Heavy-ion collisions at the LHC Roland, G.; Šafařík, K.; Steinberg, P.
Progress in particle and nuclear physics,
07/2014, Volume:
77
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
A new era in the study of high-energy nuclear collisions began when the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) provided the first collisions of lead nuclei in late 2010. In the first three years of ...operation the ALICE, ATLAS and CMS experiments each collected Pb–Pb data samples of more than 50μb−1 at sNN=2.76TeV, exceeding the previously studied collision energies by more than an order of magnitude. These data have provided new insights into the properties of QCD matter under extreme conditions, with extensive measurements of soft particle production and newly accessible hard probes of the hot and dense medium. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the results obtained in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC so far, with particular emphasis on the complementary nature of the observations by the three experiments. In particular, the combination of ALICE’s strengths at hadron identification, the strengths of ATLAS and CMS to make precise measurements of high pT probes, and the resourceful measurements of collective flow by all of the experiments have provided a rich and diverse dataset in only a few years. While the basic paradigm established at RHIC — that of a hot, dense medium that flows with a viscosity to shear-entropy ratio near the predicted lower bound, and which degrades the energy of probes, such as jets, heavy-flavours and J/ψ — is confirmed at the LHC, the new data suggest many new avenues for extracting its properties in detail.
Track reconstruction in high density environment Ivanov, M.; Belikov, I.; Hristov, P. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
10/2006, Volume:
566, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
This article presents the reconstruction algorithm for the ALICE barrel detectors based on Kalman-filtering. The algorithm is able to cope with ambiguous measurements in high-density environments. It ...consists of the following parts: space point localization, track finding and track fitting, performed in parallel with secondary vertex (V0) and kink topology finding.
We discuss the motivation to study heavy-ion collisions at LHC, and the experimental conditions under which the detectors will have to operate. A short description of the ALICE detector under ...construction is given. Physics performance is illustrated on two examples, which will became accessible at LHC energies, jet quenching and heavy-flavour production.
The ALICE experiment, dedicated for heavy-ion collisions at the LHC, is taking data with proton–proton collisions since November 2009. This contribution summarizes initial operation and performance ...of the ALICE detector at the LHC as well as first results from pp collisions at 0.9 TeV and 7 TeV. The energy dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity and of the antiproton–proton production asymmetry at mid-rapidity is presented. The strangeness and charm production analysis is discussed.
Abstract We report on the inclusive $$\text {J}/\psi $$ J / ψ production cross section measured at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy ...$$\sqrt{s}~=~13$$ s = 13 TeV. The $$\text {J}/\psi $$ J / ψ mesons are reconstructed in the $$\text {e}^{+}\text {e}^{-}$$ e + e - decay channel and the measurements are performed at midrapidity ( $$|y|<0.9$$ | y | < 0.9 ) in the transverse-momentum interval $$0<p_{\mathrm{T}} <40$$ 0 < p T < 40 GeV/ $$c$$ c , using a minimum-bias data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity $$L_{\text {int}} = 32.2~\text {nb}^{-1}$$ L int = 32.2 nb - 1 and an Electromagnetic Calorimeter triggered data sample with $$L_{\text {int}} = 8.3~\mathrm {pb}^{-1}$$ L int = 8.3 pb - 1 . The $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T -integrated $$\text {J}/\psi $$ J / ψ production cross section at midrapidity, computed using the minimum-bias data sample, is $$\text {d}\sigma /\text {d}y|_{y=0} = 8.97\pm 0.24~(\text {stat})\pm 0.48~(\text {syst})\pm 0.15~(\text {lumi})~\mu \text {b}$$ d σ / d y | y = 0 = 8.97 ± 0.24 ( stat ) ± 0.48 ( syst ) ± 0.15 ( lumi ) μ b . An approximate logarithmic dependence with the collision energy is suggested by these results and available world data, in agreement with model predictions. The integrated and $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T -differential measurements are compared with measurements in pp collisions at lower energies and with several recent phenomenological calculations based on the non-relativistic QCD and Color Evaporation models.
Abstract Measurements of event-by-event fluctuations of charged-particle multiplicities in Pb–Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}$$ s NN $$=$$ = 2.76 TeV using the ALICE detector at the ...CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented in the pseudorapidity range $$|\eta |<0.8$$ | η | < 0.8 and transverse momentum $$0.2< p_{\mathrm{T}} < 2.0$$ 0.2 < p T < 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 $$\eta $$ η and $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T 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.
