CASTOR detector: model, objectives and simulated performance

We present a phenomenological model describing the formation and evolution of a Centauro fireball in the baryon-rich region in nucleus-nucleus interactions in the upper atmosphere and at the LHC. The small particle multiplicity and imbalance of electromagnetic and hadronic content characterizing a Centauro event and also the strongly penetrating particles (assumed to be strangelets) frequently accompanying them can be naturally explained. We describe the CASTOR calorimeter, a subdetector of the ALICE experiment dedicated to the search for Centauro in the very forward, baryon-rich region of central Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC. The basic characteristics and simulated performance of the calorimeter are presented

Performance of a fine-sampling electromagnetic calorimeter prototype in the energy range from 1 to 19 GeV

The fine-sampling electromagnetic calorimeter prototype has been experimentally tested using the 1-19 GeV/c tagged beams of negatively charged particles at the U70 accelerator at IHEP, Protvino. The energy resolution measured by electrons is Delta{E}/E=2.8%/\sqrt{E} + 1.3%. The position resolution for electrons is Delta{x}=3.1 + 15.4/sqrt{E} mm in the center of the cell. The lateral non-uniformity of the prototype energy response to electrons and MIPs has turned out to be negligible. Obtained experimental results are in a good agreement with Monte-Carlo simulations.Comment: Article is prepared for pdflatex using the class elsart. 13 pages, 9 figures in 11 PDF file

A high resolution electromagnetic calorimeter based on lead-tungstate crystals

A large-scale prototype of the PHOS electromagnetic spectrometer, which is part of the ALICE detector, has been built and tested. This prototype has 256 detector channels and is operated at −25 °C. Each detector channel is a lead-tungstate crystal coupled to an Avalanche Photo-Diode with a low-noise preamplifier. The prototype includes a 16×16 crystal matrix, photo-detectors, analog and digital electronics, a thermo-stabilized cooling system, a light-emitting diode monitoring system, and a charged-particle detector acting as veto counter. Results of measurements using electron and hadron beams of the CERN PS and SPS accelerators are discussed, and the performance of the prototype is evaluated