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Introduction to High-Energy Heavy-Ion Physics
We have tried to put together a page containing links to sites with information on High-Energy Heavy-Ion Physics, which may be of more general interest - not just for specialists!


To start with, we have compiled a set of pages giving an introduction to the subject. Here you can learn about e.g the Quark-Gluon Plasma, accelerators and event generators. You can also get acquainted with our present and future experiments.

If your browser supports QuickTime movies, you may enjoy watching an artistic view of a high energy heavy ion collision as seen by the central part of the PHENIX detector. The film shows two gold nuclei approaching each other at almost light velocity and the subsequent collision.

To track all the particles coming out of the reaction zone of a high energy heavy ion collision is a difficult and challenging task. The function of the gas detectors we are using for tracking is visualised in an artistic JAVA animation. It shows a minimum ionizing particle (MIP) entering a Multi Step Avalanche Chamber (MSAC). In the ionization gap the particle ionizes the surrounding gas, releasing a few electrons which drift towards the first and second amplification gap where it creates an avalanche in the high electric field between the plates. Finally the electrons are collected on a pad plane.

Besides WA98, one of the experiments we are involved in, there are several other experiments studying high energy heavy ion physics at the CERN SPS. One of them is the NA49 experiment, where the main detector is a large Time Proportional Chamber (TPC). With such a detector a large number of space points for each emitted particle are recorded and is therefore well suited for visual imaging. A picture sample is available on the web.

TPC's will also be used at the RHIC collider and GEANT simulations have already been performed by the STAR Collaboration. The results from such a simulation shows that it is a rather difficult task to distinguish the individual tracks. Observe that since this TPC is located inside a strong magnetic field, the tracks from the charged particles will curve.

Many of the high energy physics experiments have their own homepage. A list are available at SLAC. Some of these pages contain information of general interest.

Whenever articles from our field appear on the web, we will try to collect them here. For the time being, we have two articles in swedish called Big Bang i laboratoriet and Klart för världens största maskin! from LUM (Lunds Universitet Meddelar), and three in english called The Boiling Point of Quarks from Physical Review Focus, "Quantum Leaps" from newsday.com, and "Ions in the fire" from TheGuardian.

The field of high energy heavy ion physics is intimately connected to particle physics. There is a lot of information on particle physics on the web and a rather nice introduction to this field is found at The Particle Adventure Home Page.


A lot of information on physics in general can be found on the WWW. TIPTOP helps you to find what you are looking for.


Finally, clicking on the logos below takes you to a suitable starting site for your personal research on the web.

By Pål Nilsson and David Silvermyr.
Special thanks to Erik Johansson from Ängelholms gymnasieskola who helped us with some of the links.


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