The ALICE TPC, a large 3-dimensional tracking device with fast readout for ultra-high multiplicity events

J. Alme...[et al.], Jens Jørgen Gaardhøje, Niels Christian Lindegaard, Børge Svane Nielsen, Carsten Søgaard, Gaël Renault

336 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The design, construction, and commissioning of the ALICE Time-Projection Chamber (TPC) is described. It is the main device for pattern recognition, tracking, and identification of charged particles in the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. The TPC is cylindrical in shape with a volume close to 90 m 3 and is operated in a 0.5 T solenoidal magnetic field parallel to its axis. In this paper we describe in detail the design considerations for this detector for operation in the extreme multiplicity environment of central PbPb collisions at LHC energy. The implementation of the resulting requirements into hardware (field cage, read-out chambers, electronics), infrastructure (gas and cooling system, laser-calibration system), and software led to many technical innovations which are described along with a presentation of all the major components of the detector, as currently realized. We also report on the performance achieved after completion of the first round of stand-alone calibration runs and demonstrate results close to those specified in the TPC Technical Design Report.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Volume622
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)316-367
Number of pages51
ISSN0168-9002
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2010

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