A silicon vertex tracker for PHENIX

Abstract

The PHENIX experiment will be upgraded with the Silicon Vertex Tracker (VTX). This new device will enhance the physics capabilities of PHENIX to explore the new hot and dense nuclear matter created in heavy ion collisions and proton spin structure in polarized proton-proton collisions. The vertex tracker will enable the direct measurement of heavy quark production by measuring the displaced vertex. We will build a four layer barrel detector, with two inner pixel sensors, two outer stripixel sensors, and mini-strip detectors at the end-cap region. This article will outline the physics capabilities of the new silicon tracker in the central region.