Abstract Two-particle Azimuthal correlations are measured with the ALICE apparatus in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s} = 13$$ s = 13 TeV to explore strangeness- and multiplicity-related effects in the ...fragmentation of jets and the transition regime between bulk and hard production, probed with the condition that a strange meson ( $$\mathrm {K_S}^{0}$$ K S 0 ) or baryon ( $$\Lambda $$ Λ ) with transverse momentum $$p_{\mathrm T} >3$$ p T > 3 GeV/ $$c$$ c is produced. Azimuthal correlations between kaons or $$\Lambda $$ Λ hyperons with other hadrons are presented at midrapidity for a broad range of the trigger ( $$3< p_\mathrm {T}^\mathrm {trigg} < 20$$ 3 < p T trigg < 20 GeV/ $$c$$ c ) and associated particle $$p_{\mathrm T}$$ p T (1 GeV/ $$c$$ c $$< p_\mathrm {T}^\mathrm {assoc} < p_\mathrm {T}^\mathrm {trigg} $$ < p T assoc < p T trigg ), for minimum-bias events and as a function of the event multiplicity. The near- and away-side peak yields are compared for the case of either $$\mathrm {K_S}^{0}$$ K S 0 or $$\Lambda $$ Λ ( $${\overline{\Lambda }}$$ Λ ¯ ) being the trigger particle with that of inclusive hadrons (a sample dominated by pions). In addition, the measurements are compared with predictions from PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC event generators.
Abstract The production of $$\phi $$ ϕ mesons has been studied in pp collisions at LHC energies with the ALICE detector via the dimuon decay channel in the rapidity region $$2.5< y < 4$$ 2.5 < y < 4 .... Measurements of the differential cross section $$\mathrm{d}^2\sigma /\mathrm{d}y \mathrm{d}p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ d 2 σ / d y d p T are presented as a function of the transverse momentum ( $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T ) at the center-of-mass energies $$\sqrt{s}=5.02$$ s = 5.02 , 8 and 13 TeV and compared with the ALICE results at midrapidity. The differential cross sections at $$\sqrt{s}=5.02$$ s = 5.02 and 13 TeV are also studied in several rapidity intervals as a function of $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T , and as a function of rapidity in three $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T intervals. A hardening of the $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T -differential cross section with the collision energy is observed, while, for a given energy, $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T spectra soften with increasing rapidity and, conversely, rapidity distributions get slightly narrower at increasing $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T . The new results, complementing the published measurements at $$\sqrt{s}=2.76$$ s = 2.76 and 7 TeV, allow one to establish the energy dependence of $$\phi $$ 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 $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T and rapidity at all the energies.
Abstract The first measurement of the production of pions, kaons, (anti-)protons and $$\phi $$ ϕ mesons at midrapidity in Xe–Xe collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.44~\text {TeV}$$ s NN = 5.44 ...TeV is presented. Transverse momentum ( $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T ) spectra and $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T -integrated yields are extracted in several centrality intervals bridging from p–Pb to mid-central Pb–Pb collisions in terms of final-state multiplicity. The study of Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions allows systems at similar charged-particle multiplicities but with different initial geometrical eccentricities to be investigated. A detailed comparison of the spectral shapes in the two systems reveals an opposite behaviour for radial and elliptic flow. In particular, this study shows that the radial flow does not depend on the colliding system when compared at similar charged-particle multiplicity. In terms of hadron chemistry, the previously observed smooth evolution of particle ratios with multiplicity from small to large collision systems is also found to hold in Xe–Xe. In addition, our results confirm that two remarkable features of particle production at LHC energies are also valid in the collision of medium-sized nuclei: the lower proton-to-pion ratio with respect to the thermal model expectations and the increase of the $$\phi $$ ϕ -to-pion ratio with increasing final-state multiplicity.
Abstract The multiplicity dependence of the pseudorapidity density of charged particles in proton–proton (pp) collisions at centre-of-mass energies $$\sqrt{s}~=~5.02$$ s = 5.02 , 7 and 13 TeV ...measured by ALICE is reported. The analysis relies on track segments measured in the midrapidity range ( $$|\eta | < 1.5$$ | η | < 1.5 ). Results are presented for inelastic events having at least one charged particle produced in the pseudorapidity interval $$|\eta |<1$$ | η | < 1 . The multiplicity dependence of the pseudorapidity density of charged particles is measured with mid- and forward rapidity multiplicity estimators, the latter being less affected by autocorrelations. A detailed comparison with predictions from the PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC event generators is also presented. The results can be used to constrain models for particle production as a function of multiplicity in pp collisions.
PDF