LHC Heavy-Ion Program: a CMS Perspective

Abstract

The LHC will collide protons at √{s} = 14 TeV and lead ions at √{sNN} = 5.5 TeV. These energies are much higher than with the Fermilab Tevatron or RHIC. Huge experiments are being assembled at four interaction points along the 27 km LHC ring. Although it is a large step into the unknown, there have been extensive calculations predicting data rates for a wide variety of processes to be observed by these experiments. Here we consider primarily the results of lead collisions as will be observed by the CMS experiment.