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The polarization of inclusive J/ψ and ϒ(1S) produced in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV at the LHC is measured with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out by reconstructing the quarkonium through its decay to muon pairs in the rapidity region 2.5 < y < 4 and measuring the polar and azimuthal angular distributions of the muons. The polarization parameters λθ , λφ and λθφ are measured in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames, in the transverse momentum interval 2 < pT < 10 GeV/c and pT < 15 GeV/c for the J/ψ and ϒ(1S), respectively. The polarization parameters for the J/ψ are found to be compatible with zero, within a maximum of about two standard deviations at low pT, for both reference frames and over the whole pT range. The values are compared with the corresponding results obtained for pp collisions at √s = 7 and 8 TeV in a similar kinematic region by the ALICE and LHCb experiments. Although with much larger uncertainties, the polarization parameters for ϒ(1S) production in Pb–Pb collisions are also consistent with zero.
An improved value for the lifetime of the (anti-)hypertriton has been obtained using the data sample of Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV collected by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The (anti-)hypertriton has been reconstructed via its charged two-body mesonic decay channel and the lifetime has been determined from an exponential fit to the dN/d(ct) spectrum. The measured value, τ = 242+34 −38 (stat.) ± 17 (syst.) ps, is compatible with representative theoretical predictions, thus contributing to the solution of the longstanding hypertriton lifetime puzzle.
Multiplicity dependence of inclusive J/ψ production at midrapidity in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV
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Measurements of the inclusive J/ψ yield as a function of charged-particle pseudorapidity density dNch/dη in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with ALICE at the LHC are reported. The J/ψ meson yield is measured at midrapidity (|y| < 0.9) in the dielectron channel, for events selected based on the charged-particle multiplicity at midrapidity (|η| < 1) and at forward rapidity (−3.7 < η < −1.7 and 2.8 < η < 5.1); both observables are normalized to their corresponding averages in minimum bias events. The increase of the normalized J/ψ yield with normalized dNch/dη is significantly stronger than linear and dependent on the transverse momentum. The data are compared to theoretical predictions, which describe the observed trends well, albeit not always quantitatively.
ϒ production in p–Pb interactions is studied at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision √sNN = 8.16 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The measurement is performed reconstructing bottomonium resonances via their dimuon decay channel, in the centre-of-mass rapidity intervals 2.03 < ycms < 3.53 and −4.46 < ycms < −2.96, down to zero transverse momentum. In this work, results on the ϒ(1S) production cross section as a function of rapidity and transverse momentum are presented. The corresponding nuclear modification factor shows a suppression of the ϒ(1S) yields with respect to pp collisions, both at forward and backward rapidity. This suppression is stronger in the low transverse momentum region and shows no significant dependence on the centrality of the interactions. Furthermore, the ϒ(2S) nuclear modification factor is evaluated, suggesting a suppression similar to that of the ϒ(1S). A first measurement of the ϒ(3S) has also been performed. Finally, results are compared with previous ALICE measurements in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV and with theoretical calculations.
Experimental results are presented on event-by-event net-proton fluctuation measurements in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV, recorded by the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. These measurements have as their ultimate goal an experimental test of Lattice QCD (LQCD) predictions on second and higher order cumulants of net-baryon distributions to search for critical behavior near the QCD phase boundary. Before confronting them with LQCD predictions, account has to be taken of correlations stemming from baryon number conservation as well as fluctuations of participating nucleons. Both effects influence the experimental measurements and are usually not considered in theoretical calculations. For the first time, it is shown that event-by-event baryon number conservation leads to subtle long-range correlations arising from very early interactions in the collisions.
The striking similarities that have been observed between high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions and heavy-ion collisions can be explored through multiplicity-differential measurements of identified hadrons in pp collisions. With these measurements, it is possible to study mechanisms such as collective flow that determine the shapes of hadron transverse momentum (pT) spectra, to search for possible modifications of the yields of short-lived hadronic resonances due to scattering effects in an extended hadron-gas phase, and to investigate different explanations provided by phenomenological models for enhancement of strangeness production with increasing multiplicity. In this paper, these topics are addressed through measurements of the K∗(892)0 and φ(1020) mesons at midrapidity in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity. The results include the pT spectra, pT-integrated yields, mean transverse momenta, and the ratios of the yields of these resonances to those of longer-lived hadrons. Comparisons with results from other collision systems and energies, as well as predictions from phenomenological models, are also discussed.
The inclusive J/ψ meson production in Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision of sNN=5.02 TeV at midrapidity (|y|<0.9) is reported by the ALICE Collaboration. The measurements are performed in the dielectron decay channel, as a function of event centrality and J/ψ transverse momentum pT, down to pT=0. The J/ψ mean transverse momentum 〈pT〉 and rAA ratio, defined as 〈pT2〉PbPb/〈pT2〉pp, are evaluated. Both observables show a centrality dependence decreasing towards central (head-on) collisions. The J/ψ nuclear modification factor RAA exhibits a strong pT dependence with a large suppression at high pT and an increase to unity for decreasing pT. When integrating over the measured momentum range pT<10 GeV/c, the J/ψ RAA shows a weak centrality dependence. Each measurement is compared with results at lower center-of-mass energies and with ALICE measurements at forward rapidity, as well as to theory calculations. All reported features of the J/ψ production at low pT are consistent with a dominant contribution to the J/ψ yield originating from charm quark (re)combination.
This paper presents the first measurements of the charge independent (CI) and charge dependent (CD) two-particle transverse momentum correlators GCI 2 and GCD 2 in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV by the ALICE collaboration. The two-particle transverse momentum correlator G2 was introduced as a measure of the momentum current transfer between neighboring system cells. The correlators are measured as a function of pair separation in pseudorapidity (Δη) and azimuth (Δφ) and as a function of collision centrality. From peripheral to central collisions, the correlator GCI 2 exhibits a longitudinal broadening while undergoing a monotonic azimuthal narrowing. By contrast, GCD 2 exhibits a narrowing along both dimensions. These features are not reproduced by models such as HIJING and AMPT. However, the observed narrowing of the correlators from peripheral to central collisions is expected to result from the stronger transverse flow profiles produced in more central collisions and the longitudinal broadening is predicted to be sensitive to momentum currents and the shear viscosity per unit of entropy density η/s of the matter produced in the collisions. The observed broadening is found to be consistent with the hypothesized lower bound of η/s and is in qualitative agreement with values obtained from anisotropic flow measurements.
This Letter presents the first direct investigation of the p–0 interaction, using the femtoscopy technique in high-multiplicity pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV measured by the ALICE detector. The 0 is reconstructed via the decay channel to Λγ, and the subsequent decay of Λ to pπ−. The photon is detected via the conversion in material to e+e− pairs exploiting the capability of the ALICE detector to measure electrons at low transverse momenta. The measured p–0 correlation indicates a shallow strong interaction. The comparison of the data to several theoretical predictions obtained employing the Correlation Analysis Tool using the Schrödinger Equation (CATS) and the Lednický–Lyuboshits approach shows that the current experimental precision does not yet allow to discriminate between different models, as it is the case for the available scattering and hypernuclei data. Nevertheless, the p–0 correlation function is found to be sensitive to the strong interaction, and driven by the interplay of the different spin and isospin channels. This pioneering study demonstrates the feasibility of a femtoscopic measurement in the p–0 channel and with the expected larger data samples in LHC Run 3 and Run 4, the p–0 interaction will be constrained with high precision.
Measurements of K∗(892)0 and φ(1020) resonance production in Pb–Pb and pp collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The resonances are measured at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) via their hadronic decay channels and the transverse momentum (pT) distributions are obtained for various collision centrality classes up to pT = 20 GeV/c. The pT-integrated yield ratio K∗(892)0/K in Pb–Pb collisions shows significant suppression relative to pp collisions and decreases towards more central collisions. In contrast, the φ(1020)/K ratio does not show any suppression. Furthermore, the measured K∗(892)0/K ratio in central Pb–Pb collisions is significantly suppressed with respect to the expectations based on a thermal model calculation, while the φ(1020)/K ratio agrees with the model prediction. These measurements are an experimental demonstration of rescattering of K∗(892)0 decay products in the hadronic phase of the collisions. The K∗(892)0/K yield ratios in Pb–Pb and pp collisions are used to estimate the time duration between chemical and kinetic freeze-out, which is found to be ∼ 4–7 fm/c for central collisions. The pT-differential ratios of K∗(892)0/K, φ(1020)/K, K∗(892)0/π , φ(1020)/π , p/K∗(892)0 and p/φ(1020) are also presented for Pb–Pb and pp collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV. These ratios show that the rescattering effect is predominantly a low-pT phenomenon.
Inclusive J/ψ production is studied in Xe–Xe interactions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √sNN = 5.44 TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The J/ψ meson is reconstructed via its decay into a muon pair, in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval 2.5 < y < 4 and down to zero transverse momentum. In this Letter, the nuclear modification factors RAA for inclusive J/ψ, measured in the centrality range 0–90% as well as in the centrality intervals 0–20% and 20–90% are presented. The RAA values are compared to previously published results for Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV and to the calculation of a transport model. A good agreement is found between Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb results as well as between data and the model.
The elliptic flow of inclusive and direct photons was measured at mid-rapidity in two centrality classes 0–20% and 20–40% in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV by ALICE. Photons were detected with the highly segmented electromagnetic calorimeter PHOS and via conversions in the detector material with the e+e− pairs reconstructed in the central tracking system. The results of the two methods were combined and the direct-photon elliptic flow was extracted in the transverse momentum range 0.9 < pT < 6.2 GeV/c. A comparison to RHIC data shows a similar magnitude of the measured directphoton elliptic flow. Hydrodynamic and transport model calculations are systematically lower than the data, but are found to be compatible.
A measurement of the production of prompt +c baryons in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC is reported. The +c and − c were reconstructed at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) via the hadronic decay channel +c → pK0 S (and charge conjugate) in the transverse momentum and centrality intervals 6 < pT < 12 GeV/c and 0–80%. The +c /D0 ratio, which is sensitive to the charm quark hadronisation mechanisms in the medium, is measured and found to be larger than the ratio measured in minimum-bias pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV and in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV. In particular, the values in p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions differ by about two standard deviations of the combined statistical and systematic uncertainties in the common pT interval covered by the measurements in the two collision systems. The + c /D0 ratio is also compared with model calculations including different implementations of charm quark hadronisation. The measured ratio is reproduced by models implementing a pure coalescence scenario, while adding a fragmentation contribution leads to an underestimation. The + c nuclear modification factor, RAA, is also presented. The measured values of the RAA of + c , D+ s and non-strange D mesons are compatible within the combined statistical and systematic uncertainties. They show, however, a hint of a hierarchy (RD0 AA < RD+ s AA < R+ c AA ), conceivable with a contribution from coalescence mechanisms to charm hadron formation in the medium.
In this Letter, the ALICE Collaboration presents the first measurements of the charged-particle multiplicity density, dNch/dη, and total charged-particle multiplicity, Ntot ch , in Xe–Xe collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair of √sNN = 5.44 TeV. The measurements are performed as a function of collision centrality over a wide pseudorapidity range of −3.5 < η < 5. The values of dNch/dη at mid-rapidity and Ntot ch for central collisions, normalised to the number of nucleons participating in the collision (Npart) as a function of √sNN follow the trends established in previous heavy-ion measurements. The same quantities are also found to increase as a function of Npart, and up to the 5% most central collisions the trends are the same as the ones observed in Pb–Pb at a similar energy. For more central collisions, the Xe–Xe scaled multiplicities exceed those in Pb–Pb for a similar Npart. The results are compared to phenomenological models and theoretical calculations based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions. All considered models describe the data reasonably well within 15%.
