201 research outputs found
The STAR Photon Multiplicity Detector
Details concerning the design, fabrication and performance of STAR Photon
Multiplicity Detector (PMD) are presented. The PMD will cover the forward
region, within the pseudorapidity range 2.3--3.5, behind the forward time
projection chamber. It will measure the spatial distribution of photons in
order to study collective flow, fluctuation and chiral symmetry restoration.Comment: 15 pages, including 11 figures; to appear in a special NIM volume
dedicated to the accelerator and detectors at RHI
A Honeycomb Proportional Counter for Photon Multiplicity Measurement in the ALICE Experiment
A honeycomb detector consisting of a matrix of 96 closely packed hexagonal
cells, each working as a proportional counter with a wire readout, was
fabricated and tested at the CERN PS. The cell depth and the radial dimensions
of the cell were small, in the range of 5-10 mm. The appropriate cell design
was arrived at using GARFIELD simulations. Two geometries are described
illustrating the effect of field shaping. The charged particle detection
efficiency and the preshower characteristics have been studied using pion and
electron beams. Average charged particle detection efficiency was found to be
98%, which is almost uniform within the cell volume and also within the array.
The preshower data show that the transverse size of the shower is in close
agreement with the results of simulations for a range of energies and converter
thicknesses.Comment: To be published in NIM
Particle density fluctuations
Event-by-event fluctuations in the multiplicities of charged particles and
photons at SPS energies are discussed. Fluctuations are studied by controlling
the centrality of the reaction and rapidity acceptance of the detectors.
Results are also presented on the event-by-event study of correlations between
the multiplicity of charged particles and photons to search for DCC-like
signals.Comment: Talk presented at Quark Matter 2002, Nantes, Franc
Search for DCC in 158A GeV Pb+Pb Collisions
A detailed analysis of the phase space distributions of charged particles and
photons have been carried out using two independent methods. The results
indicate the presence of nonstatistical fluctuations in localized regions of
phase space.Comment: Talk at the PANIC99 Conference, June 9-16, 199
Present Status and Future of DCC Analysis
Disoriented Chiral Condensates (DCC) have been predicted to form in high
energy heavy ion collisions where the approximate chiral symmetry of QCD has
been restored. This leads to large imbalances in the production of charged to
neutral pions. Sophisticated analysis methods are being developed to
disentangle DCC events out of the large background of events with
conventionally produced particles. We present a short review of current
analysis methods and future prospects.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures. Invited talk presented at the 13th International
Conference on Ultrarelativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (Quark Matter 97),
Tsukuba, Japan, 1-5 Dec 199
Central Pb+Pb Collisions at 158 A GeV/c Studied by Pion-Pion Interferometry
Two-particle correlations have been measured for identified negative pions
from central 158 AGeV Pb+Pb collisions and fitted radii of about 7 fm in all
dimensions have been obtained. A multi-dimensional study of the radii as a
function of kT is presented, including a full correction for the resolution
effects of the apparatus. The cross term Rout-long of the standard fit in the
Longitudinally CoMoving System (LCMS) and the vl parameter of the generalised
Yano-Koonin fit are compatible with 0, suggesting that the source undergoes a
boost invariant expansion. The shapes of the correlation functions in Qinv and
Qspace have been analyzed in detail. They are not Gaussian but better
represented by exponentials. As a consequence, fitting Gaussians to these
correlation functions may produce different radii depending on the acceptance
of the experimental setup used for the measurement.Comment: 13 pages including 10 figure
Search for Disoriented Chiral Condensates in 158 AGeV Pb+Pb Collisions
The restoration of chiral symmetry and its subsequent breaking through a
phase transition has been predicted to create regions of Disoriented Chiral
Condensates (DCC). This phenomenon has been predicted to cause anomalous
fluctuations in the relative production of charged and neutral pions in
high-energy hadronic and nuclear collisions. The WA98 experiment has been used
to measure charged and photon multiplicities in the central region of 158 AGeV
Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. In a sample of 212646 events, no clear DCC
signal can be distinguished. Using a simple DCC model, we have set a 90% C.L.
upper limit on the maximum DCC production allowed by the data.Comment: 20 Pages, LaTeX, uses elsart.cls, 8 eps figures included, submitted
to Physics Letters
Pion Freeze-Out Time in Pb+Pb Collisions at 158 A GeV/c Studied via pi-/pi+ and K-/K+ Ratios
The effect of the final state Coulomb interaction on particles produced in
Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c has been investigated in the WA98 experiment
through the study of the pi-/pi+ and K-/K+ ratios measured as a function of
transverse mass. While the ratio for kaons shows no significant transverse mass
dependence, the pi-/pi+ ratio is enhanced at small transverse mass 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.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figure
Suppression of High-p_T Neutral Pion Production in Central Pb+Pb Collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.3 GeV Relative to p+C and p+Pb Collisions
Neutral pion transverse momentum spectra were measured in p+C and p+Pb
collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.4 GeV at mid-rapidity 2.3 < eta_lab < 3.0 over
the range 0.7< p_T < 3.5 GeV/c. The spectra are compared to pi0 spectra
measured in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.3 GeV in the same experiment.
For a wide range of Pb+Pb centralities (N_part < 300) the yield of pi0's with
p_T > 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 > 350 the pi0 yield is suppressed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
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