Speaker
Description
ALICE 3 is pursued as the next-generation heavy-ion detector aiming to fully exploit the LHC with different collision systems in Run 5. A key component of the detector is the Vertex Detector, designed to provide a pointing resolution of 10 μm at $p_T$ = 200 MeV/c. It will be surrounded by tracking layers and disks to cover a pseudorapidity range of $|\eta| \leq$ 2.5. It will exploit CMOS silicon pixel sensors produced. The three innermost layers of the Vertex Detector will be installed in a secondary vacuum within the beam pipe, with a material budget as low as 0.1% $X_0$ per layer and sensors having a spatial resolution of 2.5 μm. Its retractable design allows the innermost layer to be placed 0.5 cm from the interaction point, posing critical challenges in terms of particle hit rates, bandwidth, and radiation load. The tracking layers target a spatial resolution of 10 μm and their design focuses on the large-area coverage based on a modular and scalable production, while targeting a material budget of 1% $X_0$ per layer to achieve the required momentum resolution. This presentation discusses the design considerations for the ALICE 3 Inner Tracker, reviews the performance studies and presents the R&D activities.