V. I. Yurevich

Modification of the rho meson detected by low-mass electron-positron pairs in central Pb-Au collisions at 158A GeV/c

Abstract We present a measurement of e + e − pair production in central Pb Au collisions at 158 A GeV / c . As reported earlier, a significant excess of the e + e − pair yield over the expectation from hadron decays is observed. The improved mass resolution of the present data set, recorded with the upgraded CERES experiment at the CERN-SPS, allows for a comparison of the data with different theoretical approaches. The data clearly favor a substantial in-medium broadening of the ρ spectral function over a density-dependent shift of the ρ pole mass. The in-medium broadening model implies that baryon induced interactions are the key mechanism to the observed modifications of the ρ meson at SPS energy.

The STAR endcap electromagnetic calorimeter

The STAR endcap electromagnetic calorimeter will provide full azimuthal coverage for high-pT photons, electrons and electromagnetically decaying mesons over the pseudorapidity range 1.086⩽η⩽2.00. It includes a scintillating-strip shower-maximum detector to provide π0/γ discrimination and preshower and postshower layers to aid in distinguishing between electrons and charged hadrons. The triggering capabilities and coverage it offers are crucial for much of the spin physics program to be carried out in polarized proton–proton collisions.

Energy loss of pions and electrons of 1– in drift chambers operated with Xe,CO2(15%)

Abstract We present measurements of the energy loss of pions and electrons in drift chambers (DC) operated with a Xe,CO 2 (15%) mixture. The measurements are carried out for particle momenta from 1 to 6 GeV /c using prototype DC for the ALICE transition radiation detectors. Microscopic calculations are performed using input parameters calculated with GEANT3. These calculations reproduce well the measured average and most probable values for pions, but a higher Fermi plateau is required in order to reproduce our electron data. The widths of the measured distributions are smaller for data compared to the calculations. The electron/pion identification performance using the energy loss is also presented.

Pulse height measurements and electron attachment in drift chambers operated with Xe, CO2 mixtures

We present pulse height measurements in drift chambers operated with Xe,CO2 gas mixtures. We investigate the attachment of primary electrons on oxygen and SF6 contaminants in the detection gas. The measurements are compared with simulations of properties of drifting electrons. We present two methods to check the gas quality: gas chromatography and 55 Fe pulse height measurements using monitor detectors.

Position reconstruction in drift chambers operated with Xe, CO2 (15%)

Abstract We present measurements of position and angular resolution of drift chambers operated with a Xe, CO 2 (15%) mixture. The results are compared to Monte Carlo simulations and important systematic effects—in particular the dispersive nature of the absorption of transition radiation and non-linearities—are discussed. The measurements were carried out with prototype drift chambers of the ALICE Transition Radiation Detector, but our findings can be generalized to other drift chambers with similar geometry, where the electron drift is perpendicular to the wire planes.

Space charge in drift chambers operated with the Xe,CO2(15%) mixture

Using prototype modules of the ALICE Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) we investigate space-charge effects and the dependence of the pion rejection performance on the incident angle of the ionizing particle. The average pulse height distributions in the drift chambers operated with the Xe; CO2ð15%Þ mixture provide quantitative information on the gas gain reduction due to space charge accumulating during the drift of the primary ionization. Our results demonstrate that the pion rejection performance of a TRD is better for tracks which are not at normal incidence to the anode wires. We present detailed simulations of detector signals, which reproduce the measurements and lend strong support to our interpretation of the measurements in terms of space-charge effects. r 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 29.40.Cs

New results on Pb-Au collisions at 40 AGeV from the CERES/NA45 experiment

Low-mass dilepton spectra are expected to provide information on the early stage of the relativistic heavy-ion collisions which may experience an onset of deconfinement and/or chiral symmetry restoration. The CERES/NA45 measurements of e+e−-pair production in 158 AGeV Pb-Au collisions revealed a significant excess of the dielectron yield over known hadronic sources in the invariant mass region 0.25<mee<0.7 GeV/c2 [1]. The enhancement is mostly observed for pairs with low transverse momentum ptee<0.5 GeV/c and increases stronger than linearly with the event multiplicity. These experimental data have stimulated extensive theoretical discussions on the mechanisms of low-mass dilepton production and emission from hot and dense hadronic medium (for a review see [2]). The thermal radiation from the interaction phase of the hadronic fireball via annihilation processes, predominantly π+π−→ρ→e+e−, may account for a large fraction of the observed enhancement. The spectral shape in the mass region of the excess, how...In 1999 the CERES/NA45 ran at the CERN SPS with a beam energy of 40 GeV/nucleon. The data set comprises about 8.7 millions Pb-Au events with a trigger selection corresponding to approximately the most central 30% of the geometrical cross section. Results on low-mass electron pair analysis are presented. The upgrade of the experimental setup with the radial drift TPC has allowed to enhance hadron physics capabilities of the experiment. New results on hadron spectra (including Lambda) and flow are presented.