The measurement of dielectron production is presented as a function of invariant mass and transverse momentum (pT) at midrapidity (|ye| < 0.8) in proton–proton (pp) collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV. The contributions from light-hadron decays are calculated from their measured cross sections in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV or 13 TeV. The remaining continuum stems from correlated semileptonic decays of heavy-flavour hadrons. Fitting the data with templates from two different MC event generators, PYTHIA and POWHEG, the charm and beauty cross sections at midrapidity are extracted for the first time at this collision energy: dσcc¯/dy|y=0 = 974 ± 138 (stat.) ± 140 (syst.) ± 214(BR) μb and dσbb¯ /dy|y=0 = 79 ± 14 (stat.) ± 11 (syst.) ± 5(BR) μb using PYTHIA simulations and dσcc¯/dy|y=0 = 1417 ± 184 (stat.) ± 204 (syst.) ± 312(BR) μb and dσbb¯ /dy|y=0 = 48 ± 14 (stat.) ± 7 (syst.) ± 3(BR) μb for POWHEG. These values, whose uncertainties are fully correlated between the two generators, are consistent with extrapolations from lower energies. The different results obtained with POWHEG and PYTHIA imply different kinematic correlations of the heavy-quark pairs in these two generators. Furthermore, comparisons of dielectron spectra in inelastic events and in events collected with a trigger on high charged-particle multiplicities are presented in various pT intervals. The differences are consistent with the already measured scaling of light-hadron and open-charm production at high charged-particle multiplicity as a function of pT. Upper limits for the contribution of virtual direct photons are extracted at 90% confidence level and found to be in agreement with pQCD calculations.
The elliptic and triangular flow coefficients v2 and v3 of prompt D0, D+, and D∗+ mesons were measured at midrapidity (|y| < 0.8) in Pb–Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √sNN = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decays in the transverse momentum interval 1 < pT < 36 GeV/c in central (0–10%) and semi-central (30–50%) collisions. Compared to pions, protons, and J/ψ mesons, the average D-meson vn harmonics are compatible within uncertainties with a mass hierarchy for pT 3 GeV/c, and are similar to those of charged pions for higher pT. The coupling of the charm quark to the light quarks in the underlying medium is further investigated with the application of the event-shape engineering (ESE) technique to the D-meson v2 and pT-differential yields. The D-meson v2 is correlated with average bulk elliptic flow in both central and semi-central collisions. Within the current precision, the ratios of per-event Dmeson yields in the ESE-selected and unbiased samples are found to be compatible with unity. All the measurements are found to be reasonably well described by theoretical calculations including the effects of charm-quark transport and the recombination of charm quarks with light quarks in a hydrodynamically expanding medium.
Inclusive ϒ(1S) and ϒ(2S) production have been measured in Pb–Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair √sNN = 5.02 TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The ϒ mesons are reconstructed in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval 2.5 < y < 4 and in the transversemomentum range pT < 15 GeV/c, via their decays to muon pairs. In this Letter, we present results on the inclusive ϒ(1S) nuclear modification factor RAA as a function of collision centrality, transverse momentum and rapidity. The ϒ(1S) and ϒ(2S) RAA, integrated over the centrality range 0–90%, are 0.37± 0.02(stat) ± 0.03(syst) and 0.10 ± 0.04(stat) ± 0.02(syst), respectively, leading to a ratio Rϒ(2S) AA /Rϒ(1S) AA of 0.28±0.12(stat)±0.06(syst). The observed ϒ(1S) suppression increases with the centrality of the collision and no significant variation is observed as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity.
Charged-particle spectra at midrapidity are measured in Pb–Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair √sNN = 5.02 TeV and presented in centrality classes ranging from most central (0–5%) to most peripheral (95–100%) collisions. Possible medium effects are quantified using the nuclear modification factor (RAA) by comparing the measured spectra with those from proton–proton collisions, scaled by the number of independent nucleon–nucleon collisions obtained from a Glauber model. At large transverse momenta (8 < pT < 20 GeV/c), the average RAA is found to increase from about 0.15 in 0–5% central to a maximum value of about 0.8 in 75–85% peripheral collisions, beyond which it falls off strongly to below 0.2 for the most peripheral collisions. Furthermore, RAA initially exhibits a positive slope as a function of pT in the 8–20 GeV/c interval, while for collisions beyond the 80% class the slope is negative. To reduce uncertainties related to event selection and normalization, we also provide the ratio of RAA in adjacent centrality intervals. Our results in peripheral collisions are consistent with a PYTHIA-based model without nuclear modification, demonstrating that biases caused by the event selection and collision geometry can lead to the apparent suppression in peripheral collisions. This explains the unintuitive observation that RAA is below unity in peripheral Pb–Pb, but equal to unity in minimum-bias p–Pb collisions despite similar charged-particle multiplicities.
Measurements of event-by-event fluctuations of charged-particle multiplicities in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV using the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented in the pseudorapidity range |η|<0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2<pT<2.0 GeV/c. The amplitude of the fluctuations is expressed in terms of the variance normalized by the mean of the multiplicity distribution. The η and pT dependences of the fluctuations and their evolution with respect to collision centrality are investigated. The multiplicity fluctuations tend to decrease from peripheral to central collisions. The results are compared to those obtained from HIJING and AMPT Monte Carlo event generators as well as to experimental data at lower collision energies. Additionally, the measured multiplicity fluctuations are discussed in the context of the isothermal compressibility of the high-density strongly-interacting system formed in central Pb–Pb collisions.
The production of ϕ mesons has been studied in pp collisions at LHC energies with the ALICE detector via the dimuon decay channel in the rapidity region 2.5<y<4. Measurements of the differential cross section d2σ/dydpT are presented as a function of the transverse momentum (pT) at the center-of-mass energies s√=5.02, 8 and 13 TeV and compared with the ALICE results at midrapidity. The differential cross sections at s√=5.02 and 13 TeV are also studied in several rapidity intervals as a function of pT, and as a function of rapidity in three pT intervals. A hardening of the pT-differential cross section with the collision energy is observed, while, for a given energy, pT spectra soften with increasing rapidity and, conversely, rapidity distributions get slightly narrower at increasing pT. The new results, complementing the published measurements at s√=2.76 and 7 TeV, allow one to establish the energy dependence of ϕ meson production and to compare the measured cross sections with phenomenological models. None of the considered models manages to describe the evolution of the cross section with pT and rapidity at all the energies.
A measurement of beauty hadron production at mid-rapidity in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV is presented. The semi-inclusive decay channel of beauty hadrons into J/ψ is considered, where the J/ψ mesons are reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel at mid-rapidity down to transverse momenta of 1.3 GeV/c. The bb¯ production cross section at mid-rapidity, dσbb¯/dy, and the total cross section extrapolated over full phase space, σbb¯, are obtained. This measurement is combined with results on inclusive J/ψ production to determine the prompt J/ψ cross sections. The results in p–Pb collisions are then scaled to expectations from pp collisions at the same centre-of-mass energy to derive the nuclear modification factor RpPb, and compared to models to study possible nuclear modifications of the production induced by cold nuclear matter effects. RpPb is found to be smaller than unity at low pT for both J/ψ coming from beauty hadron decays and prompt J/ψ.
We report on the measurement of the inclusive J/ψ polarization parameters in pp collisions at a center of mass energy s√=8 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.23 pb−1. J/ψ resonances are reconstructed in their di-muon decay channel in the rapidity interval 2.5<y<4.0 and over the transverse-momentum interval 2<pT<15 GeV/c. The three polarization parameters (λθ, λφ, λθφ) are measured as a function of pT both in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames. The measured J/ψ polarization parameters are found to be compatible with zero within uncertainties, contrary to expectations from all available predictions. The results are compared with the measurement in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV.
Neutral pion and η meson invariant differential yields were measured in non-single diffractive p–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. The analysis combines results from three complementary photon measurements, utilizing the PHOS and EMCal calorimeters and the Photon Conversion Method. The invariant differential yields of π0 and η meson inclusive production are measured near mid-rapidity in a broad transverse momentum range of 0.3<pT<20 GeV/c and 0.7<pT<20 GeV/c, respectively. The measured η/π0 ratio increases with pT and saturates for pT > 4 GeV/c at 0.483±0.015stat±0.015sys. A deviation from mT scaling is observed for pT< 2 GeV/c. The measured η/π0 ratio is consistent with previous measurements from proton-nucleus and pp collisions over the full pT range. The measured η/π0 ratio at high pT also agrees within uncertainties with measurements from nucleus–nucleus collisions. The π0 and η yields in p–Pb relative to the scaled pp interpolated reference, RpPb, are presented for 0.3<pT< 20 GeV/c and 0.7<pT< 20 GeV/c, respectively. The results are compared with theoretical model calculations. The values of RpPb are consistent with unity for transverse momenta above 2 GeV/c. These results support the interpretation that the suppressed yield of neutral mesons measured in Pb–Pb collisions at LHC energies is due to parton energy loss in the hot QCD medium.
The ALICE Collaboration has measured the energy dependence of exclusive photoproduction of J/ψ vector mesons off proton targets in ultra–peripheral p–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV. The e+e− and μ+μ− decay channels are used to measure the cross section as a function of the rapidity of the J/ψ in the range −2.5<y<2.7, corresponding to an energy in the γp centre-of-mass in the interval 40<Wγp<550 GeV. The measurements, which are consistent with a power law dependence of the exclusive J/ψ photoproduction cross section, are compared to previous results from HERA and the LHC and to several theoretical models. They are found to be compatible with previous measurements.
ϕ meson measurements provide insight into strangeness production, which is one of the key observables for the hot medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. ALICE measured ϕ production through its decay in muon pairs in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV in the intermediate transverse momentum range 2<pT<5 GeV/c and in the rapidity interval 2.5<y<4. The ϕ yield was measured as a function of the transverse momentum and collision centrality. The nuclear modification factor was obtained as a function of the average number of participating nucleons. Results were compared with the ones obtained via the kaon decay channel in the same pT range at midrapidity. The values of the nuclear modification factor in the two rapidity regions are in agreement within uncertainties.
Inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/ψ production at midrapidity in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV
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A measurement of inclusive, prompt, and non-prompt J/ψ production in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV is presented. The inclusive J/ψ mesons are reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel at midrapidity down to a transverse momentum pT = 0. The inclusive J/ψ nuclear modification factor RpPb is calculated by comparing the new results in p-Pb collisions to a recently measured proton-proton reference at the same centre-of-mass energy. Non-prompt J/ψ mesons, which originate from the decay of beauty hadrons, are separated from promptly produced J/ψ on a statistical basis for pT larger than 1.0 GeV/c. These results are based on the data sample collected by the ALICE detector during the 2016 LHC p-Pb run, corresponding to an integrated luminosity Lint = 292 ± 11 μb−1, which is six times larger than the previous publications. The total uncertainty on the pT-integrated inclusive J/ψ and non-prompt J/ψ cross section are reduced by a factor 1.7 and 2.2, respectively. The measured cross sections and RpPb are compared with theoretical models that include various combinations of cold nuclear matter effects. From the non-prompt J/ψ production cross section, the bb¯¯¯ production cross section at midrapidity, dσbb¯¯¯/dy, and the total cross section extrapolated over full phase space, σbb¯¯¯, are derived.
The transverse momentum (pT) differential cross section of the charm-strange baryon Ξ0c is measured at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) via its semileptonic decay into e+Ξ−νe in pp collisions at s√ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The ratio of the pT-differential Ξ0c-baryon and D0-meson production cross sections is also reported. The measurements are compared with simulations with different tunes of the PYTHIA 8 event generator, with predictions from a statistical hadronisation model (SHM) with a largely augmented set of charm-baryon states beyond the current lists of the Particle Data Group, and with models including hadronisation via quark coalescence. The pT-integrated cross section of prompt Ξ0c-baryon production at midrapidity is also reported, which is used to calculate the baryon-to-meson ratio Ξ0c/D0 = 0.20 ± 0.04 (stat.)+0.08−0.07 (syst.). These results provide an additional indication of a modification of the charm fragmentation from e+e− and e−p collisions to pp collisions.
