Performance of Calorimetry in ALICE

Abstract

The ALICE experiment at LHC studies the strong interaction sector of the Standard Model with pp, pA and AA collisions. Within the scope of the physics program, measurements of photons, neutral mesons and jets in ALICE are performed by two electromagnetic calorimeters. Precise and high-granularity photon spectrometer (PHOS) composed of lead-tungstate crystals, along with a wide-aperture lead-scintillator sampling calorimeter (EMCal) provide complementary measurements of photon observables in a wide kinematic range. The calorimeter trigger system allows the experiment to utilize efficiently the full delivered luminosity, recording a data sample enhanced with high-energy photons and jets. Performance of the ALICE calorimeters from proton-proton to heavy-ion collision systems is discussed and illustrated by physics results derived from data collected by ALICE with its electromagnetic calorimeter system.