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ALICE Upgrade Bridging Support

ALICE 升级桥接支持

基本信息

批准号：
ST/M00340X/1
负责人：
David Evans
金额：
$ 5.22万
依托单位：
University of Birmingham
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2014
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2014 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FM00340X%2F1
关键词：
ALICE Upgrade Bridging Support

项目摘要

Quantum-ChromoDynamics (QCD) is the theory of the strong force and understanding its properties has been the focus of intense World-wide research over the past half century. QCD forms a major part of the Standard Model and its understanding is crucial in producing an overall theory to describe the properties of matter and the fundamental forces of nature including a grand unification theory to explain how the Universe evolved from the Big Bang. The principal purpose of our research is to use ultra-relativistic heavy-ion interactions to study QCD at extreme energy densities. Theoretical models predict that under very extreme conditions of high energy densities the quarks, which are confined in normal nuclear matter, will be freed and nuclear matter will undergo a phase transition into a hot, dense plasma of free quarks and gluons known as a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). It is thought that such a state of matter would have existed until about 10^-5 seconds after the Big Bang, after which time the Universe would have cooled sufficiently for protons and neutrons to form.The physics aim of this research is to study the strong force under these extreme conditions and, in particular, explore the properties of this exotic state of matter. By studying the QGP, we hope to address the fundamental questions of quark confinement and how quarks gain a large effective mass in hadrons due to the strong force (accounting for 99% of atomic mass). In order to create the conditions required to produce a QGP we must collide heavy nuclei together at the highest possible energies, creating tiny hot (~10^13K) and dense fireballs. As the resulting QGP will only last for about 10-22 seconds, before condensing in to thousands of elementary particles, we must also use the most sophisticated detectors to analyse these collisions. The LHC collides lead ions at centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in ALICE. We also collide protons together as this forms an excellent reference data set. Moreover, the excellent particle identification and tracking make ALICE an ideal detector to study the global aspects of proton-proton collisions in their own right. This field of research employs about two thousand physicists around the world and ALICE is the most sophisticated experiment ever built in the field, studying heavy-ion collisions at centre-of-mass energies over an order of magnitude greater than its nearest rival. It hence represents the pinnacle of research in this field. The ALICE collaboration is now preparing for the second LHC upgrade scheduled to start in 2018. These upgrades are required to cope with the anticipated increase in lead beam luminosity which will increase beam intensities by an order of magnitude. The main motivation for the luminosity upgrade is to achieve a precise, quantitative understand of the properties of the QGP by focusing on rare probes both at low and high transverse momenta as well as on multi-dimensional analysis of such probes with respect to centrality, event plane, multi-particle correlations, etc. The ALICE-UK Collaboration proposes to play a leading role in the ALICE Upgrade at the LHC (CERN), in particular the upgrades to the Central Trigger Processor (CTP) and the Inner Tracking System (ITS) where it has recognised international leadership. This will enable us to continue to be responsible for the vital CTP to bring our world-class expertise in Si Tracking Detector Systems to the ALICE ITS Upgrade Project. This will position us to play a leading role in the future, precision, measurements of heavy flavour probes of the partonic matter produced in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC, building on the leading role we currently play in the measurements of light and heavy flavour probes with the exiting detector. This project will capitalise on the prior investment of STFC in the ALICE experiment by sustaining and enhancing the leadership role the UK plays.

量子色动力学（QCD）是关于强作用力的理论，在过去的半个世纪里，对其性质的理解一直是世界范围内激烈研究的焦点。QCD是标准模型的主要组成部分，对它的理解对于产生一个描述物质属性和自然基本力的整体理论至关重要，包括一个解释宇宙如何从大爆炸演化而来的大统一理论。我们研究的主要目的是利用超相对论性重离子相互作用来研究极端能量密度下的QCD。理论模型预测，在非常极端的高能量密度条件下，被限制在正常核物质中的夸克将被释放，核物质将经历一个相变，进入一个由自由夸克和胶子组成的热的、密集的等离子体，称为夸克-胶子等离子体（QGP）。据认为，这种物质状态会一直存在到大爆炸后10^-5秒，在此之后，宇宙会冷却到足以形成质子和中子。这项研究的物理目的是研究这些极端条件下的强作用力，特别是探索这种奇异物质状态的性质。通过研究QGP，我们希望解决夸克约束的基本问题，以及夸克如何在强子中由于强作用力（占原子质量的99%）而获得大的有效质量。为了创造产生QGP所需的条件，我们必须以尽可能高的能量将重核碰撞在一起，产生微小的热（~10^13K）和密集的火球。由于由此产生的QGP只会持续大约10-22秒，然后就会凝聚成数千个基本粒子，因此我们还必须使用最复杂的探测器来分析这些碰撞。大型强子对撞机在ALICE中以2.76 TeV的质心能量对撞铅离子。我们也一起碰撞质子，因为这形成了一个很好的参考数据集。此外，出色的粒子识别和跟踪能力使ALICE本身成为研究质子-质子碰撞全局的理想探测器。这一研究领域在全球雇佣了大约2000名物理学家，爱丽丝是该领域迄今为止建造的最复杂的实验，研究质量中心能量的重离子碰撞，比最接近的竞争对手高出一个数量级。因此，它代表了这一领域研究的顶峰。ALICE合作现在正在为计划于2018年开始的第二次LHC升级做准备。这些升级是为了应对预期的铅光束亮度的增加，这将使光束强度增加一个数量级。光度升级的主要动机是通过关注低和高横向动量下的稀有探针，以及对这些探针的中心性、事件平面、多粒子相关性等进行多维分析，实现对QGP特性的精确、定量理解。ALICE- uk合作计划在大型强子对撞机（CERN）的ALICE升级中发挥主导作用，特别是对中央触发处理器（CTP）和内部跟踪系统（ITS）的升级，在这方面它已被公认为国际领先地位。这将使我们能够继续负责至关重要的CTP，将我们在Si跟踪探测器系统方面的世界级专业知识带入ALICE ITS升级项目。这将使我们在未来发挥主导作用，在LHC中Pb-Pb碰撞产生的重味探测器的精确测量中，建立在我们目前在使用现有探测器测量轻味和重味探测器方面发挥主导作用的基础上。该项目将通过维持和加强英国发挥的领导作用，利用STFC在ALICE实验中的先前投资。