Event reconstruction
Encyclopedia
In a particle detector
experiment, event
reconstruction is the process of interpreting the electronic
signals produced by the detector to determine the original particle
s that passed through, their momenta, directions, and the primary vertex of the event. Thus the initial physical process (for instance, that occurred at the interaction point
of the particle accelerator
), whose study is the ultimate goal of the experiment, can be determined. The total event reconstruction is not always possible and necessary; in some cases, only a part of the data described above is obtained and processed.
Particle detector
In experimental and applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering, a particle detector, also known as a radiation detector, is a device used to detect, track, and/or identify high-energy particles, such as those produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation, or reactions in a...
experiment, event
Event (particle physics)
An event in particle physics describes one set of particle interactions occurring in a brief span of time, typically recorded together. At modern particle accelerators this refers to the interactions that occur as a result of one beam crossing inside a detector....
reconstruction is the process of interpreting the electronic
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
signals produced by the detector to determine the original particle
Elementary particle
In particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a particle not known to have substructure; that is, it is not known to be made up of smaller particles. If an elementary particle truly has no substructure, then it is one of the basic building blocks of the universe from which...
s that passed through, their momenta, directions, and the primary vertex of the event. Thus the initial physical process (for instance, that occurred at the interaction point
Interaction point
In particle physics, an interaction point is the place where particles collide. One differentiates between the nominal IP, which is the design position of the IP, and the real or physics IP, which is the position where the particles actually collide...
of the particle accelerator
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
), whose study is the ultimate goal of the experiment, can be determined. The total event reconstruction is not always possible and necessary; in some cases, only a part of the data described above is obtained and processed.