The transverse momentum (p(T)) dependence of the nuclear modification factor R-AA and the centrality dependence of the average transverse momentum <p(T)> for inclusive J/psi have been measured with ...ALICE for Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN = 2.76TeV in the e(+)e(-) decay channel at mid-rapidity (vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.8). The <p(T)> is significantly smaller than the one observed for pp collisions at the same centre-of-mass energy. Consistently, an increase of RAA is observed towards low p(T). These observations might be indicative of a sizable contribution of charm quark coalescence to the J/psi production. Additionally, the fraction of non-prompt J/psi from beauty hadron decays, f(B), has been determined in the region 1.5 < p(T) < 10 GeV/c in three centrality intervals. No significant centrality dependence of fB is observed. Finally, the RAA of non-prompt J/psi is discussed and compared with model predictions. The nuclear modification in the region 4.5 < p(T) < 10 GeV/c is found to be stronger than predicted by most models.
The elliptic flow coefficient (v(2)) of identified particles in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV was measured with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The results were ...obtained with the Scalar Product method, a two-particle correlation technique, using a pseudo-rapidity gap of |Delta eta| > 0.9 between the identified hadron under study and the reference particles. The v (2) is reported for pi(+/-), K-+/-, K-S(0), p+(p) over bar, phi, Lambda+(Lambda) over bar, Xi+(Xi) over bar (+) and Omega(-)+(Omega) over bar (+) in several collision centralities. In the low transverse momentum (p(T)) region, p(T) < 3 GeV/c, v(2)(p(T)) exhibits a particle mass dependence consistent with elliptic flow accompanied by the transverse radial expansion of the system with a common velocity field. The experimental data for pi (+/-) and the combined K-+/- and K-S(0) results, are described fairly well by hydrodynamic calculations coupled to a hadronic cascade model (VISHNU) for central collisions. However, the same calculations fail to reproduce the v(2)(p(T)) for p+(p) over bar, phi, Lambda+(Lambda) over bar, Xi+(Xi) over bar (+). For transverse momentum values larger than about 3 GeV/c, particles tend to group according to their type, i.e. mesons and baryons. The present measurements exhibit deviations from the number of constituent quark (NCQ) scaling at the level of +/- 20% for p(T) > 3 GeV/c.
We report measurements of the primary charged-particle pseudorapidity density and transverse momentum distributions in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV and investigate their correlation with ...experimental observables sensitive to the centrality of the collision. Centrality classes are defined by using different event-activity estimators, i.e., charged-particle multiplicities measured in three different pseudorapidity regions as well as the energy measured at beam rapidity (zero degree). The procedures to determine the centrality, quantified by the number of participants (Npart) or the number of nucleon-nucleon binary collisions (Ncoll) are described. We show that, in contrast to Pb-Pb collisions, in p-Pb collisions large multiplicity fluctuations together with the small range of participants available generate a dynamical bias in centrality classes based on particle multiplicity. We propose to use the zero-degree energy, which we expect not to introduce a dynamical bias, as an alternative event-centrality estimator. Based on zero-degree energy-centrality classes, the Npart dependence of particle production is studied. Under the assumption that the multiplicity measured in the Pb-going rapidity region scales with the number of Pb participants, an approximate independence of the multiplicity per participating nucleon measured at mid-rapidity of the number of participating nucleons is observed. Furthermore, at high-pT the p-Pb spectra are found to be consistent with the pp spectra scaled by Ncoll for all centrality classes. Our results represent valuable input for the study of the event-activity dependence of hard probes in p-Pb collisions and, hence, help to establish baselines for the interpretation of the Pb-Pb data.
In ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions, the event-by-event variation of the elliptic flow v2 reflects fluctuations in the shape of the initial state of the system. This allows to select events ...with the same centrality but different initial geometry. This selection technique, Event Shape Engineering, has been used in the analysis of charge-dependent √ two- and three-particle correlations in Pb–Pb collisions at $ \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV. The two-particle correlator cos(ϕα - ϕβ ), calculated for different combinations of charges α and β, is almost independent of v2 (for a given centrality), while the three-particle correlator cos(ϕα + ϕβ - 22) scales almost linearly both with the event v2 and charged-particle pseudorapidity density. The charge dependence of the three-particle correlator is often interpreted as evidence for the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME), a parity violating effect of the strong interaction. However, its measured dependence on v2 points to a large non-CME contribution to the correlator. Comparing the results with Monte Carlo calculations including a magnetic field due to the spectators, the upper limit of the CME signal contribution to the three-particle correlator in the 10–50% centrality interval is found to be 26–33% at 95% confidence level.
A measurement of beauty hadron production at mid-rapidity in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\mathbf{\sqrt{{ s}_{\text {NN}}}= 5.02}$ 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 b b ¯ production cross section at mid-rapidity, d σbb ¯/ d y, 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. RpPbis found to be smaller than unity at low pTfor both J / ψ coming from beauty hadron decays and prompt J / ψ.
The multiplicity and pseudorapidity distributions of inclusive photons have been measured at forward rapidities (2.3 < η < 3.9) in proton–proton collisions at three center-of-mass energies, √s = 0.9, ...2.76 and 7 TeV using the ALICE detector. It is observed that the increase in the average photon multiplicity as a function of beam energy is compatible with both a logarithmic and a power-law dependence. The relative increase in average photon multiplicity produced in inelastic pp collisions at 2.76 and 7 TeV center-of-mass energies with respect to 0.9 TeV are 37.2± 0.3% (stat) ± 8.8% (sys) and 61.2 ± 0.3 % (stat) ± 7.6% (sys), respectively. The photon multiplicity distributions for all center-of-mass energies are well described by negative binomial distributions. The multiplicity distributions are also presented in terms of KNO variables. The results are compared to model predictions, which are found in general to underestimate the data at large photon multiplicities, in particular at the highest center-of-mass energy. Limiting fragmentation behavior of photons has been explored with the data, but is not observed in the measured pseudorapidity range.