A
bstract
The production of J
/ψ
is measured at midrapidity (
|y| <
0
.
9) in proton-proton collisions at
s
= 5
.
02 and 13 TeV, through the dielectron decay channel, using the ALICE detector at the ...Large Hadron Collider. The data sets used for the analyses correspond to integrated luminosities of
L
int
= 19.4
±
0.4 nb
−
1
and
L
int
= 32.2
±
0.5 nb
−
1
at
s
= 5
.
02 and 13 TeV, respectively. The fraction of non-prompt J
/ψ
mesons, i.e. those originating from the decay of beauty hadrons, is measured down to a transverse momentum
p
T
= 2 GeV
/c
(1 GeV
/c
) at
s
= 5
.
02 TeV (13 TeV). The
p
T
and rapidity (
y
) differential cross sections, as well as the corresponding values integrated over
p
T
and
y
, are carried out separately for prompt and non-prompt J
/ψ
mesons. The results are compared with measurements from other experiments and theoretical calculations based on quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The shapes of the
p
T
and
y
distributions of beauty quarks predicted by state-of-the-art perturbative QCD models are used to extrapolate an estimate of the
b
b
¯
pair cross section at midrapidity and in the total phase space. The total
b
b
¯
cross sections are found to be
σ
b
b
¯
= 541
±
45 (stat
.
)
±
69
syst
.
−
12
+
10
(extr
.
)
μ
b and
σ
b
b
¯
= 218
±
37 (stat
.
)
±
31
syst
.
−
9.1
+
8.2
(extr
.
)
μ
b at
s
= 13 and 5.02 TeV, respectively. The value obtained from the combination of ALICE and LHCb measurements in pp collisions at
s
= 13 TeV is also provided.
This article reports on the inclusive production cross section of several quarkonium states,
J
/
ψ
,
ψ
(
2
S
)
,
Υ
(
1
S
)
,
Υ
(
2
S
)
, and
Υ
(
3
S
)
, measured with the ALICE detector at the LHC, ...in pp collisions at
s
=
5.02
TeV. The analysis is performed in the dimuon decay channel at forward rapidity (
2.5
<
y
<
4
). The integrated cross sections and transverse-momentum (
p
T
) and rapidity (
y
) differential cross sections for
J
/
ψ
,
ψ
(
2
S
)
,
Υ
(
1
S
)
, and the
ψ
(
2
S
)
-to-
J
/
ψ
cross section ratios are presented. The integrated cross sections, assuming unpolarized quarkonia, are:
σ
J
/
ψ
(
p
T
<
20
GeV/c) = 5.88 ± 0.03 ± 0.34
μ
b,
σ
ψ
(
2
S
)
(
p
T
<
12
GeV/c) = 0.87 ± 0.06 ± 0.10
μ
b,
σ
Υ
(
1
S
)
(
p
T
<
15
GeV/c) = 45.5 ± 3.9 ± 3.5 nb,
σ
Υ
(
2
S
)
(
p
T
<
15
GeV/c) = 22.4 ± 3.2 ± 2.7 nb, and
σ
Υ
(
3
S
)
(
p
T
<
15
GeV/c) = 4.9 ± 2.2 ± 1.0 nb, where the first (second) uncertainty is the statistical (systematic) one. For the first time, the cross sections of the three
Υ
states, as well as the
ψ
(
2
S
)
one as a function of
p
T
and
y
, are measured at
s
=
5.02
TeV at forward rapidity. These measurements also significantly extend the
J
/
ψ
p
T
reach and supersede previously published results. A comparison with ALICE measurements in pp collisions at
s
=
2.76
, 7, 8, and 13 TeV is presented and the energy dependence of quarkonium production cross sections is discussed. Finally, the results are compared with the predictions from several production models.
A
bstract
The first measurement of the e
+
e
−
pair production at low lepton pair transverse momentum (
p
T
,
ee
) and low invariant mass (
m
ee
) in non-central Pb–Pb collisions at
s
NN
= 5
.
02 TeV ...at the LHC is presented. The dielectron production is studied with the ALICE detector at midrapidity (
|η
e
| <
0
.
8) as a function of invariant mass (0.4
≤ m
ee
<
2
.
