https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-12140-3
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
HL-LHC layout for fixed-target experiments in ALICE based on crystal-assisted beam halo splitting
1
Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Physics, ul. Koszykowa 75, 00-662, Warsaw, Poland
2
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), 1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland
3
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, 91405, Orsay, France
4
INFN Sezione di Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, Via Cintia, 80126, Naples, Italy
5
Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
6
INFN Sezione di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
Received:
11
August
2023
Accepted:
13
October
2023
Published online:
18
November
2023
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator colliding beams of protons and lead ions at energies up to 7 Z TeV, where Z is the atomic number. ALICE is one of the experiments optimised for heavy-ion collisions. A fixed-target experiment in ALICE is being considered to collide a portion of the beam halo, split using a bent crystal inserted in the transverse hierarchy of the LHC collimation system, with an internal target placed a few metres upstream of the existing detector. This study is carried out as a part of the Physics Beyond Collider effort at CERN. Fixed-target collisions offer many physics opportunities related to hadronic matter and the quark-gluon plasma to extend the research potential of the CERN accelerator complex. Production of physics events depends on the particle flux on the target. The machine layout for the fixed-target experiment is developed to provide a flux of particles on the target high enough to exploit the full capabilities of the ALICE detector acquisition system. This paper summarises the fixed-target layout consisting of the crystal assembly, the target and the downstream absorbers. We discuss the conceptual integration of these elements within the LHC ring, the impact on ring losses, and expected performance in terms of particle flux on target.
© The Author(s) 2023
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Funded by SCOAP3. SCOAP3 supports the goals of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development.
