for kaons shows no significant T-m dependence, the pi(-)/pi(+) ratio is enhanced at small T-m - (m)0 values with an enhancement that increases with centrality. A silicon pad detector located near the target is used to estimate the contribution of hyperon decays to the pi(-)/pi(+) ratio. The comparison of results with predictions of the RQMD model in which the Coulomb interaction has been incorporated allows to place constraints on the time of the pion freeze-out.
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4. |
- Aggarwal, M. M., et al.
(author)
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Suppression of high-p(T) neutral pion production in central Pb+Pb collisions at root s(NN)=17.3 GeV relative to p+C and p+Pb collisions
- 2008
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 100:24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neutral pion transverse momentum spectra were measured in p+C and p+Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 17.4 GeV at midrapidity (2.3 less than or similar to eta(lab)less than or similar to 3.0) over the range 0.7 less than or similar to p(T)less than or similar to 3.5 GeV/c. The spectra are compared to pi(0) spectra measured in Pb+Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 17.3 GeV in the same experiment. For a wide range of Pb+Pb centralities (N-part less than or similar to 300), the yield of pi(0)'s with p(T)greater than or similar to 2 GeV/c is larger than or consistent with the p+C or p+Pb yields scaled with the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions (N-coll), while for central Pb+Pb collisions with N-part greater than or similar to 350, the pi(0) yield is suppressed.
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5. |
- Aggarwal, MM, et al.
(author)
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Centrality and transverse momentum dependence of collective flow in 158 A GeV Pb+Pb collisions measured via inclusive photons
- 2005
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In: Nuclear Physics, Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0375-9474. ; 762:1-2, s. 129-146
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Directed and elliptic flow of inclusive photons near mid-rapidity in 158 A GeV Pb + Pb collisions has been studied. The data have been obtained with the photon spectrometer LEDA of the WA98 experiment at the CERN SPS. The flow strength has been measured for various centralities as a function of p(T) and rapidity over 0. 18 < p(T) < 1.5 GeV/c and 2.3 < y < 2.9. The angular anisotropy has been studied relative to an event plane obtained in the target fragmentation region that shows the elliptic flow to be in-plane. The elliptic flow has also been studied using two-particle correlations and shown to give similar results. A small directed flow component is observed. Both the directed and elliptic flow strengths increase with p(T). The photon flow results are used to estimate the corresponding neutral pion flow.
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6. |
- Aggarwal, M M, et al.
(author)
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Azimuthal anisotropy of photon and charged particle emission in Pb-208+Pb-208 collisions at 158 center dot A GeV/c
- 2005
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In: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 41:3, s. 287-296
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The azimuthal distributions of photons and charged particles with respect to the event plane are investigated as a function of centrality in Pb-208 + Pb-208 collisions at 158 (.) A GeV/c in the WA98 experiment at the CERN SPS. The anisotropy of the azimuthal distributions is characterized using a Fourier analysis. For both the photon and charged particle distributions the first two Fourier coefficients are observed to decrease with increasing centrality. The observed anisotropies of the photon distributions compare well with the expectations from the charged particle measurements for all centralities.
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