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We discuss some aspects of a new sub-detector for the ALICE experiment at the LHC. This detector would enhance the capabilities of ALICE to study several topics of diffractive as well as of photon induced physics. It consists of four stations of scintillator pads that would tag the diffractive gap more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffractive and photon induced physics is a research area with a remarkable discovery potential at the LHC. ALICE has started a program to exploit its unique capabilities to study the subject in both proton-proton and heavy ion collisions. We discuss some aspects of a new sub-detector for the ALICE experiment at the LHC. This detector would enhance the performance of ALICE to address some relevant topics on this matter. It consists of four stations of scintillator pads that would tag the diffractive gap more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ALICE is one of the four large experiments at the LHC. It focuses on the study of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions. Its main goal is to study in great detail the properties of matter under extreme energy densities. We discuss some aspects of the ALICE research program, the experiment future plans as well as some general items of the ALICE upgrade. The present detector allows to study diffractive physics and photon induced processes. A proposal to install detectors in the forward region is presented here. These detectors would allow to study processes with rapidity gaps larger than those presently covered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) is one of the four experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and it is dedicated to the study of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, with the goal of investigating the properties of the high-density state of QCD matter produced in such events. The first Pb-Pb collisions at a centre of mass energy of [formula] TeV per nucleon pair were delivered by LHC in November 2010. In Pb-Pb collisions heavy quarks are regarded as sensitive probes of the interaction dynamics between the parton and the medium produced in such collisions as they are produced on a very short time scale in the initial hard scattering processes and they follow all the evolution of the medium. At the energies available at the LHC charm is produced with large cross section and therefore it is possible to measure its production with good statistical precision. The study of open charm hadrons such as D+, D0, D*+, Ds and Λc in heavy ion collision is of particular interest because it can provide significant insight on the properties of the medium. Proton-proton collision data, that are being recorded at an energy of [formula] TeV since March 2010 provide an essential reference for these studies and allow to test perturbative QCD calculations in an unexplored energy domain. In this paper the analysis of D-meson production, carried out through a study of the hadronic decay channels in Pb-Pb collisions, will be presented in detail. The results for the reconstruction of D0, D+, D*+, and Ds hadrons at central rapidity will be shown along with the first results for the measurement of the D0 and D+ nuclear modification factor and prospects for azimuthal anisotropy studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the dedicated heavy-ion experiment at the LHC. In fall 2010, Pb-Pb collisions were recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV per nucleon pair, about 14 times higher than the energy achieved in A-A collisions at RHIC. The study of the produced hot and dense matter with an unprecedented energy density allows the characterization of the quark-gluon plasma, the deconfined state of quarks and gluons, predicted by QCD. The study of in-medium partonic energy loss allows insights into the density of the medium and the energy-loss mechanisms. This paper presents results based on inclusive spectra as well as two and more-particle correlations of charged particles. These are well suited to assess in-medium effects, ranging from the suppression of particles (RAA) and away-side jets (IAA) at high pT to longrange phenomena attributed to collective effects like the ridge at low pT. The analysis is discussed and the results are presented in the context of earlier RHIC measurements where appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]