Heavy Ion Physics with the ATLAS Detector

The heavy-ion program at the Large Hadron Collider has been commenced in November 2010 by three experiments including ATLAS, a multipurpose detector originally constructed to study high-energy proton-proton collisions, which now also proved to be an excellent tool for studying nuclear interactions. In these proceedings results from the lead-lead run at $sqrt{s_{NN}}$=2.76 TeV based on the minimum-bias data sample are reviewed. In particular an observation of the centrality-dependent di-jet asymmetry is reported. Also a centrality-dependent suppression in the yield of $J/psi$ mesons decaying to $mu^+mu^-$ pairs is discussed along with an observation of the Z boson production. These evidences may bring new insight to the primordial universe where a hot, dense medium of quarks and gluons may have prevailed.