We review the hadro-production data presently available on open charm and beauty absolute production cross-sections, collected by experiments at CERN, DESY and Fermilab. The published charm ...production cross-section values are updated, in particular for the “time evolution” of the branching ratios. These measurements are compared to LO pQCD calculations, as a function of the collision energy, using recent parameterisations of the parton distribution functions. We then estimate, including nuclear effects on the parton densities, the charm and beauty production cross-sections relevant for measurements at SPS and RHIC energies, in proton–proton, proton–nucleus and nucleus–nucleus collisions. The calculations are also compared with measurements of single D and B kinematical distributions, and
D
D
¯
pair correlations. We finish with two brief comments, concerning the importance of beauty production as a feed-down source of
J
/
ψ
production, and open charm measurements performed using leptonic decays.
We report on a precision measurement of low-mass muon pairs in 158 AGeV indium-indium collisions at the CERN SPS. A significant excess of pairs is observed above the yield expected from neutral meson ...decays. The unprecedented sample size of 360,000 dimuons and the good mass resolution of about 2% allow us to isolate the excess by subtraction of the decay sources. The shape of the resulting mass spectrum is consistent with a dominant contribution from pi+pi- -->rho -->mu+mu- annihilation. The associated space-time averaged spectral function shows a strong broadening, but essentially no shift in mass. This may rule out theoretical models linking hadron masses directly to the chiral condensate.
The NA60 experiment has studied J/ψ production in p–A collisions at 158 and 400 GeV, at the CERN SPS. Nuclear effects on the J/ψ yield have been estimated from the A-dependence of the production ...cross section ratios σJ/ψA/σJ/ψBe (A=Al, Cu, In, W, Pb, U). We observe a significant nuclear suppression of the J/ψ yield per nucleon–nucleon collision, with a larger effect at lower incident energy, and we compare this result with previous observations by other fixed-target experiments. An attempt to disentangle the different contributions to the observed suppression has been carried out by studying the dependence of nuclear effects on x2, the fraction of the nucleon momentum carried by the interacting parton in the target nucleus.
A golden age for heavy-quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The ...early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the
B
-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations at BESIII, the LHC, RHIC, FAIR, the Super Flavor and/or Tau–Charm factories, JLab, the ILC, and beyond. The list of newly found conventional states expanded to include
h
c
(1
P
),
χ
c
2
(2
P
),
, and
η
b
(1
S
). In addition, the unexpected and still-fascinating
X
(3872) has been joined by more than a dozen other charmonium- and bottomonium-like “
XYZ
” states that appear to lie outside the quark model. Many of these still need experimental confirmation. The plethora of new states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark–gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of
,
, and
bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. Lattice QCD has grown from a tool with computational possibilities to an industrial-strength effort now dependent more on insight and innovation than pure computational power. New effective field theories for the description of quarkonium in different regimes have been developed and brought to a high degree of sophistication, thus enabling precise and solid theoretical predictions. Many expected decays and transitions have either been measured with precision or for the first time, but the confusing patterns of decays, both above and below open-flavor thresholds, endure and have deepened. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark–gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The NA60 experiment has studied low-mass muon pair production in proton–nucleus collisions with a system of Be, Cu, In, W, Pb and U targets, using a 400 GeV proton beam at the CERN SPS. The ...transverse momentum spectra of the
ρ
/
ω
and
ϕ
mesons are measured in the full
p
T
range accessible, from
p
T
=
0
up to
2
GeV/c
. The nuclear dependence of the production cross sections of the
η
,
ω
and
ϕ
mesons has been found to be consistent with the power law
σ
pA
∝
A
α
, with the
α
parameter increasing as a function of
p
T
for all the particles, and an approximate hierarchy
α
η
≈
α
ϕ
>
α
ω
. The cross section ratios
σ
η
/
σ
ω
,
σ
ρ
/
σ
ω
and
σ
ϕ
/
σ
ω
have been studied as a function of the size A of the production target, and an increase of the
η
and
ϕ
yields relative to the
ω
is observed from p–Be to p–U collisions.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We present a selection of the first physics results from the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions, based on data collected at various beam energies during December 2009 and 2010. The ...measurements include particle production in the soft-QCD regime as well as high-
p
T spectra and correlations. Inclusive jet production and b-jet production have been studied down to
p
T below 20 GeV/
c, exploiting a novel technique based on the full reconstruction of the event (“particle flow”). Studies of heavy-flavour (open charm and beauty) production have profited from the excellent vertexing performance of the detector, which enables a precise reconstruction of the associated secondary vertices. This capability has also been used to measure the production of J/
ψ mesons promptly produced, independently from those coming from the decay of b hadrons. The production cross sections of the J/
ψ and ϒ states, in pp collisions at 7 TeV, have been measured in several rapidity intervals and down to very low
p
T.
