Detectors and techniques in relativistic heavy-ion physics

Abstract

In collisions of heavy ions at relativistic energies, highly excited nuclear matter is produced. Hadronic and electromagnetic probes are investigated in order to study the composition and the thermodynamical properties of the short-lived interaction volume and its expansion characteristics. The ultimate goal is to identify signals for a phase transition of hadronic matter to the quark-gluon plasma state. Because of the high multiplicity of particles in the final state various experimental techniques and analysis methods have been developed in order to study exclusive signals with electromagnetic and hadronic probes. A selection of detector concepts which have been applied in heavy ion reactions at the CERN SPS will be presented here. (32 refs)