Abstract
The ATLAS detector was designed primarily for proton–proton collisions but it will also participate in the heavy ion program of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC will collide lead ions at the center of mass energy of sNN = 5.5 TeV (with sNN = 2.75 TeV expected in 2010) and thus it will provide crucial information about the hot and dense QCD matter expected to be formed in these collisions.
We will take advantage of unprecedented capabilities of the ATLAS detector to measure global observables such as collective flow and particle multiplicities as well as jet quenching and modification of the high pT particle spectra and heavyquarkonia suppression. Performance of the ATLAS detector to measure these phenomena is presented.