Heavy Ion Physics with CMS Detector

The CMS detector is well suited to study heavy ion physics. Hermetic calorimetry, a precise inner tracking and a background free muon system make possible to study a wide range of phenomena, including quark-gluon plasma (QGP) formation. Trigger and data acquisition systems are flexible enough to cope with a large range of rates and particle densities. In this paper we describe those features of the CMS detector which are important for heavy ion physics. We also discuss its physics potential with the emphasis on hard QGP probes, like jet quenching and resonance suppression.