Members of the DCal installation team in the ALICE detector. The recently completed DCal is hanging above their heads.
Credit: Image courtesy of ALICE-USA
Colliding lead ions at the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) creates tiny samples of matter at energy densities that
have not occurred since microseconds after the Big Bang. At these
densities, ordinary matter melts into its primordial constituents of
quarks and gluons, shining brightly at temperatures more than 100,000
times hotter than the center of the Sun. To explore the properties of
this plasma of quarks and gluons as it expands and cools, a new Di-Jet
Calorimeter (DCal) was installed in the ALICE detector to provide unique
insights into the nature of the universe.
The structure of the neutrons and protons (the particle constituents
of an atom's nuclei) that make up all matter, including coffee cups and
constellations, are explained in terms of the underlying quarks and
gluons along with a mechanism that keeps quarks tightly confined. The
confinement mechanism is overcome during particle collisions at the LHC,
and a short-lived plasma of quarks and gluons is formed. The
installation of the DCal, opposite a previously installed similar
calorimeter, will allow scientists to detect back-to-back jets of
subatomic particles (Di-Jets). The relationship between the energy and
angles of the two jets is modified by the plasma of quarks and gluons.
The Di-Jets thus provide a tool to more precisely characterize the
matter produced in ultra-high energy nuclear collisions and answer
fundamental questions about the physics that holds all matter together.
With the LHC, scientists can study strongly interacting matter at
extreme energy densities using, among other instruments, a heavy ion
detector codenamed ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment). The DCal
upgrade significantly enhanced the acceptance angle -- the measurement
equivalent of field of view -- of the ALICE experiment. The DCal
construction was completed in September 2014, two weeks ahead of
schedule. The installation of the calorimeter was recently completed.
The DCal effort required redesign of the ALICE support structure,
fabrication and assembly of the DCal components, and finally,
integration and installation of the full detector in ALICE. This
substantial engineering and construction effort was a collaborative
effort among ALICE-USA and teams from Nantes and Grenoble, France;
Wuhan, China; and Tsukuba, Japan. The ALICE experiment now offers
substantial new capabilities for the study of di-jets when the LHC
restarts.
Approximately 70% of the funding for DCal and the other calorimeter
was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. The balance was provided
by France (IN2P3), Italy (INFN), Japan, and China.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from
materials provided by
Department of Energy, Office of Science.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Ditulis Oleh : Unknown
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Terimakasih atas kunjungan Kamu Karena telah Mau membaca artikel Jetting into the moments after the Big Bang. Tapi Kurang Lengkap Rasanya Jika Kunjunganmu di Blog ini Tanpa Meninggalkan Komentar, untuk Itu Silahkan Berikan Kritik dan saran Pada Kotak Komentar di bawah. Kamu boleh menyebarluaskan atau mengcopy artikel Jetting into the moments after the Big Bang ini jika memang bermanfaat bagi kamu, tapi jangan lupa untuk mencantumkan link sumbernya. Pengunjung yang baik akan memberikan komentarnya di sini :p. Terima Kasih :)
