Near-side jet peak broadening in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76 TeV

Two-particle angular correlation measurements are sensitive probes of the interactions of particles with the medium formed in heavy-ion collisions. Such measurements are done by determining the distribution of the relative pseudorapidity ($\Delta\eta$) and azimuthal angle ($\Delta\varphi$) of particles with respect to a higher $p_T$ trigger particle ($1 < p_{T,trig} < 8$ GeV/c). The near-side peak is fitted with a function, which includes both the near-side jet peak and also accounts for the $\Delta\eta$-independent long-range correlations. The centrality evolution of the width (variance) of the fitted distribution is investigated. In Pb-Pb collisions a significant broadening of the near-side peak in the $\Delta\eta$ direction is observed from peripheral to central collisions, while in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction the peak is almost independent of centrality. For the 10% most central events, a departure from the Gaussian shape is also observed at low transverse momentum ($1 < p_{T,assoc} < 2$ GeV/c, $1 < p_{T,trig} < 3$ GeV/c). In this contribution the results obtained by the ALICE experiment in Pb-Pb and pp collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76$ TeV are shown, and they are interpreted in terms of radial and elliptic flow by comparing them to AMPT model simulations.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Hard and Electromagnetic Probes of High-energy Nuclear Collisions, 23-27 September 2016, Wuhan, Chin

Upgrade of the Inner Tracking System of ALICE

The upgrade of the Inner Tracking System (ITS) of ALICE is planned for the second long shutdown of the LHC in 2019-2020. The ALICE physics program after the shutdown requires the ITS to have improved tracking capabilities and improved impact parameter resolution at very low transverse momentum, as well as a substantial increase in the readout rate. To fulfill these requirements the current ITS will be replaced by seven layers of Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors. The new detector will be moved as close as 23 mm to the interaction point and will have a significantly reduced material budget. Several prototypes of the sensor have been developed to test different aspects of the sensor design including prototypes with analog and digital readout, as well as small and final-size sensors. These prototypes have been thoroughly characterized both in laboratory tests and at test beam facilities including studies on the radiation hardness of the sensors. This contribution gives an overview of the current status of the research and development with a focus on the pixel sensors and the characterization of the latest prototypes.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, proceedings of VERTEX 2015, 1-5 June 2015, Santa Fe, New Mexico, US

Anomalous evolution of the near-side jet peak shape in Pb-Pb collisions with ALICE

Two-particle angular correlations are sensitive probes to study the interaction of jets with the flowing medium produced in heavy-ion collisions. These interactions may appear as modifications of the near-side jet peak compared to pp collisions. In these measurements, the associated per-trigger yield is calculated from the relative azimuthal angle and pseudorapidity between a trigger particle with higher $p_{\rm T}$ (1 GeV/c $< p_{\rm T} < 8$ GeV/c) and an associated particle. Subsequently, the near-side peak width and shape are extracted as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ and centrality. Results obtained by the ALICE detector from Pb-Pb and pp collisions are presented. In Pb-Pb collisions, a significant broadening of the peak in central events at low $p_{\rm T}$ is observed in the data, and is more pronounced in the $\Delta\eta$ direction than in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction. A novel feature is also observed at low $p_{\rm T}$ in central events: the peak departs from the Gaussian shape, and a depletion around its center appears. To put the broadening and the depletion in context with the strength of longitudinal, radial and elliptic flow, the results are compared to AMPT simulations, which suggest that radial and longitudinal flow play a significant role in the appearance of the observed features.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to the proceedings of Rencontres de Moriond QCD and High Energy Interactions 201

