The history of our group started early in the seventies of
the last century and was based on the analysis of hadron-nucleus
reactions by means of the xenon and propane bubble chambers in
cooperation with the Laboratory of High Energies at Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
in Dubna near Moscow. (The tracks of particles seen as a background of
this page were registered in Dubna in the propane bubble chamber
irradiated by the carbon nuclei accelerated to the momentum of
4.2GeV/c.)
Currently the group activity is related to three experiments
being in different stages of realization and concerning the heavy ion
collisions at three different energies:
E286 - "Nuclear Interferometry for Two Nucleon Systems". The measurements were performed at the GANIL Laboratory ("Grand Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds") in Caen (France) using the neutron detector DEMON.
The subject of experiment concerns two-particle correlations for the
pairs of nucleons and light ions. The studied reaction is: 40Ar + 58Ni
at 77 MeV/u. The aim of experiment was to study the space-time
development of nucleon and light ion emission in heavy ion collisions
at intermediate energies. We are now finishing the data analysis from
this experiment.
STAR - "Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC" - the experiment is currently performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory,
NY, USA. The physics subject of the experiment is the analysis of the
state of nuclear matter in the extreme conditions of densities and
temperatures and the search for quark-gluon plasma. The measurements
and data analysis are for Au-Au collisions at 200GeV/nucleon in the
center of mass system and for the other masses and energies of
colliding nuclei. The results are presented at international
conferences and published in physics journals. The members of our group
participate actively in different forms of STAR experiment activities
including shifts, service works, data analysis and result presentations.
ALICE - "A Large Ion Collider Experiment" - is in the stage of preparation at CERN
- the European Laboratory for Particle Physics near Geneve. The start
of data aquisition is scheduled for 2007. The aim of experiment is to
study the collisions of hadrons and nuclei at highest energies: 5500GeV
per nucleon in the center of mass system. Our group is currently
involved in the preparation of "Physics Performance Report" for the
questions of particle correlations. An important part of our activity
is the design, preparation and maintenance of Detector Construction
Data Base for ALICE (see below).
The subjects of our scientific activity include the analysis
of particle correlations in the region of small relative velocities
with the aim to study the space-time properties of particle emission
dynamics in heavy ion collisions. The effects of quantum statistics and
final state interactions, which determine the shape of correlation
functions in this kinematical region, are sensitive to the space-time
intervals as small as 10-15m and 10-23s. The
measurements of such small values are unachievable by the other methods
and devices. The second physics subject concerns the production of
strange particles and especially the hypothetical associations of
strange quarks, "strangelets".
Computer simulations are the inherent element of the
comparison of experimental data with the theoretical predictions. We
use the existing models like: QMD, UrQMD, NEXUS, HIJING,
etc. in the cooperation with their authors to understand the physics
phenomena responsible for the results we observe in the data. In order
to make some systematics we arrange the data bases with the generated
events and construct the "experimental filters" to make the comparison
realistic. Recently we have started close cooperation with some
theoretical groups to create the hybrid model taking into account the
quark and hadronic phases of heavy ion collisions.
Experimental techniques - is the second important domain of our activities and is mainly related to the creation and implementation of the Detector Construction DataBase (DCDB)
for ALICE experiment. The DCDB proposed by the Warsaw group was
accepted by the Technical Board of experiment as a common data-base for
ALICE and is currently implemented at all ALICE sub-detectors. The
members of our group are installing the local data-bases in different
laboratories dispersed in many countries. The second element of
experimental technique activities is the preparation of Data
Acquisition System for Silicon Strip Detector - a part of Inner
tracking System (ITS) of ALICE.
International cooperation is developed intensively with many
scientific centers from all over the world as a natural consequence of
our involvement in the large scale physics experiments that put
physicists and engineers from many countries together. Each year many
of us are going abroad to take part in existing cooperations and many
of our colleagues from other countries are coming to Warsaw. Almost
each year we are organizing international meetings in Poland to discuss
current questions that are subject of interest to us and to our
cooperators.
Ecole des Mines de Nantes
is a scientific and teaching center which has an official "cooperation
agreement" with Warsaw University of Technology. The cooperation
includes the exchange of students and common education projects with
different faculties. Our cooperation with the department SUBATECH of
EMN is especially intensive. Each year many of our students spend the
summer time in Nantes cooperating with the French colleagues.
You are cordially invited to visit the web page of Heavy Ion Reaction Group.
