Tsiledakis, Georgios Karolos (2006)
Scale Dependence of Mean Transverse Momentum Fluctuations at Top SPS Energy measured by the CERES experiment and studies of gas properties for the ALICE experiment.
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Dissertation, Erstveröffentlichung
Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract)
The principal aim of the study of ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions is the search for evidence of a transient state of deconfined quarks and gluons in the early, dense and hot stage of the reaction. Non-statistical event-by-event fluctuations of mean transverse momentum,p_T, have been proposed as a possible signature for the QCD phase transition, in particular for the critical point. However, the magnitude of the measured fluctuations is not as large as anticipated. Since fluctuations were characterized so far by one single (integral) number, it was difficult to estimate the many possible contributions to them. Taking into account the high available statistics offered by the CERES experiment combined with the full azimuthal acceptance, a differential study of mean p_T fluctuations is performed, which provides the sensitivity to discriminate among various correlation sources. For the first time at SPS energy, the charge-dependent mean p_T fluctuations have been analyzed as a function of the angular pair separation, Delta(phi), and of the separation in pseudorapidity, Delta(eta). Thus, we are able to show that the overall fluctuations are dominated by the short range correlation peak at small opening angles (`near-side'), most probably originating from Bose-Einstein and Coulomb effects between pairs of particles emitted with similar velocities. Another important contribution is a broad maximum at Delta(phi) = 180 degrees (`away-side') originating from back-to-back (jet-like) correlations. Since the fluctuations related to the critical point should be present for all opening angles the best strategy is to focus on the fluctuations in the region of 30 < Delta(phi) <60 degrees, free of the influence of the two mentioned components, and where the elliptic flow cancels out. Concerning the observed away-side peak, we demonstrate that it comes from high-p_T correlations that cannot be attributed to the elliptic flow. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to studies of gas properties for the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. Drift velocity and gain measurements have been performed for a number of gas mixtures in order to assess the effect of nitrogen which is expected to accumulate in the gas volume over long periods of running. The ALICE Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) is designed to work with a gas of 85 % Xe and 15 % CO2. Some of the nine isotopes of Xe have very high neutron capture cross-section leading to multi-gamma deexcitation cascades which produce background for the physical signals. An exhaustive study of this issue based on Monte Carlo simulations is presented, demonstrating that the level of this background is low enough not to cause deterioration in the performance of the detector. In addition, the resulting radioactivity and dose rate of the active gas system of ALICE TRD activated by slow neutrons is investigated and appear to be low and safe.
Typ des Eintrags: |
Dissertation
|
Erschienen: |
2006 |
Autor(en): |
Tsiledakis, Georgios Karolos |
Art des Eintrags: |
Erstveröffentlichung |
Titel: |
Scale Dependence of Mean Transverse Momentum Fluctuations at Top SPS Energy measured by the CERES experiment and studies of gas properties for the ALICE experiment |
Sprache: |
Englisch |
Referenten: |
Hoffmann, Prof. Dr. Dieter |
Berater: |
Braun-Munzinger, Prof. Dr. Peter |
Publikationsjahr: |
8 Mai 2006 |
Ort: |
Darmstadt |
Verlag: |
Technische Universität |
Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: |
8 Februar 2006 |
URL / URN: |
urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-6901 |
Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract): |
The principal aim of the study of ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions is the search for evidence of a transient state of deconfined quarks and gluons in the early, dense and hot stage of the reaction. Non-statistical event-by-event fluctuations of mean transverse momentum,p_T, have been proposed as a possible signature for the QCD phase transition, in particular for the critical point. However, the magnitude of the measured fluctuations is not as large as anticipated. Since fluctuations were characterized so far by one single (integral) number, it was difficult to estimate the many possible contributions to them. Taking into account the high available statistics offered by the CERES experiment combined with the full azimuthal acceptance, a differential study of mean p_T fluctuations is performed, which provides the sensitivity to discriminate among various correlation sources. For the first time at SPS energy, the charge-dependent mean p_T fluctuations have been analyzed as a function of the angular pair separation, Delta(phi), and of the separation in pseudorapidity, Delta(eta). Thus, we are able to show that the overall fluctuations are dominated by the short range correlation peak at small opening angles (`near-side'), most probably originating from Bose-Einstein and Coulomb effects between pairs of particles emitted with similar velocities. Another important contribution is a broad maximum at Delta(phi) = 180 degrees (`away-side') originating from back-to-back (jet-like) correlations. Since the fluctuations related to the critical point should be present for all opening angles the best strategy is to focus on the fluctuations in the region of 30 < Delta(phi) <60 degrees, free of the influence of the two mentioned components, and where the elliptic flow cancels out. Concerning the observed away-side peak, we demonstrate that it comes from high-p_T correlations that cannot be attributed to the elliptic flow. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to studies of gas properties for the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. Drift velocity and gain measurements have been performed for a number of gas mixtures in order to assess the effect of nitrogen which is expected to accumulate in the gas volume over long periods of running. The ALICE Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) is designed to work with a gas of 85 % Xe and 15 % CO2. Some of the nine isotopes of Xe have very high neutron capture cross-section leading to multi-gamma deexcitation cascades which produce background for the physical signals. An exhaustive study of this issue based on Monte Carlo simulations is presented, demonstrating that the level of this background is low enough not to cause deterioration in the performance of the detector. In addition, the resulting radioactivity and dose rate of the active gas system of ALICE TRD activated by slow neutrons is investigated and appear to be low and safe. |
Alternatives oder übersetztes Abstract: |
Alternatives Abstract | Sprache |
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F\"ur stark wechselwirkende Materie wird bei hoher Temperatur und/oder Dichte die Existenz einer Phase erwartet, in welcher der Einschluss von Quarks und Gluonen in Hadronen (Confinement) aufgehoben ist. Erzeugung und Nachweis dieses Materiezustands soll durch das Studium von Kollisionen schwerer Ionen erbracht werden. Als m\"ogliche Signatur f\"ur den Phasen\"ubergang, insbesondere f\"ur einen m\"oglichen kritischen Punkt, wurden nicht-statistische event-by-event Fluktuationen des mittleren Transversalimpulses p_T diskutiert. Die St\"arke des beobachteten Signals ist allerdings geringer als erwartet. Bisher wurden Fluktuationen nur durch gemittelte Gr\"ossen charakterisiert, so dass eine systematische Untersuchung unterschiedlicher Beitr\"age nur schwer durchf\"uhrbar war. In dieser Arbeit werden Fluktuationen des mittleren Transversalimpulses anhand von Daten des CERES Experiments untersucht. Die volle azimuthale Akzeptanz des Experiments sowie die hohe Anzahl an erfassten Kollisionsereignissen erlaubt es, im Rahmen einer differentiellen Analyse verschiedene Beitr\"age zu den gemessenen Korrelationen zu identifizieren. Wir pr\"asentieren, zum ersten Mal f\"ur SPS Energien, eine Studie der Transversalimpulsflukutationen in Abh\"angigkeit vom \"Offnungswinkel Delta(phi), der Separation in Pseudorapidit\"at Delta(eta) und der Ladung der korrelierten Paare. Wie sich herausstellt sind die gemessenen Fluktuationen durch kurzreichweitige Korrelationen bei kleinem \"Offnungswinkel dominiert, in denen sich \"ochstwahrscheinlich Bose-Einstein Korrelationen und Coulomb-Wechselwirkung zwischen Teilchenpaaren \"ahnlicher Geschwindigkeit manifestieren. Weiterhin finden wir ein breites Maximum f\"ur Delta(phi)=180 deg., deren Ursprung in 'back-to-back' (jetartigen) Korrelationen liegt. Da Fluktuationen in Zusammenhang mit dem Phasen\"ubergang f\"ur beliebige \"Offnungswinkel erwartet werden, schlagen wir als Signatur f\"ur den kritischen Punkt Transversalimpulsfluktuationen im Winkelbereich 30<60 deg. vor, da f\"ur diese \"Offnungswinkel die diskutierten Komponenten nicht beitragen, ebensowenig wie Korrelationen durch kollektive Effekte im Feuerball (elliptischer Fluss). Weiterhin wird demonstriert, dass die Korrelation f\"ur Delta(phi)=180 deg. bei hohem Transversalimpuls nicht auf elliptischen Fluss zur\"uckzuf\"uhren ist. Der zweite Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit widmet sich der Untersuchung von Eigenschaften von Gasen, die im ALICE Detektor am CERN LHC eingesetzt werden sollen. F\"ur eine Reihe von Gasmischungen wurden Messungen der Ladungsverst\"arkung und Driftgeschwindigkeiten von Elektronen durchgef\"uhrt, um den Einfluss der Anreicherung von Stickstoff \"uber l\"angere Strahlzeitperioden zu untersuchen. Der ALICE Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) operiert mit einem Gasgemisch aus Xe(85 %) und CO2(15 %). Einige der insgesamt neun stabilen Xenon-Isotope haben hohe Wirkungsquerschnitte f\"ur Neutroneneinfang, der zu Gamma-Kaskaden beim \"Ubergang der angeregten Tochterkerne in den Grundzustand f\"uhrt. Solche Gammastrahlung stellt st\"orenden Untergrund f\"ur den Detektor dar. Mittels umfangreicher Monte-Carlo Simulationen k\"onnen wir demonstrieren, dass der Beitrag durch solchen Untergrund gering ist und die Funktion des Detektors nicht beeintr\"achtigt ist. Dar\"uberhinaus wird die Dosisrate durch langsame Neutronen innerhalb des ALICE TRD Gassystems bestimmt und gezeigt, dass diese als gering und ungef\"ahrlich einzustufen ist. | Deutsch |
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Freie Schlagworte: |
Ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions, Phase transitions, Event-by-Event fluctuations, Quark Gluon Plasma, Drift velocity, Gain, FLUKA |
Fachbereich(e)/-gebiet(e): |
05 Fachbereich Physik |
Hinterlegungsdatum: |
17 Okt 2008 09:22 |
Letzte Änderung: |
26 Aug 2018 21:25 |
PPN: |
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Referenten: |
Hoffmann, Prof. Dr. Dieter |
Datum der mündlichen Prüfung / Verteidigung / mdl. Prüfung: |
8 Februar 2006 |
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