7 GeV/
c
2
) in the 50–70% and 70–90% centrality classes for
p
T
,
ee
<
0.1 GeV/
c
, and as a function of
p
T
,
ee
in three
m
ee
intervals in the most peripheral Pb–Pb collisions. Below a
p
T
,
ee
of 0.1 GeV/
c
, a clear excess of e
+
e
−
pairs is found compared to the expectations from known hadronic sources and predictions of thermal radiation from the medium. The
m
ee
excess spectra are reproduced, within uncertainties, by different predictions of the photon–photon production of dielectrons, where the photons originate from the extremely strong electromagnetic fields generated by the highly Lorentz-contracted Pb nuclei. Lowest-order quantum electrodynamic (QED) calculations, as well as a model that takes into account the impact-parameter dependence of the average transverse momentum of the photons, also provide a good description of the
p
T
,
ee
spectra. The measured
p
T
,
ee
2
of the excess
p
T
,
ee
spectrum in peripheral Pb–Pb collisions is found to be comparable to the values observed previously at RHIC in a similar phase-space region.
A
bstract
The production of J/
ψ
is measured as a function of charged-particle multiplicity at forward rapidity in proton-proton (pp) collisions at center-of-mass energies
s
= 5.02 and 13 TeV. The J/
...ψ
mesons are reconstructed via their decay into dimuons in the rapidity interval (2.5
< y <
4.0), whereas the charged-particle multiplicity density (d
N
ch
/
d
η
) is measured at midrapidity (
|η| <
1). The production rate as a function of multiplicity is reported as the ratio of the yield in a given multiplicity interval to the multiplicity-integrated one. This observable shows a linear increase with charged-particle multiplicity normalized to the corresponding average value for inelastic events (d
N
ch
/d
η
/〈d
N
ch
/d
η
〉), at both the colliding energies. Measurements are compared with available ALICE results at midrapidity and theoretical model calculations. First measurement of the mean transverse momentum (〈
p
T
〉) of J/
ψ
in pp collisions exhibits an increasing trend as a function of d
N
ch
/d
η
/〈d
N
ch
/d
η
〉 showing a saturation towards high charged-particle multiplicities.
A
bstract
The first measurements of elliptic flow of
π
±
, K
±
,
p
+
p
¯
,
K
S
0
,
Λ
+
Λ
¯
,
ϕ
,
Ξ
−
+
Ξ
¯
+
, and
Ω
−
+
Ω
¯
+
using multiparticle cumulants in Pb–Pb collisions at
s
NN
= 5
.
02 TeV ...are resented. Results obtained with two- (
v
2
{2}) and four-particle cumulants (
v
2
{4}) are shown as a function of transverse momentum,
p
T
, for various collision centrality intervals. Combining the data for both
v
2
{2} and
v
2
{4} also allows us to report the first measurements of the mean elliptic flow, elliptic flow fluctuations, and relative elliptic flow fluctuations for various hadron species. These observables probe the event-by-event eccentricity fluctuations in the initial state and the contributions from the dynamic evolution of the expanding quark–gluon plasma. The characteristic features observed in previous
p
T
-differential anisotropic flow measurements for identified hadrons with two-particle correlations, namely the mass ordering at low
p
T
and the approximate scaling with the number of constituent quarks at intermediate
p
T
, are similarly present in the four-particle correlations and the combinations of
v
2
{2} and
v
2
{4}. In addition, a particle species dependence of flow fluctuations is observed that could indicate a significant contribution from final state hadronic interactions. The comparison between experimental measurements and CoLBT model calculations, which combine the various physics processes of hydrodynamics, quark coalescence, and jet fragmentation, illustrates their importance over a wide
p
T
range.
A
bstract
The production of inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/
ψ
was studied for the first time at midrapidity (−1
.
37
< y
cms
<
0
.
43) in p-Pb collisions at
s
NN
= 8
.
16 TeV with the ALICE ...detector at the LHC. The inclusive J/
ψ
mesons were reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel in the transverse momentum (
p
T
) interval 0
< p
T
<
14 GeV/
c
and the prompt and non-prompt contributions were separated on a statistical basis for
p
T
>
2 GeV/
c
. The study of the J/
ψ
mesons in the dielectron channel used for the first time in ALICE online single-electron triggers from the Transition Radiation Detector, providing a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 689 ± 13
μ
b
−
1
. The proton-proton reference cross section for inclusive J/
ψ
was obtained based on interpolations of measured data at different centre-of-mass energies and a universal function describing the
p
T
-differential J/
ψ
production cross sections. The
p
T
-differential nuclear modification factors
R
pPb
of inclusive, prompt, and non-prompt J/
ψ
are consistent with unity and described by theoretical models implementing only nuclear shadowing.
A
bstract
Production of inclusive charmonia in pp collisions at center-of-mass energy of
s
= 13 TeV and p–Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of
s
NN
= 8
.
16 TeV is studied as a ...function of charged-particle pseudorapidity density with ALICE. Ground and excited charmonium states (
J/ψ
,
ψ
(2S)) are measured from their dimuon decays in the interval of rapidity in the center-of-mass frame 2
.
