ALICE Detector experiment

The ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) Collaboration is building a dedicated heavy-ion detector to exploit the unique physics potential of nucleus-nucleus interactions at LHC energies.

The ALICE solenoid magnet

Our aim is to study the physics of strongly interacting matter at extreme energy densities, where the formation of a new phase of matter, the quark-gluon plasma, is expected.

The existence of such a phase and its properties are key issues in QCD (Quantum Chromodynamics) for the understanding of confinement and of chiral-symmetry restoration. For this purpose, we intend to carry out a comprehensive study of the hadrons, electrons, muons and photons produced in the collision of heavy nuclei. Alice will also study proton-proton collisions both as a comparison with lead-lead collisions and in physics areas where Alice is competitive with other LHC experiments

For further information go to the ALICE website (link opens in a new window).