The NA60 experiment studies muon pair production at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. In this Letter we report on a precision measurement of J/psi in In-In collisions. We have studied the J/psi ...centrality distribution, and we have compared it with the one expected if absorption in cold nuclear matter were the only active suppression mechanism. For collisions involving more than approximately 80 participant nucleons, we find that an extra suppression is present. This result is in qualitative agreement with previous Pb-Pb measurements by the NA50 experiment, but no theoretical explanation is presently able to coherently describe both results.
The level of “anomalous” charmonium suppression in high-energy heavy-ion collisions and its interpretation as a signal of quark-gluon plasma formation requires a robust understanding of charmonium ...production and absorption in proton-nucleus collisions. In a previous study we have shown that, contrary to common belief, the so-called
J
/
ψ
“absorption cross section”,
σ
a
b
s
J
/
ψ
, is not a “universal constant” but, rather, an effective parameter that depends very significantly on the charmonium rapidity and on the collision energy. Here we present ugraded Glauber calculations with the EPS09 parameterization of nuclear modifications of the parton densities. We confirm that the effective “absorption cross section” depends on the
J
/
ψ
kinematics and the collision energy. We also make further steps towards understanding the physics of the mechanisms behind the observed “cold nuclear matter” effects.
The NA60 experiment at the CERN SPS has studied low-mass dimuon production in 158A GeV In-In collisions. An excess of pairs above the known meson decays has been reported before. We now present ...precision results on the associated transverse momentum spectra. The slope parameter Teff extracted from the spectra rises with dimuon mass up to the rho, followed by a sudden decline above. While the initial rise is consistent with the expectations for radial flow of a hadronic decay source, the decline signals a transition to an emission source with much smaller flow. This may well represent the first direct evidence for thermal radiation of partonic origin in nuclear collisions.
NA60 results on thermal dimuons Arnaldi, R.; Banicz, K.; Borer, K. ...
European physical journal. C, Particles and fields,
06/2009, Letnik:
61, Številka:
4
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The NA60 experiment at the CERN SPS has measured muon pairs with unprecedented precision in 158
A
GeV In–In collisions. A strong excess of pairs above the known sources is observed in the whole ...mass region 0.2<
M
<2.6 GeV. The mass spectrum for
M
<1 GeV is consistent with a dominant contribution from
π
+
π
−
→
ρ
→
μ
+
μ
−
annihilation. The associated
ρ
spectral function shows a strong broadening, but essentially no shift in mass. For
M
>1 GeV, the excess is found to be prompt, not due to enhanced charm production, with pronounced differences to Drell–Yan pairs. The slope parameter
T
eff
associated with the transverse momentum spectra rises with mass up to the
ρ
, followed by a sudden decline above. The rise for
M
<1 GeV is consistent with radial flow of a hadronic emission source. The seeming absence of significant flow for
M
>1 GeV and its relation to parton–hadron duality is discussed in detail, suggesting a dominantly partonic emission source in this region. A comparison of the data to the present status of theoretical modeling is also contained. The accumulated empirical evidence, including also a Planck-like shape of the mass spectra at low
p
T
and the lack of polarization, is consistent with a global interpretation of the excess dimuons as thermal radiation. We conclude with first results on
ω
in-medium effects.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK