Upgrade of the ALICE central barrel tracking detectors: ITS and TPC

TL;DR

The ALICE detector upgrade enhances tracking precision and readout capabilities for heavy-ion collisions by replacing key components with advanced silicon pixel detectors and Gas Electron Multiplier chambers, enabling continuous operation at high collision rates.

Contribution

Introduction of a new silicon pixel tracker and upgraded TPC readout chambers, significantly improving ALICE's performance for future high-luminosity runs.

Findings

Achieved improved tracking efficiency and precision.

Enabled continuous, triggerless data acquisition at 50 kHz.

Reduced material budget for inner detector layers.

Abstract

The ALICE Collaboration will undertake a major upgrade of the detector apparatus during the second LHC Long Shutdown LS2 (2019-2020) in view of the Runs 3 and 4 (2021-2029). The objective of the upgrade is two-fold: i) an improvement of the tracking precision and efficiency, in particular in the low-momentum range; ii) an improvement of the readout capabilities of the experiment, in order to fully exploit the luminosity for heavy ions envisaged after LS2. The first goal will be achieved by replacing the Inner Tracking System with a new tracker, composed of seven layers of silicon pixel detectors. The new tracker will be made up of about 25000 Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors with fast readout, resulting in a material thickness reduced to 0.3% (inner layers) - 1% (outer layers) of the radiation length and a granularity of $28\times28$ $\mu$m$^2$. The second goal will be achieved, among other measures, by replacing the readout chambers of the 90 m$^3$ Time Projection Chamber with Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors. In particular, the new readout chambers will consist of stacks of 4 Gas Electron Multiplier foils combining different hole pitches. The upgraded detector will operate continuously without the use of a triggered gating grid. It will thus be able to record all Pb--Pb collisions at the LHC interaction rate of 50 kHz.