The ALICE Collaboration reports the first fully-corrected measurements of the N-subjettiness observable for track-based jets in heavy-ion collisions. This study is performed using data recorded in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at centre-of-mass energies of s√ = 7 TeV and sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV, respectively. In particular the ratio of 2-subjettiness to 1-subjettiness, τ2/τ1, which is sensitive to the rate of two-pronged jet substructure, is presented. Energy loss of jets traversing the strongly interacting medium in heavy-ion collisions is expected to change the rate of two-pronged substructure relative to vacuum. The results are presented for jets with a resolution parameter of R = 0.4 and charged jet transverse momentum of 40 ≤ pT,jet ≤ 60 GeV/c, which constitute a larger jet resolution and lower jet transverse momentum interval than previous measurements in heavy-ion collisions. This has been achieved by utilising a semi-inclusive hadron-jet coincidence technique to suppress the larger jet combinatorial background in this kinematic region. No significant modification of the τ2/τ1 observable for track-based jets in Pb-Pb collisions is observed relative to vacuum PYTHIA6 and PYTHIA8 references at the same collision energy. The measurements of τ2/τ1, together with the splitting aperture angle ∆R, are also performed in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV for inclusive jets. These results are compared with PYTHIA calculations at s√ = 7 TeV, in order to validate the model as a vacuum reference for the Pb-Pb centre-of-mass energy. The PYTHIA references for τ2/τ1 are shifted to larger values compared to the measurement in pp collisions. This hints at a reduction in the rate of two-pronged jets in Pb-Pb collisions compared to pp collisions.
The pT-differential production cross section of prompt Λ +c charmed baryons was measured with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV and in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV at midrapidity. The Λ +c and Λ¯¯¯¯c¯¯¯ were reconstructed in the hadronic decay modes Λ +c → pK−π+, Λ +c → pK 0S and in the semileptonic channel Λ +c → e+νeΛ (and charge conjugates). The measured values of the Λ +c/D0 ratio, which is sensitive to the c-quark hadronisation mechanism, and in particular to the production of baryons, are presented and are larger than those measured previously in different colliding systems, centre-of-mass energies, rapidity and pT intervals, where the Λ +c production process may differ. The results are compared with the expectations obtained from perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics calculations and Monte Carlo event generators. Neither perturbative QCD calculations nor Monte Carlo models reproduce the data, indicating that the fragmentation of heavy-flavour baryons is not well understood. The first measurement at the LHC of the Λ +c nuclear modification factor, RpPb, is also presented. The RpPb is found to be consistent with unity and with that of D mesons within the uncertainties, and consistent with a theoretical calculation that includes cold nuclear matter effects and a calculation that includes charm quark interactions with a deconfined medium.
Inclusive J/ψ production is studied in p-Pb interactions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision sNN−−−√=8.16 TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The J/ψ meson is reconstructed, via its decay to a muon pair, in the centre-of-mass rapidity intervals 2.03 < ycms < 3.53 and −4.46 < ycms < −2.96, where positive and negative ycms refer to the p-going and Pb-going direction, respectively. The transverse momentum coverage is pT < 20 GeV/c. In this paper, ycms- and pT-differential cross sections for inclusive J/ψ production are presented, and the corresponding nuclear modification factors RpPb are shown. Forward results show a suppression of the J/ψ yield with respect to pp collisions, concentrated in the region pT ≲ 5 GeV/c. At backward rapidity no significant suppression is observed. The results are compared to previous measurements by ALICE in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV and to theoretical calculations. Finally, the ratios RFB between forward- and backward-ycms RpPb values are shown and discussed.
Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients with two- and multi-particle cumulants for inclusive charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 and 2.76 TeV are reported in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2 < pT < 50 GeV/c. The full data sample collected by the ALICE detector in 2015 (2010), corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.7 (2.0) μb−1 in the centrality range 0-80%, is analysed. Flow coefficients up to the sixth flow harmonic (v6) are reported and a detailed comparison among results at the two energies is carried out. The pT dependence of anisotropic flow coefficients and its evolution with respect to centrality and harmonic number n are investigated. An approximate power-law scaling of the form vn(pT) ∼ p n/3 T is observed for all flow harmonics at low pT (0.2 < pT < 3 GeV/c). At the same time, the ratios vn/v n/ m m are observed to be essentially independent of pT for most centralities up to about pT = 10 GeV/c. Analysing the differences among higher-order cumulants of elliptic flow (v2), which have different sensitivities to flow fluctuations, a measurement of the standardised skewness of the event-by-event v2 distribution P(v2) is reported and constraints on its higher moments are provided. The Elliptic Power distribution is used to parametrise P(v2), extracting its parameters from fits to cumulants. The measurements are compared to different model predictions in order to discriminate among initial-state models and to constrain the temperature dependence of the shear viscosity to entropy-density ratio.
The elliptic (v2), triangular (v3), and quadrangular (v4) flow coefficients of π±, K±, p+p¯¯¯,Λ+Λ¯¯¯¯,K0S, and the ϕ-meson are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at s√NN=5.02 TeV. Results obtained with the scalar product method are reported for the rapidity range |y| < 0.5 as a function of transverse momentum, pT, at different collision centrality intervals between 0–70%, including ultra-central (0–1%) collisions for π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯. For pT < 3 GeV/c, the flow coefficients exhibit a particle mass dependence. At intermediate transverse momenta (3 < pT < 8–10 GeV/c), particles show an approximate grouping according to their type (i.e., mesons and baryons). The ϕ-meson v2, which tests both particle mass dependence and type scaling, follows p+p¯¯¯ v2 at low pT and π± v2 at intermediate pT. The evolution of the shape of vn(pT) as a function of centrality and harmonic number n is studied for the various particle species. Flow coefficients of π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯ for pT < 3 GeV/c are compared to iEBE-VISHNU and MUSIC hydrodynamical calculations coupled to a hadronic cascade model (UrQMD). The iEBE-VISHNU calculations describe the results fairly well for pT < 2.5 GeV/c, while MUSIC calculations reproduce the measurements for pT < 1 GeV/c. A comparison to vn coefficients measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV is also provided.
Two-particle correlations in high-energy collision experiments enable the extraction of particle source radii by using the Bose-Einstein enhancement of pion production at low relative momentum q ∝ 1/R. It was previously observed that in pp collisions at s√ = 7TeV the average pair transverse momentum kT range of such analyses is limited due to large background correlations which were attributed to mini-jet phenomena. To investigate this further, an event-shape dependent analysis of Bose-Einstein correlations for pion pairs is performed in this work. By categorizing the events by their transverse sphericity ST into spherical (ST > 0:7) and jet-like (ST < 0:3) events a method was developed that allows for the determination of source radii for much larger values of kT for the first time. Spherical events demonstrate little or no background correlations while jet-like events are dominated by them. This observation agrees with the hypothesis of a mini-jet origin of the non-femtoscopic background correlations and gives new insight into the physics interpretation of the kT dependence of the radii. The emission source size in spherical events shows a substantially diminished kT dependence, while jet-like events show indications of a negative trend with respect to kT in the highest multiplicity events. Regarding the emission source shape, the correlation functions for both event sphericity classes show good agreement with an exponential shape, rather than a Gaussian one.
The production yield of prompt D mesons and their elliptic flow coefficient v2 were measured with the Event-Shape Engineering (ESE) technique applied to mid-central (10–30% and 30–50% centrality classes) Pb-Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV, with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The ESE technique allows the classification of events, belonging to the same centrality, according to the azimuthal anisotropy of soft particle production in the collision. The reported measurements give the opportunity to investigate the dynamics of charm quarks in the Quark-Gluon Plasma and provide information on their participation in the collective expansion of the medium. D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decays at mid-rapidity, |η| < 0.8, in the transverse momentum interval 1 < pT < 24 GeV/c. The v2 coefficient is found to be sensitive to the event-shape selection confirming a correlation between the D-meson azimuthal anisotropy and the collective expansion of the bulk matter, while the per-event D-meson yields do not show any significant modification within the current uncertainties.
We report the measured transverse momentum (pT) spectra of primary charged particles from pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV in the kinematic range of 0.15 < pT< 50 GeV/c and |η| < 0.8. A significant improvement of systematic uncertainties motivated the reanalysis of data in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV, as well as in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV, which is also presented. Spectra from Pb-Pb collisions are presented in nine centrality intervals and are compared to a reference spectrum from pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. For central collisions, the pT spectra are suppressed by more than a factor of 7 around 6–7 GeV/c with a significant reduction in suppression towards higher momenta up to 30 GeV/c. The nuclear modification factor RpPb, constructed from the pp and p-Pb spectra measured at the same collision energy, is consistent with unity above 8 GeV/c. While the spectra in both pp and Pb-Pb collisions are substantially harder at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV compared to 2.76 TeV, the nuclear modification factors show no significant collision energy dependence. The obtained results should provide further constraints on the parton energy loss calculations to determine the transport properties of the hot and dense QCD matter.
We report measurements of the production of prompt D0, D+, D*+ and D+s mesons in Pb–Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV, in the centrality classes 0–10%, 30–50% and 60–80%. The D-meson production yields are measured at mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.5) as a function of transverse momentum (pT). The pT intervals covered in central collisions are: 1 < pT< 50 GeV/c for D0, 2 < pT< 50GeV/c for D+, 3 < pT< 50GeV/c for D*+, and 4 < pT< 16GeV/c for D +s mesons. The nuclear modification factors (RAA) for non-strange D mesons (D0, D+, D*+) show minimum values of about 0.2 for pT = 6–10 GeV/c in the most central collisions and are compatible within uncertainties with those measured at s√NN=2.76 TeV. For D +s mesons, the values of RAA are larger than those of non-strange D mesons, but compatible within uncertainties. In central collisions the average RAA of non-strange D mesons is compatible with that of charged particles for pT> 8 GeV/c, while it is larger at lower pT. The nuclear modification factors for strange and non-strange D mesons are also compared to theoretical models with different implementations of in-medium energy loss.
Medium modification of the shape of small-radius jets in central Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV
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We present the measurement of a new set of jet shape observables for track-based jets in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV. The set of jet shapes includes the first radial moment or angularity, g; the momentum dispersion, pTD; and the difference between the leading and sub-leading constituent track transverse momentum, LeSub. These observables provide complementary information on the jet fragmentation and can constrain different aspects of the theoretical description of jet-medium interactions. The jet shapes were measured for a small resolution parameter R = 0.2 and were fully corrected to particle level. The observed jet shape modifications indicate that in-medium fragmentation is harder and more collimated than vacuum fragmentation as obtained by PYTHIA calculations, which were validated with the measurements of the jet shapes in proton-proton collisions at s√=7 TeV. The comparison of the measured distributions to templates for quark and gluon-initiated jets indicates that in-medium fragmentation resembles that of quark jets in vacuum. We further argue that the observed modifications are not consistent with a totally coherent energy loss picture where the jet loses energy as a single colour charge, suggesting that the medium resolves the jet structure at the angular scales probed by our measurements (R = 0.2). Furthermore, we observe that small-R jets can help to isolate purely energy loss effects from other effects that contribute to the modifications of the jet shower in medium such as the correlated background or medium response.
Transverse-momentum (pT) differential yields of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays have been measured in the most central (0–10%) and in semi-central (20–40%) Pb–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV. The corresponding production cross section in pp collisions has been measured at the same energy with substantially reduced systematic uncertainties with respect to previously published results. The modification of the yield in Pb–Pb collisions with respect to the expectation from an incoherent superposition of nucleon-nucleon collisions is quantified at mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.8) in the pT interval 0.5–3 GeV/c via the nuclear modification factor, RAA. This paper extends the pT reach of the RAA measurement towards significantly lower values with respect to a previous publication. In Pb–Pb collisions the pT-differential measurements of yields at low pT are essential to investigate the scaling of heavy-flavour production with the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. Heavy-quark hadronization, a collective expansion and even initial-state effects, such as the nuclear modification of the Parton Distribution Function, are also expected to have a significant effect on the measured distribution.
The first measurement of e+e− pair production at mid-rapidity (|ηe| < 0.8) in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV with ALICE at the LHC is presented. The dielectron production is studied as a function of the invariant mass (mee < 3.3 GeV/c2), the pair transverse momentum (pT,ee < 8 GeV/c), and the pair transverse impact parameter (DCAee), i.e., the average distance of closest approach of the reconstructed electron and positron tracks to the collision vertex, normalised to its resolution. The results are compared with the expectations from a cocktail of known hadronic sources and are well described when PYTHIA is used to generate the heavy-flavour contributions. In the low-mass region (0.14 < mee < 1.1 GeV/c2), prompt and non-prompt e+e− sources can be separated via the DCAee. In the intermediate-mass region (1.1 < mee < 2.7 GeV/c2), a double-differential fit to the data in mee and pT,ee and a fit of the DCAee distribution allow the total cc¯¯ and bb¯¯¯ cross sections to be extracted. Two different event generators, PYTHIA and POWHEG, can reproduce the shape of the two-dimensional mee and pT,ee spectra, as well as the shape of the DCAee distribution, reasonably well. However, differences in the cc¯¯ and bb¯¯¯ cross sections are observed when using the generators to extrapolate to full phase space. Finally, the ratio of inclusive to decay photons is studied via the measurement of virtual direct photons in the transverse-momentum range 1 < pT < 8 GeV/c. This is found to be unity within the statistical and systematic uncertainties and consistent with expectations from next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamic calculations.
The second (v2) and third (v3) flow harmonic coefficients of J/ψ mesons are measured at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4.0) in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. Results are obtained with the scalar product method and reported as a function of transverse momentum, pT, for various collision centralities. A positive value of J/ψ v3 is observed with 3.7σ significance. The measurements, compared to those of prompt D0 mesons and charged particles at mid-rapidity, indicate an ordering with vn(J/ψ) < vn(D0) < vn(h±) (n = 2, 3) at low and intermediate pT up to 6 GeV/c and a convergence with v2(J/ψ) ≈ v2(D0) ≈ v2(h±) at high pT above 6–8 GeV/c. In semi-central collisions (5–40% and 10–50% centrality intervals) at intermediate pT between 2 and 6 GeV/c, the ratio v3/v2 of J/ψ mesons is found to be significantly lower (4.6σ) with respect to that of charged particles. In addition, the comparison to the prompt D0-meson ratio in the same pT interval suggests an ordering similar to that of the v2 and v3 coefficients. The J/ψ v2 coefficient is further studied using the Event Shape Engineering technique. The obtained results are found to be compatible with the expected variations of the eccentricity of the initial-state geometry.
The production of the Λ(1520) baryonic resonance has been measured at midrapidity in inelastic pp collisions at s√=7 TeV and in p–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV for non-single diffractive events and in multiplicity classes. The resonance is reconstructed through its hadronic decay channel Λ(1520) →pK− and the charge conjugate with the ALICE detector. The integrated yields and mean transverse momenta are calculated from the measured transverse momentum distributions in pp and p–Pb collisions. The mean transverse momenta follow mass ordering as previously observed for other hyperons in the same collision systems. A Blast-Wave function constrained by other light hadrons (π, K, K0S, p, Λ) describes the shape of the Λ(1520) transverse momentum distribution up to 3.5 GeV/c in p–Pb collisions. In the framework of this model, this observation suggests that the Λ(1520) resonance participates in the same collective radial flow as other light hadrons. The ratio of the yield of Λ(1520) to the yield of the ground state particle Λ remains constant as a function of charged-particle multiplicity, suggesting that there is no net effect of the hadronic phase in p–Pb collisions on the Λ(1520) yield.
Transverse momentum (pT ) spectra of charged particles at mid-pseudorapidity in Xe–Xe collisions at √sNN=5.44TeV measured with the ALICE apparatus at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The kinematic range 0.15<pT<50GeV/c and |η|<0.8 is covered. Results are presented in nine classes of collision centrality in the 0–80% range. For comparison, a pp reference at the collision energy of √s=5.44 TeV is obtained by interpolating between existing pp measurements at √s=5.02 and 7 TeV. The nuclear modification factors in central Xe–Xe collisions and Pb–Pb collisions at a similar center-of-mass energy of √sNN=5.02 TeV, and in addition at 2.76 TeV, at analogous ranges of charged particle multiplicity density 〈dNch/dη〉 show a remarkable similarity at pT>10 GeV/c. The centrality dependence of the ratio of the average transverse momentum 〈pT〉 in Xe–Xe collisions over Pb–Pb collision at √s=5.02 TeV is compared to hydrodynamical model calculations.
The procedure for the energy calibration of the high granularity electromagnetic calorimeter PHOS of the ALICE experiment is presented. The methods used to perform the relative gain calibration, to evaluate the geometrical alignment and the corresponding correction of the absolute energy scale, to obtain the nonlinearity correction coefficients and finally, to calculate the time-dependent calibration corrections, are discussed and illustrated by the PHOS performance in proton-proton (pp) collisions at √s=13 TeV. After applying all corrections, the achieved mass resolutions for π0 and η mesons for pT > 1.7 GeV/c are σmπ0 = 4.56 ± 0.03 MeV/c2 and σmη = 15.3 ± 1.0 MeV/c2, respectively.
The procedure for the energy calibration of the high granularity electromagnetic calorimeter PHOS of the ALICE experiment is presented. The methods used to perform the relative gain calibration, to evaluate the geometrical alignment and the corresponding correction of the absolute energy scale, to obtain the nonlinearity correction coefficients and finally, to calculate the time-dependent calibration corrections, are discussed and illustrated by the PHOS performance in proton-proton (pp) collisions at s√=13 TeV. After applying all corrections, the achieved mass resolution of π0 and η mesons for pT>1.7 GeV/c is σπ0m=4.56±0.03 MeV/c2 and σηm=15.3±1.0 MeV/c2.
The procedure for the energy calibration of the high granularity electromagnetic calorimeter PHOS of the ALICE experiment is presented. The methods used to perform the relative gain calibration, to evaluate the geometrical alignment and the corresponding correction of the absolute energy scale, to obtain the nonlinearity correction coefficients and finally, to calculate the time-dependent calibration corrections, are discussed and illustrated by the PHOS performance in proton-proton (pp) collisions at s√ = 13 TeV. After applying all corrections, the achieved mass resolutions for π0 and η mesons for pT>1.7 GeV/c are σπ0m=4.56±0.03 MeV/c2 and σηm=15.3±1.0 MeV/c2, respectively.
The measurement of the production of deuterons, tritons and 3He and their antiparticles in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV is presented in this article. The measurements are carried out at midrapidity (|y|< 0.5) as a function of collision centrality using the ALICE detector. The pT-integrated yields, the coalescence parameters and the ratios to protons and antiprotons are reported and compared with nucleosynthesis models. The comparison of these results in different collision systems at different centre-of-mass collision energies reveals a suppression of nucleus production in small systems. In the Statistical Hadronisation Model framework, this can be explained by a small correlation volume where the baryon number is conserved, as already shown in previous fluctuation analyses. However, a different size of the correlation volume is required to describe the proton yields in the same data sets. The coalescence model can describe this suppression by the fact that the wave functions of the nuclei are large and the fireball size starts to become comparable and even much smaller than the actual nucleus at low multiplicities.
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles with minimum transverse momentum (pT) thresholds of 0.15, 0.5, 1, and 2 GeV/c is measured in pp collisions at the centre of mass energies of s√= 5.02 and 13 TeV with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out for inelastic collisions with at least one primary charged particle having a pseudorapidity (η) within ±0.8 and pT larger than the corresponding threshold. In addition, measurements without pT-thresholds are performed for inelastic and non-single-diffractive events as well as for inelastic events with at least one charged particle having |η|<1 in pp collisions at s√= 5.02 TeV for the first time at the LHC. These measurements are compared to the PYTHIA 6, PYTHIA 8, and EPOS-LHC models. In general, the models describe the η dependence of particle production well. However, discrepancies are observed for the highest transverse momentum threshold (pT>2 GeV/c), highlighting the importance of such measurements for tuning event generators. The new measurements agree within uncertainties with results from the ATLAS and CMS experiments obtained at s√=13 TeV.
The transverse-momentum (pT) spectra and coalescence parameters B2 of (anti)deuterons are measured in pp collisions at s√=13 TeV for the first time in and out of jets. In this measurement, the direction of the leading particle with the highest pT in the event (pleadT>5 GeV/c) is used as an approximation for the jet axis. The event is consequently divided into three azimuthal regions and the jet signal is obtained as the difference between the Toward region, that contains jet fragmentation products in addition to the underlying event (UE), and the Transverse region, which is dominated by the UE. The coalescence parameter in the jet is found to be approximately a factor of 10 larger than that in the underlying event. This experimental observation is consistent with the coalescence picture and can be attributed to the smaller average phase-space distance between nucleons inside the jet cone as compared to the underlying event. The results presented in this Letter are compared to predictions from a simple nucleon coalescence model, where the phase space distributions of nucleons are generated using PYTHIA 8 with the Monash 2013 tuning, and to predictions from a deuteron production model based on ordinary nuclear reactions with parametrized energy-dependent cross sections tuned on data. The latter model is implemented in PYTHIA 8.3. Both models reproduce the observed large difference between in-jet and out-of-jet coalescence parameters, although the almost flat trend of the BJet2 is not reproduced by the models, which instead give a decreasing trend.
The production of prompt Λ+c baryons has been measured at midrapidity in the transverse momentum interval 0<pT<1 GeV/c for the first time, in pp and p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV. The measurement was performed in the decay channel Λ+c→pK0S by applying new decay reconstruction techniques using a Kalman-Filter vertexing algorithm and adopting a machine-learning approach for the candidate selection. The pT-integrated Λ+c production cross sections in both collision systems were determined and used along with the measured yields in Pb-Pb collisions to compute the pT-integrated nuclear modification factors RpPb and RAA of Λ+c baryons, which are compared to model calculations that consider nuclear modification of the parton distribution functions. The Λ+c/D0 baryon-to-meson yield ratio is reported for pp and p-Pb collisions. Comparisons with models that include modified hadronisation processes are presented, and the implications of the results on the understanding of charm hadronisation in hadronic collisions are discussed. A significant (3.7σ) modification of the mean transverse momentum of Λ+c baryons is seen in p-Pb collisions with respect to pp collisions, while the pT-integrated Λ+c/D0 yield ratio was found to be consistent between the two collision systems within the uncertainties.
Investigation of K+K− interactions via femtoscopy in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV at the LHC
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Femtoscopic correlations of non-identical charged kaons (K+K−) are studied in Pb−Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon−nucleon collision sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV by ALICE at the LHC. One-dimensional K+K− correlation functions are analyzed in three centrality classes and eight intervals of particle-pair transverse momentum. The Lednický and Luboshitz interaction model used in the K+K− analysis includes the final-state Coulomb interactions between kaons and the final-state interaction through a0(980) and f0(980) resonances. The mass of f0(980) and coupling were extracted from the fit to K+K− correlation functions using the femtoscopic technique. The measured mass and width of the f0(980) resonance are consistent with other published measurements. The height of the ϕ(1020) meson peak present in the K+K− correlation function rapidly decreases with increasing source radius, qualitatively in agreement with an inverse volume dependence. A phenomenological fit to this trend suggests that the ϕ(1020) meson yield is dominated by particles produced directly from the hadronization of the system. The small fraction subsequently produced by final-state interactions could not be precisely quantified with data presented in this paper and will be assessed in future work.
Two-particle transverse momentum differential correlators, recently measured in Pb--Pb collisions at energies available at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), provide an additional tool to gain insights into particle production mechanisms and infer transport properties, such as the ratio of shear viscosity to entropy density, of the medium created in Pb-Pb collisions. The longitudinal long-range correlations and the large azimuthal anisotropy measured at low transverse momenta in small collision systems, namely pp and p-Pb, at LHC energies resemble manifestations of collective behaviour. This suggests that locally equilibrated matter may be produced in these small collision systems, similar to what is observed in Pb-Pb collisions. In this work, the same two-particle transverse momentum differential correlators are exploited in pp and p-Pb collisions at s√=7 TeV and sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV, respectively, to seek evidence for viscous effects. Specifically, the strength and shape of the correlators are studied as a function of the produced particle multiplicity to identify evidence for longitudinal broadening that might reveal the presence of viscous effects in these smaller systems. The measured correlators and their evolution from pp and p--Pb to Pb--Pb collisions are additionally compared to predictions from Monte Carlo event generators, and the potential presence of viscous effects is discussed.
In ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic nuclei without overlap of nuclear densities, the two nuclei are excited by the Lorentz-contracted Coulomb fields of their collision partners. In these UPCs, the typical nuclear excitation energy is below a few tens of MeV, and a small number of nucleons are emitted in electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) of primary nuclei, in contrast to complete nuclear fragmentation in hadronic interactions. The cross sections of emission of given numbers of neutrons in UPCs of 208Pb nuclei at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV were measured with the neutron zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs) of the ALICE detector at the LHC, exploiting a similar technique to that used in previous studies performed at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV. In addition, the cross sections for the exclusive emission of one, two, three, four, and five forward neutrons in the EMD, not accompanied by the emission of forward protons, and thus mostly corresponding to the production of 207,206,205,204,203Pb, respectively, were measured for the first time. The predictions from the available models describe the measured cross sections well. These cross sections can be used for evaluating the impact of secondary nuclei on the LHC components, in particular, on superconducting magnets, and also provide useful input for the design of the Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh).
The production of prompt Λ+c baryons has been measured at midrapidity in the transverse momentum interval 0<pT<1 GeV/c for the first time, in pp and p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV. The measurement was performed in the decay channel Λ+c→pK0S by applying new decay reconstruction techniques using a Kalman-Filter vertexing algorithm and adopting a machine-learning approach for the candidate selection. The pT-integrated Λ+c production cross sections in both collision systems were determined and used along with the measured yields in Pb-Pb collisions to compute the pT-integrated nuclear modification factors RpPb and RAA of Λ+c baryons, which are compared to model calculations that consider nuclear modification of the parton distribution functions. The Λ+c/D0 baryon-to-meson yield ratio is reported for pp and p-Pb collisions. Comparisons with models that include modified hadronisation processes are presented, and the implications of the results on the understanding of charm hadronisation in hadronic collisions are discussed. A significant (3.7σ) modification of the mean transverse momentum of Λ+c baryons is seen in p-Pb collisions with respect to pp collisions, while the pT-integrated Λ+c/D0 yield ratio was found to be consistent between the two collision systems within the uncertainties.
Measurement of the J/ψ polarization with respect to the event plane in Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC
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We study the polarization of inclusive J/ψ produced in Pb−Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV at the LHC in the dimuon channel, via the measurement of the angular distribution of its decay products. We perform the study in the rapidity region 2.5<y<4, for three transverse momentum intervals (2<pT<4, 4<pT<6, 6<pT<10 GeV/c) and as a function of the centrality of the collision for 2<pT<6 GeV/c. For the first time, the polarization is measured with respect to the event plane of the collision, by considering the angle between the positive-charge decay muon in the J/ψ rest frame and the axis perpendicular to the event-plane vector in the laboratory system. A small transverse polarization is measured, with a significance reaching 3.9σ at low pT and for intermediate centrality values. The polarization could be connected with the behaviour of the quark−gluon plasma, formed in Pb−Pb collisions, as a rotating fluid with large vorticity, as well as with the existence of a strong magnetic field in the early stage of its formation.
Measurement of the J/ψ polarization with respect to the event plane in Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC
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We study the polarization of inclusive J/ψ produced in Pb−Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV at the LHC in the dimuon channel, via the measurement of the angular distribution of its decay products. We perform the study in the rapidity region 2.5<y<4, for three transverse momentum intervals (2<pT<4, 4<pT<6, 6<pT<10 GeV/c) and as a function of the centrality of the collision for 2<pT<6 GeV/c. For the first time, the polarization is measured with respect to the event plane of the collision, by considering the angle between the positive-charge decay muon in the J/ψ rest frame and the axis perpendicular to the event-plane vector in the laboratory system. A small transverse polarization is measured, with a significance reaching 3.9σ at low pT and for intermediate centrality values. The polarization could be connected with the behaviour of the quark−gluon plasma, formed in Pb−Pb collisions, as a rotating fluid with large vorticity, as well as with the existence of a strong magnetic field in the early stage of its formation.
This Letter reports on the first measurements of transverse momentum dependent flow angle Ψn and flow magnitude vn fluctuations, determined using new four-particle correlators. The measurements are performed for various centralities in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV with ALICE at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Both flow angle and flow magnitude fluctuations are observed in the presented centrality ranges and are strongest in the most central collisions and for a transverse momentum pT>2 GeV/c. Comparison with theoretical models, including iEBE-VISHNU, MUSIC, and AMPT, show that the measurements exhibit unique sensitivities to the initial state of heavy-ion collisions.
This Letter reports on the first measurements of transverse momentum dependent flow angle Ψn and flow magnitude vn fluctuations, determined using new four-particle correlators. The measurements are performed for various centralities in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV with ALICE at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Both flow angle and flow magnitude fluctuations are observed in the presented centrality ranges and are strongest in the most central collisions and for a transverse momentum pT>2 GeV/c. Comparison with theoretical models, including iEBE-VISHNU, MUSIC, and AMPT, show that the measurements exhibit unique sensitivities to the initial state of heavy-ion collisions.
The first measurement of event-by-event antideuteron number fluctuations in high energy heavy-ion collisions is presented. The measurements are carried out at midrapidity (|η|<0.8) as a function of collision centrality in Pb−Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector. A significant negative correlation between the produced antiprotons and antideuterons is observed in all collision centralities. The results are compared with a state-of-the-art coalescence calculation. While it describes the ratio of higher order cumulants of the antideuteron multiplicity distribution, it fails to describe quantitatively the magnitude of the correlation between antiproton and antideuteron production. On the other hand, thermal-statistical model calculations describe all the measured observables within uncertainties only for correlation volumes that are different with respect to those describing proton yields and a similar measurement of net-proton number fluctuations.
The first measurement of event-by-event antideuteron number fluctuations in high energy heavy-ion collisions is presented. The measurements are carried out at midrapidity (|η|<0.8) as a function of collision centrality in Pb−Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector. A significant negative correlation between the produced antiprotons and antideuterons is observed in all collision centralities. The results are compared with a state-of-the-art coalescence calculation. While it describes the ratio of higher order cumulants of the antideuteron multiplicity distribution, it fails to describe quantitatively the magnitude of the correlation between antiproton and antideuteron production. On the other hand, thermal-statistical model calculations describe all the measured observables within uncertainties only for correlation volumes that are different with respect to those describing proton yields and a similar measurement of net-proton number fluctuations.
Measurements of event-by-event fluctuations of charged-particle multiplicities in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV using the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented in the pseudorapidity range |η|<0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2<pT<2.0 GeV/c. The amplitude of the fluctuations is expressed in terms of the variance normalized by the mean of the multiplicity distribution. The η and pT dependences of the fluctuations and their evolution with respect to collision centrality are investigated. The multiplicity fluctuations tend to decrease from peripheral to central collisions. The results are compared to those obtained from HIJING and AMPT Monte Carlo event generators as well as to experimental data at lower collision energies. Additionally, the measured multiplicity fluctuations are discussed in the context of the isothermal compressibility of the high-density strongly-interacting system formed in central Pb-Pb collisions.
The production of K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) resonances has been measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 8.16 TeV using the ALICE detector. Resonances are reconstructed via their hadronic decay channels in the rapidity interval −0.5 < y < 0 and the transverse momentum spectra are measured for various multiplicity classes up to pT = 20 GeV/c for K∗(892)0 and pT = 16 GeV/c for ϕ(1020). The pT -integrated yields and mean transverse momenta are reported and compared with previous results in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions. The xT scaling for K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) resonance production is newly tested in p-Pb collisions and found to hold in the high-pT region at LHC energies. The nuclear modification factors (RpPb) as a function of pT for K∗0 and ϕ at sNN−−−−√ = 8.16 TeV are presented along with the new RpPb measurements of K∗0, ϕ , Ξ, and Ω at sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. At intermediate pT (2-8 GeV/c), RpPb of Ξ, Ω show a Cronin-like enhancement, while K∗0 and ϕ show no or little nuclear modification. At high pT (> 8 GeV/c), the RpPb values of all hadrons are consistent with unity within uncertainties. The RpPb of K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) at sNN−−−√ = 8.16 and 5.02 TeV show no significant energy dependence.
The production of K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) resonances has been measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 8.16 TeV using the ALICE detector. Resonances are reconstructed via their hadronic decay channels in the rapidity interval −0.5 < y < 0 and the transverse momentum spectra are measured for various multiplicity classes up to pT = 20 GeV/c for K∗(892)0 and pT = 16 GeV/c for ϕ(1020). The pT -integrated yields and mean transverse momenta are reported and compared with previous results in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions. The xT scaling for K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) resonance production is newly tested in p-Pb collisions and found to hold in the high-pT region at Large Hadron Collider energies. The nuclear modification factors (RpPb) as a function of pT for K∗0 and ϕ at sNN−−−−√ = 8.16 TeV are presented along with the new RpPb measurements of K∗0, ϕ , Ξ, and Ω at sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. At intermediate pT (2-8 GeV/c), RpPb of Ξ, Ω show a Cronin-like enhancement, while K∗0 and ϕ show no or little nuclear modification. At high pT (> 8 GeV/c), the RpPb values of all hadrons are consistent with unity within uncertainties. The RpPb of K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) at sNN−−−√ = 8.16 and 5.02 TeV show no significant energy dependence.
The production of K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) resonances has been measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 8.16 TeV using the ALICE detector. Resonances are reconstructed via their hadronic decay channels in the rapidity interval −0.5 < y < 0 and the transverse momentum spectra are measured for various multiplicity classes up to pT = 20 GeV/c for K∗(892)0 and pT = 16 GeV/c for ϕ(1020). The pT -integrated yields and mean transverse momenta are reported and compared with previous results in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions. The xT scaling for K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) resonance production is newly tested in p-Pb collisions and found to hold in the high-pT region at Large Hadron Collider energies. The nuclear modification factors (RpPb) as a function of pT for K∗0 and ϕ at sNN−−−−√ = 8.16 TeV are presented along with the new RpPb measurements of K∗0, ϕ , Ξ, and Ω at sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. At intermediate pT (2-8 GeV/c), RpPb of Ξ, Ω show a Cronin-like enhancement, while K∗0 and ϕ show no or little nuclear modification. At high pT (> 8 GeV/c), the RpPb values of all hadrons are consistent with unity within uncertainties. The RpPb of K∗(892)0 and ϕ(1020) at sNN−−−√ = 8.16 and 5.02 TeV show no significant energy dependence.
The transverse momentum (pT) differential cross section of the charm-strange baryon Ξ0c is measured at midrapidity (|y|< 0.5) via its semileptonic decay into e+Ξ−νe in pp collisions at s√ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The ratio of the pT-differential Ξ0c-baryon and D0-meson production cross sections is also reported. The measurements are compared with simulations with different tunes of the PYTHIA 8 event generator, with predictions from a statistical hadronisation model (SHM) with a largely augmented set of charm-baryon states beyond the current lists of the Particle Data Group, and with models including hadronisation via quark coalescence. The pT-integrated cross section of prompt Ξ0c-baryon production at midrapidity is also reported, which is used to calculate the baryon-to-meson ratio Ξ0c/D0=0.20±0.04 (stat.)+0.08−0.07 (syst.). These results provide an additional indication of a modification of the charm fragmentation from e+e− and e−p collisions to pp collisions.
The transverse momentum (pT) differential cross section of the charm-strange baryon Ξ0c is measured at midrapidity (|y|< 0.5) via its semileptonic decay into e+Ξ−νe in pp collisions at s√ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The ratio of the pT-differential Ξ0c-baryon and D0-meson production cross sections is also reported. The measurements are compared with simulations with different tunes of the PYTHIA 8 event generator, with predictions from a statistical hadronisation model (SHM) with a largely augmented set of charm-baryon states beyond the current lists of the Particle Data Group, and with models including hadronisation via quark coalescence. The pT-integrated cross section of prompt Ξ0c-baryon production at midrapidity is also reported, which is used to calculate the baryon-to-meson ratio Ξ0c/D0=0.20±0.04 (stat.)+0.08−0.07 (syst.). These results provide an additional indication of a modification of the charm fragmentation from e+e− and e−p collisions to pp collisions.
Inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/ψ production at midrapidity in p−Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV
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A measurement of inclusive, prompt, and non-prompt J/ψ production in p−Pb collisions at a nucleon--nucleon centre-of-mass energy sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV is presented. The J/ψ mesons are reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel at midrapidity down to a transverse momentum pT=0. The inclusive J/ψ nuclear modification factor RpPb is calculated by comparing the results in p−Pb collisions to a measured proton−proton reference at the same centre-of-mass energy. Non-prompt J/ψ mesons, which originate from the decay of beauty hadrons, are separated from promptly produced J/ψ on a statistical basis for pT larger than 1.0 GeV/c. These results are based on the data sample collected by the ALICE detector during the 2016 LHC p−Pb run, corresponding to an integrated luminosity Lint=292±11μb−1, which is six times larger than the previous publications. The total uncertainty on the pT-integrated inclusive J/ψ and non-prompt J/ψ cross section are reduced by a factor 1.7 and 2.2, respectively. The measured cross sections and RpPb are compared with theoretical models that include various combinations of cold nuclear matter effects. From the non-prompt J/ψ production cross section, the bb¯¯¯ production cross section at midrapidity, dσbb¯¯¯/dy, and the total cross section extrapolated over full phase space, σbb¯¯¯, are derived.
Inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/ψ production at midrapidity in p−Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV
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A measurement of inclusive, prompt, and non-prompt J/ψ production in p−Pb collisions at a nucleon−nucleon centre-of-mass energy sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV is presented. The inclusive J/ψ mesons are reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel at midrapidity down to a transverse momentum pT=0. The inclusive J/ψ nuclear modification factor RpPb is calculated by comparing the new results in p−Pb collisions to a recently measured proton−proton reference at the same centre-of-mass energy. Non-prompt J/ψ mesons, which originate from the decay of beauty hadrons, are separated from promptly produced J/ψ on a statistical basis for pT larger than 1.0 GeV/c. These results are based on the data sample collected by the ALICE detector during the 2016 LHC p−Pb run, corresponding to an integrated luminosity Lint=292±11μb−1, which is six times larger than the previous publications. The total uncertainty on the pT-integrated inclusive J/ψ and non-prompt J/ψ cross section are reduced by a factor 1.7 and 2.2, respectively. The measured cross sections and RpPb are compared with theoretical models that include various combinations of cold nuclear matter effects. From the non-prompt J/ψ production cross section, the bb¯¯¯ production cross section at midrapidity, dσbb¯¯¯/dy, and the total cross section extrapolated over full phase space, σbb¯¯¯, are derived.
Recent pT-integrated cross section measurements of the ground-state charm mesons and baryons, D0, D+, D+s, Λ+c, and Ξ0c, are used to evaluate the charm fragmentation fractions and production cross section per unit of rapidity at midrapidity (|y|<0.5), in pp collisions at s√=5.02 TeV at the LHC. The latter is dσcc¯¯¯/dy||y|<0.5 =1165 ±44(stat)+134−101(syst) μb. These measurements were obtained for the first time in hadronic collisions at the LHC including the charm baryon states, recently measured by ALICE at midrapidity. The charm fragmentation fractions differ significantly from the values measured in e+e− and ep collisions, providing evidence of the dependence of the parton-to-hadron fragmentation fractions on the collision system, indicating that the assumption of their universality is not supported by the measured cross sections. An increase of a factor of about 3.3 for the fragmentation fraction for the Λ+c with a significance of 5σ between the values obtained in pp collisions and those obtained in e+e− (ep) collisions is reported. The fragmentation fraction for the Ξ0c was obtained for the first time in any collision system. The measured fragmentation fractions were used to update the cc¯¯ cross sections per unit of rapidity at |y|<0.5 at s√=2.76 and 7 TeV, which are about 40% higher than the previously published results. The data were compared with perturbative-QCD calculations and lie at the upper edge of the theoretical bands.
Recent pT-integrated cross section measurements of the ground-state charm mesons and baryons, D0, D+, D+s, Λ+c, and Ξ0c, are used to evaluate the charm fragmentation fractions and production cross section per unit of rapidity at midrapidity (|y|<0.5), in pp collisions at s√=5.02 TeV at the LHC. The latter is dσcc¯¯¯/dy||y|<0.5 =1165 ±44(stat)+134−101(syst) μb. These measurements were obtained for the first time in hadronic collisions at the LHC including the charm baryon states, recently measured by ALICE at midrapidity. The charm fragmentation fractions differ significantly from the values measured in e+e− and ep collisions, providing evidence of the dependence of the parton-to-hadron fragmentation fractions on the collision system, indicating that the assumption of their universality is not supported by the measured cross sections. An increase of a factor of about 3.3 for the fragmentation fraction for the Λ+c with a significance of 5σ between the values obtained in pp collisions and those obtained in e+e− (ep) collisions is reported. The fragmentation fraction for the Ξ0c was obtained for the first time in any collision system. The measured fragmentation fractions were used to update the cc¯¯ cross sections per unit of rapidity at |y|<0.5 at s√=2.76 and 7 TeV, which are about 40% higher than the previously published results. The data were compared with perturbative-QCD calculations and lie at the upper edge of the theoretical bands.
Recent pT-integrated cross section measurements of the ground-state charm mesons and baryons, D0, D+, D+s, Λ+c, and Ξ0c, are used to evaluate the charm fragmentation fractions and production cross section per unit of rapidity at midrapidity (|y|<0.5), in pp collisions at s√=5.02 TeV at the LHC. The latter is dσcc¯¯¯/dy||y|<0.5 =1165 ±44(stat)+134−101(syst) μb. These measurements were obtained for the first time in hadronic collisions at the LHC including the charm baryon states, recently measured by ALICE at midrapidity. The charm fragmentation fractions differ significantly from the values measured in e+e− and ep collisions, providing evidence of the dependence of the parton-to-hadron fragmentation fractions on the collision system, indicating that the assumption of their universality is not supported by the measured cross sections. An increase of a factor of about 3.3 for the fragmentation fraction for the Λ+c with a significance of 5σ between the values obtained in pp collisions and those obtained in e+e− (ep) collisions is reported. The fragmentation fraction for the Ξ0c was obtained for the first time in any collision system. The measured fragmentation fractions were used to update the cc¯¯ cross sections per unit of rapidity at |y|<0.5 at s√=2.76 and 7 TeV, which are about 40% higher than the previously published results. The data were compared with perturbative-QCD calculations and lie at the upper edge of the theoretical bands.
The ALICE Collaboration reports the first fully-corrected measurements of the N-subjettiness observable for track-based jets in heavy-ion collisions. This study is performed using data recorded in pp and Pb−Pb collisions at centre-of-mass energies of s√=7 TeV and sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV, respectively. In particular the ratio of 2-subjettiness to 1-subjettiness, τ2/τ1, which is sensitive to the rate of two-pronged jet substructure, is presented. Energy loss of jets traversing the strongly interacting medium in heavy-ion collisions is expected to change the rate of two-pronged substructure relative to vacuum. The results are presented for jets with a resolution parameter of R=0.4 and charged jet transverse momentum of 40≤pT,jet≤60 GeV/c, which constitute a larger jet resolution and lower jet transverse momentum interval than previous measurements in heavy-ion collisions. This has been achieved by utilising a semi-inclusive hadron-jet coincidence technique to suppress the larger jet combinatorial background in this kinematic region. No significant modification of the τ2/τ1 observable for track-based jets in Pb−Pb collisions is observed relative to vacuum PYTHIA6 and PYTHIA8 references at the same collision energy. The measurements of τ2/τ1, together with the splitting aperture angle ΔR, are also performed in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV for inclusive jets. These results are compared with PYTHIA calculations at s√=7 TeV, in order to validate the model as a vacuum reference for the Pb−Pb centre-of-mass energy. The PYTHIA references for τ2/τ1 are shifted to larger values compared to the measurement in pp collisions. This hints at a reduction in the rate of two-pronged jets in Pb−Pb collisions compared to pp collisions.
Measurements of event-by-event fluctuations of charged-particle multiplicities in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV using the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented in the pseudorapidity range |η|<0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2<pT<2.0 GeV/c. The amplitude of the fluctuations is expressed in terms of the variance normalized by the mean of the multiplicity distribution. The η and pT dependences of the fluctuations and their evolution with respect to collision centrality are investigated. The multiplicity fluctuations tend to decrease from peripheral to central collisions. The results are compared to those obtained from HIJING and AMPT Monte Carlo event generators as well as to experimental data at lower collision energies. Additionally, the measured multiplicity fluctuations are discussed in the context of the isothermal compressibility of the high-density strongly-interacting system formed in central Pb-Pb collisions.
The production of ϕ mesons has been studied in pp collisions at LHC energies with the ALICE detector via the dimuon decay channel in the rapidity region 2.5<y<4. Measurements of the differential cross section d2σ/dydpT are presented as a function of the transverse momentum (pT) at the center-of-mass energies s√=5.02, 8 and 13 TeV and compared with the ALICE results at midrapidity. The differential cross sections at s√=5.02 and 13 TeV are also studied in several rapidity intervals as a function of pT, and as a function of rapidity in three pT intervals. A hardening of the pT-differential cross section with the collision energy is observed, while, for a given energy, pT spectra soften with increasing rapidity and, conversely, rapidity distributions get slightly narrower at increasing pT. The new results, complementing the published measurements at s√=2.76 and 7 TeV, allow one to establish the energy dependence of ϕ meson production and to compare the measured cross sections with phenomenological models. None of the considered models manages to describe the evolution of the cross section with pT and rapidity at all the energies.
The production of ϕ mesons has been studied in pp collisions at LHC energies with the ALICE detector via the dimuon decay channel in the rapidity region 2.5<y<4. Measurements of the differential cross section d2σ/dydpT are presented as a function of the transverse momentum (pT) at the center-of-mass energies s√=5.02, 8 and 13 TeV and compared with the ALICE results at midrapidity. The differential cross sections at s√=5.02 and 13 TeV are also studied in several rapidity intervals as a function of pT, and as a function of rapidity in three pT intervals. A hardening of the pT-differential cross section with the collision energy is observed, while, for a given energy, pT spectra soften with increasing rapidity and, conversely, rapidity distributions get slightly narrower at increasing pT. The new results, complementing the published measurements at s√=2.76 and 7 TeV, allow one to establish the energy dependence of ϕ meson production and to compare the measured cross sections with phenomenological models. None of the considered models manages to describe the evolution of the cross section with pT and rapidity at all the energies.
The transverse-momentum (pT) spectra and coalescence parameters B2 of (anti)deuterons are measured in p-p collisions at √s=13 TeV for the first time in and out of jets. In this measurement, the direction of the leading particle with the highest pT in the event (p lead T>5 GeV/c) is used as an approximation for the jet axis. The event is consequently divided into three azimuthal regions, and the jet signal is obtained as the difference between the toward region, that contains jet fragmentation products in addition to the underlying event (UE), and the transverse region, which is dominated by the UE. The coalescence parameter in the jet is found to be approximately a factor of 10 larger than that in the underlying event. This experimental observation is consistent with the coalescence picture and can be attributed to the smaller average phase-space distance between nucleons in the jet cone as compared with the underlying event. The results presented in this Letter are compared to predictions from a simple nucleon coalescence model, where the phase-space distributions of nucleons are generated using pythia8 with the Monash 2013 tuning, and to predictions from a deuteron production model based on ordinary nuclear reactions with parametrized energy-dependent cross sections tuned on data. The latter model is implemented in pythia8.3. Both models reproduce the observed large difference between in-jet and out-of-jet coalescence parameters, although the almost flat trend of the BJet2 is not reproduced by the models, which instead give a decreasing trend.
