Department - Author 1
Physics Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BA in Physics
Date
6-2010
Primary Advisor
Jenifer Klay
Abstract/Summary
The ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) Experiment is a detector that is one of four stationed at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The goal of ALICE is to investigate the properties of the quark-gluon plasma, a new form of matter which only existed during the first microsecond of the Universe. ALICE measures the aftermath of the collision of two lead ions. Some information detected is the trajectory of the particles traveling through the tracking detectors and energy deposited in the calorimeters. Both the tracks and energy are required to determine the identities of the various particles as they travel through ALICE. The goal of this project is to combine the energy deposits in the calorimeter with the tracks that correspond to the particle that left the energy signature. Currently, ALICE compares the center of a cluster of calorimeter cells to the nearest track. We aim to investigate whether or not comparing the track to the nearest individual cell will better optimize the particle identification process. From the data we collected, it is still inconclusive which method is better for identifying particles in ALICE; however, our research has given us a strong direction to follow with future research. In this paper we will present the physics needed to understand our experiment, and the current status of the project and its possible benefits to future runs at ALICE.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/physsp/14