ALICE is the heavy-ion experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The experiment continuously took data during the first physics campaign of the machine from fall 2009 until early 2013, using proton and lead-ion beams. In this paper we describe the running environment and the data handling procedures, and discuss the performance of the ALICE detectors and analysis methods for various physics observables.

T0-the fast timing and trigger detector for the ALICE experiment at CERN LHC-is described. Performance of the T0 prototype measured with a mixture of 6 GeV/c negative pions and kaons is given. The best time resolution (28 ps r.m.s.) was reached with a radiator diameter matching that of the photocathode. The results for all the tested radiator sizes are considerably better than 50 ps-the minimum requirement for the ALICE experiment.

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We study experimentally how plasma actuators operating on the basis of surface barrier high fre quency discharge affect jet noise characteristics. The results of investigations of air jets (100-200 m/s) have demonstrated that the studied plasma actuators have control authority over the noise characteristics of these jets. An actuator's effect on the jet in the applied configuration is related to acoustic discharge excitation and to a large extent is similar to the well known Vlasov-Ginevsky effect. It has been shown that jet excitation in the case of St ~ 0.5 using the barrier discharge plasma actuator leads to broadband amplification of jet sound radiation. The jet excitation in the case of St > 2 leads to broadband noise reduction if the action is sufficiently intensive.