The production of Λ baryons and K0S mesons (V0 particles) was measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5 TeV and pp collisions at s√=7 TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The production of these strange particles is studied separately for particles associated with hard scatterings and the underlying event to shed light on the baryon-to-meson ratio enhancement observed at intermediate transverse momentum (pT) in high multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions. Hard scatterings are selected on an event-by-event basis with jets reconstructed with the anti-kT algorithm using charged particles. The production of strange particles associated with jets pchT,jet>10 GeV/c is reported as a function of pT in both systems; and its dependence on pT with jets pchT,jet>20 GeV/c and on angular distance from the jet axis, R(V0,jet), for jets with pchT,jet>10 GeV/c are reported in p-Pb collisions. The results are compared with the strange particle production in the underlying event. The Λ/K0S ratio associated with jets in p-Pb collisions for R(V0,jet)<0.4 is consistent with the ratio measured in pp collisions and with the expectation of jets fragmenting in vacuum given by the PYTHIA event generator.
The production of Λ baryons and K0S mesons (V0 particles) was measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV and pp collisions at s√=7 TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The production of these strange particles is studied separately for particles associated with hard scatterings and the underlying event to shed light on the baryon-to-meson ratio enhancement observed at intermediate transverse momentum (pT) in high multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions. Hard scatterings are selected on an event-by-event basis with jets reconstructed with the anti-kT algorithm using charged particles. The production of strange particles associated with jets pchT,jet>10 and pchT,jet>20 GeV/c in p-Pb collisions, and with jet pchT,jet>10 GeV/c in pp collisions is reported as a function of pT. Its dependence on angular distance from the jet axis, R(V0,jet), for jets with pchT,jet>10 GeV/c in p-Pb collisions is reported as well. The pT-differential production spectra of strange particles associated with jets are found to be harder compared to that in the underlying event and both differ from the inclusive measurements. In events containing a jet, the density of the V0 particles in the underlying event is found to be larger than the density in the minimum bias events. The Λ/K0S ratio associated with jets in p-Pb collisions is consistent with the ratio in pp collisions and follows the expectation of jets fragmenting in vacuum. On the other hand, this ratio within jets is consistently lower than the one obtained in the underlying event and it does not show the characteristic enhancement of baryons at intermediate pT often referred to as "baryon anomaly" in the inclusive measurements.
The production of Λ baryons and K0S mesons (V0 particles) was measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV and pp collisions at s√=7 TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The production of these strange particles is studied separately for particles associated with hard scatterings and the underlying event to shed light on the baryon-to-meson ratio enhancement observed at intermediate transverse momentum (pT) in high multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions. Hard scatterings are selected on an event-by-event basis with jets reconstructed with the anti-kT algorithm using charged particles. The production of strange particles associated with jets pchT,jet>10 and pchT,jet>20 GeV/c in p-Pb collisions, and with jet pchT,jet>10 GeV/c in pp collisions is reported as a function of pT. Its dependence on angular distance from the jet axis, R(V0,jet), for jets with pchT,jet>10 GeV/c in p-Pb collisions is reported as well. The pT-differential production spectra of strange particles associated with jets are found to be harder compared to that in the underlying event and both differ from the inclusive measurements. In events containing a jet, the density of the V0 particles in the underlying event is found to be larger than the density in the minimum bias events. The Λ/K0S ratio associated with jets in p-Pb collisions is consistent with the ratio in pp collisions and follows the expectation of jets fragmenting in vacuum. On the other hand, this ratio within jets is consistently lower than the one obtained in the underlying event and it does not show the characteristic enhancement of baryons at intermediate pT often referred to as "baryon anomaly" in the inclusive measurements.
The first measurement of dielectron (e+e−) production in central (0−10%) Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV at the LHC is presented. The dielectron invariant-mass spectrum is compared to the expected contributions from hadron decays in the invariant-mass range 0<mee<3.5 GeV/c2. The ratio of data and the cocktail of hadronic contributions without vacuum ρ0 is measured in the invariant-mass range 0.15<mee<0.7 GeV/c2, where an excess of dielectrons is observed in other experiments, and its value is 1.40±0.28 (stat.)±0.08 (syst.)±0.27 (cocktail). The dielectron spectrum measured in the invariant mass range 0<mee<1 GeV/c2 is consistent with the predictions from two theoretical model calculations that include thermal dielectron production from both partonic and hadronic phases with in-medium broadened ρ0 meson. The fraction of direct virtual photons over inclusive virtual photons is extracted for dielectron pairs with invariant mass 0.1<mee<0.3 GeV/c2, and in the transverse-momentum intervals 1<pT,ee<2 GeV/c and 2<pT,ee<4 GeV/c. The measured fraction of virtual direct photons is consistent with the measurement of real direct photons by ALICE and with the expectations from previous dielectron measurements at RHIC within the experimental uncertainties.
In ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic nuclei without overlap of nuclear densities, the two nuclei are excited by the Lorentz-contracted Coulomb fields of their collision partners. In these UPCs, the typical nuclear excitation energy is below a few tens of MeV, and a small number of nucleons are emitted in electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) of primary nuclei, in contrast to complete nuclear fragmentation in hadronic interactions. The cross sections of emission of given numbers of neutrons in UPCs of 208Pb nuclei at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV were measured with the neutron zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs) of the ALICE detector at the LHC, exploiting a similar technique to that used in previous studies performed at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV. In addition, the cross sections for the exclusive emission of one, two, three, four, and five forward neutrons in the EMD, not accompanied by the emission of forward protons, and thus mostly corresponding to the production of 207,206,205,204,203Pb, respectively, were measured for the first time. The predictions from the available models describe the measured cross sections well. These cross sections can be used for evaluating the impact of secondary nuclei on the LHC components, in particular, on superconducting magnets, and also provide useful input for the design of the Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh).
Measurements of the production cross sections of prompt D0, D+, D∗+, D+s, Λ+c, and Ξ+c charm hadrons at midrapidity in proton−proton collisions at s√=13 TeV with the ALICE detector are presented. The D-meson cross sections as a function of transverse momentum (pT) are provided with improved precision and granularity. The ratios of pT-differential meson production cross sections based on this publication and on measurements at different rapidity and collision energy provide a constraint on gluon parton distribution functions at low values of Bjorken-x (10−5−10−4). The measurements of Λ+c (Ξ+c) baryon production extend the measured pT intervals down to pT=0(3)~GeV/c. These measurements are used to determine the charm-quark fragmentation fractions and the cc¯¯ production cross section at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) based on the sum of the cross sections of the weakly-decaying ground-state charm hadrons D0, D+, D+s, Λ+c, Ξ0c and, for the first time, Ξ+c, and of the strongly-decaying J/psi mesons. The first measurements of Ξ+c and Σ0,++c fragmentation fractions at midrapidity are also reported. A significantly larger fraction of charm quarks hadronising to baryons is found compared to e+e− and ep collisions. The cc¯¯ production cross section at midrapidity is found to be at the upper bound of state-of-the-art perturbative QCD calculations.
Measurements of the production cross sections of prompt D0, D+, D∗+, D+s, Λ+c, and Ξ+c charm hadrons at midrapidity in proton−proton collisions at s√=13 TeV with the ALICE detector are presented. The D-meson cross sections as a function of transverse momentum (pT) are provided with improved precision and granularity. The ratios of pT-differential meson production cross sections based on this publication and on measurements at different rapidity and collision energy provide a constraint on gluon parton distribution functions at low values of Bjorken-x (10−5−10−4). The measurements of Λ+c (Ξ+c) baryon production extend the measured pT intervals down to pT=0(3)~GeV/c. These measurements are used to determine the charm-quark fragmentation fractions and the cc¯¯ production cross section at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) based on the sum of the cross sections of the weakly-decaying ground-state charm hadrons D0, D+, D+s, Λ+c, Ξ0c and, for the first time, Ξ+c, and of the strongly-decaying J/psi mesons. The first measurements of Ξ+c and Σ0,++c fragmentation fractions at midrapidity are also reported. A significantly larger fraction of charm quarks hadronising to baryons is found compared to e+e− and ep collisions. The cc¯¯ production cross section at midrapidity is found to be at the upper bound of state-of-the-art perturbative QCD calculations.
The elliptic flow (v2) of D0 mesons from beauty-hadron decays (non-prompt D0) was measured in midcentral (30-50%) Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D0 mesons were reconstructed at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) from their hadronic decay D0→K−π+, in the transverse momentum interval 2<pT<12 GeV/c. The result indicates a positive v2 for non-prompt D0 mesons with a significance of 2.7σ. The non-prompt D0-meson v2 is lower than that of prompt non-strange D mesons with 3.2σ significance in 2<pT<8 GeV/c, and compatible with the v2 of beauty-decay electrons. Theoretical calculations of beauty-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding medium describe the measurement within uncertainties.
The elliptic flow (v2) of D0 mesons from beauty-hadron decays (non-prompt D0) was measured in midcentral (30-50%) Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D0 mesons were reconstructed at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) from their hadronic decay D0→K−π+, in the transverse momentum interval 2<pT<12 GeV/c. The result indicates a positive v2 for non-prompt D0 mesons with a significance of 2.7σ. The non-prompt D0-meson v2 is lower than that of prompt non-strange D mesons with 3.2σ significance in 2<pT<8 GeV/c, and compatible with the v2 of beauty-decay electrons. Theoretical calculations of beauty-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding medium describe the measurement within uncertainties.
Measurements of charged-particle production in pp, p−Pb, and Pb−Pb collisions in the toward, away, and transverse regions with the ALICE detector are discussed. These regions are defined event-by-event relative to the azimuthal direction of the charged trigger particle, which is the reconstructed particle with the largest transverse momentum (ptrigT) in the range 8<ptrigT<15 GeV/c. The toward and away regions contain the primary and recoil jets, respectively; both regions are accompanied by the underlying event (UE). In contrast, the transverse region perpendicular to the direction of the trigger particle is dominated by the so-called UE dynamics, and includes also contributions from initial- and final-state radiation. The relative transverse activity classifier, RT=NTch/⟨NTch⟩, is used to group events according to their UE activity, where NTch is the charged-particle multiplicity per event in the transverse region and ⟨NTch⟩ is the mean value over the whole analysed sample. The energy dependence of the RT distributions in pp collisions at s√=2.76, 5.02, 7, and 13 TeV is reported, exploring the Koba-Nielsen-Olesen (KNO) scaling properties of the multiplicity distributions. The first measurements of charged-particle pT spectra as a function of RT in the three azimuthal regions in pp, p−Pb, and Pb−Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV are also reported. Data are compared with predictions obtained from the event generators PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC. This set of measurements is expected to contribute to the understanding of the origin of collective-like effects in small collision systems (pp and p−Pb).
Measurements of charged-particle production in pp, p−Pb, and Pb−Pb collisions in the toward, away, and transverse regions with the ALICE detector are discussed. These regions are defined event-by-event relative to the azimuthal direction of the charged trigger particle, which is the reconstructed particle with the largest transverse momentum (ptrigT) in the range 8<ptrigT<15 GeV/c. The toward and away regions contain the primary and recoil jets, respectively; both regions are accompanied by the underlying event (UE). In contrast, the transverse region perpendicular to the direction of the trigger particle is dominated by the so-called UE dynamics, and includes also contributions from initial- and final-state radiation. The relative transverse activity classifier, RT=NTch/⟨NTch⟩, is used to group events according to their UE activity, where NTch is the charged-particle multiplicity per event in the transverse region and ⟨NTch⟩ is the mean value over the whole analysed sample. The energy dependence of the RT distributions in pp collisions at s√=2.76, 5.02, 7, and 13 TeV is reported, exploring the Koba-Nielsen-Olesen (KNO) scaling properties of the multiplicity distributions. The first measurements of charged-particle pT spectra as a function of RT in the three azimuthal regions in pp, p−Pb, and Pb−Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV are also reported. Data are compared with predictions obtained from the event generators PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC. This set of measurements is expected to contribute to the understanding of the origin of collective-like effects in small collision systems (pp and p−Pb).