Image quality of list-mode proton imaging without front trackers

List mode proton imaging relies on accurate reconstruction of the proton most likely path (MLP) through the patient. This typically requires two sets of position sensitive detector systems, one upstream (front) and one downstream (rear) of the patient. However, for a clinical implementation it can be preferable to omit the front trackers (single-sided proton imaging). For such a system, the MLP can be computed from information available through the beam delivery system and the remaining rear tracker set. In this work, we use Monte Carlo simulations to compare a conventional double-sided (using both front and rear detector systems) with a single-sided system (only rear detector system) by evaluating the spatial resolution of proton radiographs (pRad) and proton CT images (pCT) acquired with these set-ups. Both the pencil beam spot size, as well as the spacing between spots was also adjusted to identify the impact of these beam parameters on the image quality. Relying only on the pencil beam central position for computing the MLP resulted in severe image artifacts both in pRad and pCT. Using the recently extended-MLP formalism that incorporate pencil beam uncertainty removed these image artifacts. However, using a more focused pencil beam with this algorithm induced image artifacts when the spot spacing was the same as the beam spot size. The spatial resolution tested with a sharp edge gradient technique was reduced by 40% for single-sided (MTF10% = 3.0 lp/cm) compared to double-sided (MTF10% = 4.9 lp/cm) pRad with ideal tracking detectors. Using realistic trackers the difference decreased to 30%, with MTF10% of 4.0 lp/cm for the realistic double-sided and 2.7 lp/cm for the realistic single-sided setup. When studying an anthropomorphic paediatric head phantom both single- and double-sided set-ups performed similarly where the difference in water equivalent thickness (WET) between the two set-ups were less than 0.01 mm in homogeneous areas of the head. Larger discrepancies between the two set-ups were visible in high density gradients like the facial structures. A complete CT reconstruction of a Catphan$^{\circledR}$ module was performed. Assuming ideal detectors, the obtained spatial resolution was 5.1 lp/cm for double-sided and 3.8 lp/cm for the single-sided setup. Double- and single-sided pRad with realistic tracker properties returned a spatial resolution of 3.8 lp/cm and 3.2 lp/cm, respectively. Future studies should investigate the development of dedicated reconstruction algorithms targeted for single-sided particle imaging.publishedVersio

Uncertainty-aware spot rejection rate as quality metric for proton therapy using a digital tracking calorimeter

Objective. Proton therapy is highly sensitive to range uncertainties due to the nature of the dose deposition of charged particles. To ensure treatment quality, range verification methods can be used to verify that the individual spots in a pencil beam scanning treatment fraction match the treatment plan. This study introduces a novel metric for proton therapy quality control based on uncertainties in range verification of individual spots. Approach. We employ uncertainty-aware deep neural networks to predict the Bragg peak depth in an anthropomorphic phantom based on secondary charged particle detection in a silicon pixel telescope designed for proton computed tomography. The subsequently predicted Bragg peak positions, along with their uncertainties, are compared to the treatment plan, rejecting spots which are predicted to be outside the 95% confidence interval. The such-produced spot rejection rate presents a metric for the quality of the treatment fraction. Main results. The introduced spot rejection rate metric is shown to be well-defined for range predictors with well-calibrated uncertainties. Using this method, treatment errors in the form of lateral shifts can be detected down to 1 mm after around 1400 treated spots with spot intensities of 1 × 107 protons. The range verification model used in this metric predicts the Bragg peak depth to a mean absolute error of 1.107 ± 0.015 mm. Significance. Uncertainty-aware machine learning has potential applications in proton therapy quality control. This work presents the foundation for future developments in this area.publishedVersio

Uncertainty-aware spot rejection rate as quality metric for proton therapy using a digital tracking calorimeter

Objective. Proton therapy is highly sensitive to range uncertainties due to the nature of the dose deposition of charged particles. To ensure treatment quality, range verification methods can be used to verify that the individual spots in a pencil beam scanning treatment fraction match the treatment plan. This study introduces a novel metric for proton therapy quality control based on uncertainties in range verification of individual spots. Approach. We employ uncertainty-aware deep neural networks to predict the Bragg peak depth in an anthropomorphic phantom based on secondary charged particle detection in a silicon pixel telescope designed for proton computed tomography. The subsequently predicted Bragg peak positions, along with their uncertainties, are compared to the treatment plan, rejecting spots which are predicted to be outside the 95% confidence interval. The such-produced spot rejection rate presents a metric for the quality of the treatment fraction. Main results. The introduced spot rejection rate metric is shown to be well-defined for range predictors with well-calibrated uncertainties. Using this method, treatment errors in the form of lateral shifts can be detected down to 1 mm after around 1400 treated spots with spot intensities of 1 × 107 protons. The range verification model used in this metric predicts the Bragg peak depth to a mean absolute error of 1.107 ± 0.015 mm. Significance. Uncertainty-aware machine learning has potential applications in proton therapy quality control. This work presents the foundation for future developments in this area

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe