Charged particle identification in the ALICE experiment

A key feature of the ALICE experiment will be the capability to identify the charged particles in the full range of momentum thus allowing to investigate the properties of the quark-gluon plasma during its dynamical evolution toward the freeze-out phase when the re-hadronization occurs. Low momentum hadron identification will be achieved via measurements of energy loss in the silicon layers of the inner tracking system and in the gas of the largest volume TPC ever built so far. At higher momenta, identification will be performed by employing the TOF barrel based on multigap resistive plate chambers with an intrinsic time resolution of about 60 ps and an array of RICH detectors equipped with large area CsI photocathodes. Transition radiation detectors consisting of xenon-filled time expansion chambers with a radiator stack of carbon fibers will identify electrons with momentum above 1 GeV/c, near mid-rapidity, to study the suppression of quarkonia decaying in electron pairs and the production of heavy quarks (charm, beauty) in their semileptonic decays. Characteristics and expected performance of each particle identification system will be reviewed.