The Chiral Magnetic Wave (CMW) phenomenon is essential to provide insights into the strong interaction in QCD, the properties of the quark-gluon plasma, and the topological characteristics of the early universe, offering a deeper understanding of fundamental physics in high-energy collisions. Measurements of the charge-dependent anisotropic flow coefficients are studied in Pb-Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision sNN−−−√= 5.02 TeV to probe the CMW. In particular, the slope of the normalized difference in elliptic (v2) and triangular (v3) flow coefficients of positively and negatively charged particles as a function of their event-wise normalized number difference, is reported for inclusive and identified particles. The slope rNorm3 is found to be larger than zero and to have a magnitude similar to rNorm2, thus pointing to a large background contribution for these measurements. Furthermore, rNorm2 can be described by a blast wave model calculation that incorporates local charge conservation. In addition, using the event shape engineering technique yields a fraction of CMW (fCMW) contribution to this measurement which is compatible with zero. This measurement provides the very first upper limit for fCMW, and in the 10-60% centrality interval it is found to be 26% (38%) at 95% (99.7%) confidence level.
The Chiral Magnetic Wave (CMW) phenomenon is essential to provide insights into the strong interaction in QCD, the properties of the quark-gluon plasma, and the topological characteristics of the early universe, offering a deeper understanding of fundamental physics in high-energy collisions. Measurements of the charge-dependent anisotropic flow coefficients are studied in Pb-Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision sNN−−−√= 5.02 TeV to probe the CMW. In particular, the slope of the normalized difference in elliptic (v2) and triangular (v3) flow coefficients of positively and negatively charged particles as a function of their event-wise normalized number difference, is reported for inclusive and identified particles. The slope rNorm3 is found to be larger than zero and to have a magnitude similar to rNorm2, thus pointing to a large background contribution for these measurements. Furthermore, rNorm2 can be described by a blast wave model calculation that incorporates local charge conservation. In addition, using the event shape engineering technique yields a fraction of CMW (fCMW) contribution to this measurement which is compatible with zero. This measurement provides the very first upper limit for fCMW, and in the 10-60% centrality interval it is found to be 26% (38%) at 95% (99.7%) confidence level.
The elliptic (v2), triangular (v3), and quadrangular (v4) flow coefficients of π±, K±, p+p¯¯¯, Λ+Λ¯¯¯¯, K0S, and the ϕ-meson are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV. Results obtained with the scalar product method are reported for the rapidity range |y|< 0.5 as a function of transverse momentum, pT, at different collision centrality intervals between 0-70%, including ultra-central (0-1%) collisions for π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯. For pT<3 GeV/c, the flow coefficients exhibit a particle mass dependence. At intermediate transverse momenta (3<pT<~8-10 GeV/c), particles show an approximate grouping according to their type (i.e., mesons and baryons). The ϕ-meson v2, which tests both particle mass dependence and type scaling, follows p+p¯¯¯ v2 at low pT and π± v2 at intermediate pT. The evolution of the shape of vn(pT) as a function of centrality and harmonic number n is studied for the various particle species. Flow coefficients of π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯ for pT<3 GeV/c are compared to iEBE-VISHNU and MUSIC hydrodynamical calculations coupled to a hadronic cascade model (UrQMD). The iEBE-VISHNU calculations describe the results fairly well for pT<2.5 GeV/c, while MUSIC calculations reproduce the measurements for pT<1 GeV/c. A comparison to vn coefficients measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV is also provided.
The elliptic (v2), triangular (v3), and quadrangular (v4) flow coefficients of π±, K±, p+p¯¯¯, Λ+Λ¯¯¯¯, K0S, and the ϕ-meson are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV. Results obtained with the scalar product method are reported for the rapidity range |y|< 0.5 as a function of transverse momentum, pT, at different collision centrality intervals between 0-70%, including ultra-central (0-1%) collisions for π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯. For pT<3 GeV/c, the flow coefficients exhibit a particle mass dependence. At intermediate transverse momenta (3<pT<~8-10 GeV/c), particles show an approximate grouping according to their type (i.e., mesons and baryons). The ϕ-meson v2, which tests both particle mass dependence and type scaling, follows p+p¯¯¯ v2 at low pT and π± v2 at intermediate pT. The evolution of the shape of vn(pT) as a function of centrality and harmonic number n is studied for the various particle species. Flow coefficients of π±, K±, and p+p¯¯¯ for pT<3 GeV/c are compared to iEBE-VISHNU and MUSIC hydrodynamical calculations coupled to a hadronic cascade model (UrQMD). The iEBE-VISHNU calculations describe the results fairly well for pT<2.5 GeV/c, while MUSIC calculations reproduce the measurements for pT<1 GeV/c. A comparison to vn coefficients measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV is also provided.
Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients with two- and multi-particle cumulants for inclusive charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 and 2.76 TeV are reported in the pseudorapidity range |η|<0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2<pT<50 GeV/c. The full data sample collected by the ALICE detector in 2015 (2010), corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.7 (2.0) μb−1 in the centrality range 0-80%, is analysed. Flow coefficients up to the sixth flow harmonic (v6) are reported and a detailed comparison among results at the two energies is carried out. The pT dependence of anisotropic flow coefficients and its evolution with respect to centrality and harmonic number n are investigated. An approximate power-law scaling of the form vn(pT)∼pn/3T is observed for all flow harmonics at low pT (0.2<pT<3 GeV/c). At the same time, the ratios vn/vn/mm are observed to be essentially independent of pT for most centralities up to about pT=10 GeV/c. Analysing the differences among higher-order cumulants of elliptic flow (v2), which have different sensitivities to flow fluctuations, a measurement of the standardised skewness of the event-by-event v2 distribution P(v2) is reported and constraints on its higher moments are provided. The Elliptic Power distribution is used to parametrise P(v2), extracting its parameters from fits to cumulants. The measurements are compared to different model predictions in order to discriminate among initial-state models and to constrain the temperature dependence of the shear viscosity to entropy-density ratio.
Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients with two- and multi-particle cumulants for inclusive charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 and 2.76 TeV are reported in the pseudorapidity range |η|<0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2<pT<50 GeV/c. The full data sample collected by the ALICE detector in 2015 (2010), corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.7 (2.0) μb−1 in the centrality range 0-80%, is analysed. Flow coefficients up to the sixth flow harmonic (v6) are reported and a detailed comparison among results at the two energies is carried out. The pT dependence of anisotropic flow coefficients and its evolution with respect to centrality and harmonic number n are investigated. An approximate power-law scaling of the form vn(pT)∼pn/3T is observed for all flow harmonics at low pT (0.2<pT<3 GeV/c). At the same time, the ratios vn/vn/mm are observed to be essentially independent of pT for most centralities up to about pT=10 GeV/c. Analysing the differences among higher-order cumulants of elliptic flow (v2), which have different sensitivities to flow fluctuations, a measurement of the standardised skewness of the event-by-event v2 distribution P(v2) is reported and constraints on its higher moments are provided. The Elliptic Power distribution is used to parametrise P(v2), extracting its parameters from fits to cumulants. The measurements are compared to different model predictions in order to discriminate among initial-state models and to constrain the temperature dependence of the shear viscosity to entropy-density ratio.
We report on the measurement of the inclusive J/ψ polarization parameters in pp collisions at a center of mass energy s√=8 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.23 pb−1. J/ψ resonances are reconstructed in their di-muon decay channel in the rapidity interval 2.5<y<4.0 and over the transverse-momentum interval 2<pT<15 GeV/c. The three polarization parameters (λθ, λφ, λθφ) are measured as a function of pT both in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames. The measured J/ψ polarization parameters are found to be compatible with zero within uncertainties, contrary to expectations from all available predictions. The results are compared with the measurement in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV.
We report on the measurement of the inclusive J/ψ polarization parameters in pp collisions at a center of mass energy s√=8 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.23 pb−1. J/ψ resonances are reconstructed in their di-muon decay channel in the rapidity interval 2.5<y<4.0 and over the transverse-momentum interval 2<pT<15 GeV/c. The three polarization parameters (λθ, λφ, λθφ) are measured as a function of pT both in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames. The measured J/ψ polarization parameters are found to be compatible with zero within uncertainties, contrary to expectations from all available predictions. The results are compared with the measurement in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV.
ϕ meson measurements provide insight into strangeness production, which is one of the key observables for the hot medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. ALICE measured ϕ production through its decay in muon pairs in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV in the intermediate transverse momentum range 2<pT<5 GeV/c and in the rapidity interval 2.5<y<4. The ϕ yield was measured as a function of the transverse momentum and collision centrality. The nuclear modification factor was obtained as a function of the average number of participating nucleons. Results were compared with the ones obtained via the kaon decay channel in the same pT range at midrapidity. The values of the nuclear modification factor in the two rapidity regions are in agreement within uncertainties.
ϕ meson measurements provide insight into strangeness production, which is one of the key observables for the hot medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. ALICE measured ϕ production through its decay in muon pairs in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV in the intermediate transverse momentum range 2<pT<5 GeV/c and in the rapidity interval 2.5<y<4. The ϕ yield was measured as a function of the transverse momentum and collision centrality. The nuclear modification factor was obtained as a function of the average number of participating nucleons. Results were compared with the ones obtained via the kaon decay channel in the same pT range at midrapidity. The values of the nuclear modification factor in the two rapidity regions are in agreement within uncertainties.
The production of prompt +c baryons has been measured at midrapidity in the transverse momentum interval 0 < pT < 1 GeV/c for the first time, in pp and p–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision √sNN = 5.02 TeV. The measurement was performed in the decay channel +c → pK0S by applying new decay reconstruction techniques using a Kalman-Filter vertexing algorithm and adopting a machine-learning approach for the candidate selection. The pT -integrated +c production cross sections in both collision systems were determined and used along with the measured yields in Pb–Pb collisions to compute the pT -integrated nuclear modification factors RpPb and RAA of +c baryons, which are compared to model calculations that consider nuclear modification of the parton distribution functions. The +c /D0 baryon-to-meson yield ratio is reported for pp and p–Pb collisions. Comparisons with models that include modified hadronization processes are presented, and the implications of the results on the understanding of charm hadronization in hadronic collisions are discussed. A significant (3.7σ) modification of the mean transverse momentum of + c baryons is seen in p–Pb collisions with respect to pp collisions, while the pT -integrated +c /D0 yield ratio was found to be consistent between the two collision systems within the uncertainties.
Long- and short-range correlations for pairs of charged particles are studied via two-particle angular correlations in pp collisions at s√=13 TeV and p−Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV. The correlation functions are measured as a function of relative azimuthal angle Δφ and pseudorapidity separation Δη for pairs of primary charged particles within the pseudorapidity interval |η|<0.9 and the transverse-momentum interval 1<pT<4 GeV/c. Flow coefficients are extracted for the long-range correlations (1.6<|Δη|<1.8) in various high-multiplicity event classes using the low-multiplicity template fit method. The method is used to subtract the enhanced yield of away-side jet fragments in high-multiplicity events. These results show decreasing flow signals toward lower multiplicity events. Furthermore, the flow coefficients for events with hard probes, such as jets or leading particles, do not exhibit any significant changes compared to those obtained from high-multiplicity events without any specific event selection criteria. The results are compared with hydrodynamic-model calculations, and it is found that a better understanding of the initial conditions is necessary to describe the results, particularly for low-multiplicity events.
Long- and short-range correlations for pairs of charged particles are studied via two-particle angular correlations in pp collisions at √sNN = 13 TeV and p–Pb collisions at √s = 5.02 TeV. The correlation functions are measured as a function of relative azimuthal angle ∆φ and pseudorapidity separation ∆η for pairs of primary charged particles within the pseudorapidity interval |η| < 0.9 and the transverse-momentum interval 1 < pT < 4 GeV/c. Flow coefficients are extracted for the long-range correlations (1.6 < |∆η| < 1.8) in various high-multiplicity event classes using the low-multiplicity template fit method. The method is used to subtract the enhanced yield of away-side jet fragments in high-multiplicity events. These results show decreasing flow signals toward lower multiplicity events. Furthermore, the flow coefficients for events with hard probes, such as jets or leading particles, do not exhibit any significant changes compared to those obtained from high-multiplicity events without any specific event selection criteria. The results are compared with hydrodynamic-model calculations, and it is found that a better understanding of the initial conditions is necessary to describe the results, particularly for low-multiplicity events.