5
< y
cms
<
4
.
0 for pp collisions, and 2
.
03
< y
cms
<
3
.
53 and −4
.
46
< y
cms
<
−2
.
96 for p–Pb collisions. The charged-particle pseudorapidity density is measured around midrapidity (|
η
|
<
1
.
0). In pp collisions, the measured charged-particle multiplicity extends to about six times the average value, while in p-Pb collisions at forward (backward) rapidity a multiplicity corresponding to about three (four) times the average is reached. The
ψ
(2S) yield increases with the charged-particle pseudorapidity density. The ratio of
ψ
(2S) over
J/ψ
yield does not show a significant multiplicity dependence in either colliding system, suggesting a similar behavior of
J/ψ
and
ψ
(2S) yields with respect to charged-particle pseudorapidity density. Results for the
ψ
(2S) yield and its ratio with respect to
J/ψ
agree with available model calculations.
A
bstract
A measurement of inclusive, prompt, and non-prompt J/
ψ
production in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy
s
NN
= 5
.
02 TeV is presented. The inclusive J/
ψ
mesons ...are reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel at midrapidity down to a transverse momentum
p
T
= 0. The inclusive J/
ψ
nuclear modification factor
R
pPb
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
p
T
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
L
int
= 292
±
11
μ
b
−
1
, which is six times larger than the previous publications. The total uncertainty on the
p
T
-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
R
pPb
are compared with theoretical models that include various combinations of cold nuclear matter effects. From the non-prompt J/
ψ
production cross section, the
b
b
¯
production cross section at midrapidity,
d
σ
b
b
¯
/
d
y
, and the total cross section extrapolated over full phase space,
σ
b
b
¯
, are derived.
Abstract
In our Galaxy, light antinuclei composed of antiprotons and antineutrons can be produced through high-energy cosmic-ray collisions with the interstellar medium or could also originate from ...the annihilation of dark-matter particles that have not yet been discovered. On Earth, the only way to produce and study antinuclei with high precision is to create them at high-energy particle accelerators. Although the properties of elementary antiparticles have been studied in detail, the knowledge of the interaction of light antinuclei with matter is limited. We determine the disappearance probability of
$^{3}\overline{{{\rm{He}}}$$
3
He
¯
when it encounters matter particles and annihilates or disintegrates within the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. We extract the inelastic interaction cross section, which is then used as an input to the calculations of the transparency of our Galaxy to the propagation of
$^{3}\overline{{{\rm{He}}}$$
3
He
¯
stemming from dark-matter annihilation and cosmic-ray interactions within the interstellar medium. For a specific dark-matter profile, we estimate a transparency of about 50%, whereas it varies with increasing
$^{3}\overline{{{\rm{He}}}$$
3
He
¯
momentum from 25% to 90% for cosmic-ray sources. The results indicate that
$^{3}\overline{{{\rm{He}}}$$
3
He
¯
nuclei can travel long distances in the Galaxy, and can be used to study cosmic-ray interactions and dark-matter annihilation.
A
bstract
The production of
π
±
, K
±
, and
p
¯
p
is measured in pp collisions at
s
= 13 TeV in different topological regions of the events. Particle transverse momentum (
p
T
) spectra are measured ...in the “toward”, “transverse”, and “away” angular regions defined with respect to the direction of the leading particle in the event. While the toward and away regions contain the fragmentation products of the near-side and away-side jets, respectively, the transverse region is dominated by particles from the Underlying Event (UE). The relative transverse activity classifier,
R
T
=
N
T
/〈
N
T
〉, is used to group events according to their UE activity, where
N
T
is the measured charged-particle multiplicity per event in the transverse region and 〈
N
T
〉 is the mean value over all the analysed events. The first measurements of identified particle
p
T
spectra as a function of
R
T
in the three topological regions are reported. It is found that the yield of high transverse momentum particles relative to the
R
T
-integrated measurement decreases with increasing
R
T
in both the toward and the away regions, indicating that the softer UE dominates particle production as
R
T
increases and validating that
R
T
can be used to control the magnitude of the UE. Conversely, the spectral shapes in the transverse region harden significantly with increasing
R
T
. This hardening follows a mass ordering, being more significant for heavier particles. Finally, it is observed that the
p
T
-differential particle ratios
p
+
p
¯
/
π
+
+
π
−
and (K
+
+ K
−
)
/
(
π
+
+
π
−
) in the low UE limit (
R
T
→ 0) approach expectations from Monte Carlo generators such as PYTHIA 8 with Monash 2013 tune and EPOS LHC, where the jet-fragmentation models have been tuned to reproduce e
+
e
−
results.
