The measurement of two-particle angular correlations is a powerful tool to study jet quenching in a $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ region inaccessible by direct jet identification. In these measurements ...pseudorapidity ($\Delta\eta$) and azimuthal ($\Delta\varphi$) differences are used to extract the shape of the near-side peak formed by particles associated to a higher $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ trigger particle ($1 < p_{\mathrm{T, trig}} <$ 8 GeV/c). A combined fit of the near-side peak and long-range correlations is applied to the data allowing the extraction of the centrality evolution of the peak shape in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. A significant broadening of the peak in the $\Delta\eta$ direction at low $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ is found from peripheral to central collisions, which vanishes above 4 GeV/c, while in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction the peak is almost independent of centrality. For the 10% most central collisions and $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, assoc}} <$ 2 GeV/c, $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, trig}} <$ 3 GeV/c a novel feature is observed: a depletion develops around the centre of the peak. The results are compared to pp collisions at the same centre of mass energy and to AMPT model simulations. The comparison to the investigated models suggests that the broadening and the development of the depletion is connected to the strength of radial and longitudinal flow.
The production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{{\textit s}_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV was studied for $2 < p_{\rm T} < 16$ GeV/$c$ with the ALICE detector at the CERN ...LHC. The measurement was performed at forward (p-going direction) and backward (Pb-going direction) rapidity, in the ranges of rapidity in the center-of-mass system (cms) $2.03<y_{\rm cms}<3.53$ and $-4.46<y_{\rm cms}<-2.96$, respectively. The production cross sections and nuclear modification factors are presented as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$). At forward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity while at backward rapidity, in the interval $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$, it is above unity by more than 2$\sigma$. The ratio of the forward-to-backward production cross sections is also measured in the overlapping interval $2.96 < \vert y_{\rm cms} \vert < 3.53$ and is smaller than unity by 3.7$\sigma$ in $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$. The data are described by model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects.
In two-particle angular correlation measurements, jets give rise to a near-side peak, formed by particles associated to a higher $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ trigger particle. Measurements of these correlations ...as a function of pseudorapidity ($\Delta\eta$) and azimuthal ($\Delta\varphi$) differences are used to extract the centrality and $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ dependence of the shape of the near-side peak in the $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ range $1 < p_{\mathrm{T}} <$ 8 GeV/c in Pb-Pb and pp collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. A combined fit of the near-side peak and long-range correlations is applied to the data and the peak shape is quantified by the variance of the distributions. While the width of the peak in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction is almost independent of centrality, a significant broadening in the $\Delta\eta$ direction is found from peripheral to central collisions. This feature is prominent for the low $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ region and vanishes above 4 GeV/c. The widths measured in peripheral collisions are equal to those in pp in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction and above 3 GeV/c in the $\Delta\eta$ direction. Furthermore, for the 10\% most central collisions and $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, assoc}} <$ 2 GeV/c, $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, trig}} <$ 3 GeV/c a departure from a Gaussian shape is found: a depletion develops around the centre of the peak. The results are compared to AMPT model simulations as well as other theoretical calculations indicating that the broadening and the development of the depletion is connected to the strength of radial and longitudinal flow.
The inclusive J/$\psi$ production has been studied in Pn-Pb and pp collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The ...J/$\psi$ meson is reconstructed, in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval $2.5<y<4$ and in the transverse-momentum range $p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$, via its decay to a muon pair. In this Letter, we present results on the inclusive J/$\psi$ cross section in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV and on the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The latter is presented as a function of the centrality of the collision and, for central collisions, as a function of the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ of the J/$\psi$. The measured $R_{\rm AA}$ values indicate a suppression of the J/$\psi$ in nuclear collisions and are then compared to our previous results obtained in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. The ratio of the $R_{\rm AA}$ values at the two energies is also computed and compared to calculations of statistical and dynamical models. The numerical value of the ratio for central events (0-10\% centrality) is $1.17 \pm 0.04 {\rm{(stat)}}\pm 0.20 {\rm{(syst)}}$. In central events, as a function of $p_{\rm T}$, a slight increase of $R_{\rm AA}$ with collision energy is visible in the region $2<p_{\rm T}<6$ GeV/$c$. Theoretical calculations provide a good description of the measurements, within uncertainties.
The production cross sections of the prompt charmed mesons ${\rm D^0}$, ${\rm D^+}$, ${\rm D^{*+}}$ and ${\rm D_s^+}$ were measured at mid-rapidity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass ...energy $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). D mesons were reconstructed from their decays ${\rm D}^0 \to {\rm K}^-\pi^+$, ${\rm D}^+\to {\rm K}^-\pi^+\pi^+$, ${\rm D}^{*+} \to {\rm D}^0 \pi^+$, ${\rm D_s^{+}\to \phi\pi^+\to K^-K^+\pi^+}$, and their charge conjugates. With respect to previous measurements in the same rapidity region, the coverage in transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) is extended and the uncertainties are reduced by a factor of about two. The accuracy on the estimated total $\rm c\overline c$ production cross section is likewise improved. The measured $p_{\rm T}$-differential cross sections are compared with the results of three perturbative QCD calculations.
The production of beauty hadrons was measured via semi-leptonic decays at mid-rapidity with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the transverse momentum interval $1<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in minimum-bias ...p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV and in $1.3<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in the 20% most central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. The pp reference spectra at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV and $\sqrt{s}=2.76$ TeV, needed for the calculation of the nuclear modification factors $R_{\rm pPb}$ and $R_{\rm PbPb}$, were obtained by a pQCD-driven scaling of the cross section of electrons from beauty-hadron decays measured at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV. The $R_{\rm PbPb}$ is about 0.7 with an uncertainty of about 30% in the interval $3<p_{\rm T}<6$ GeV/$c$ and 0.47 with an uncertainty of 25% in $6<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in Pb-Pb collisions. Below $p_{\rm T}=3$ GeV/$c$, the $R_{\rm PbPb}$ values increase with decreasing transverse momentum with systematic uncertainties of 30-45%. The $R_{\rm pPb}$ is consistent with unity within systematic uncertainties of about 20% at high $p_{\rm T}$, increasing at low $p_{\rm T}$, and is well described by theoretical calculations that include cold nuclear matter effects in p-Pb collisions. The measured $R_{\rm pPb}$ and these calculations indicate that cold nuclear matter effects are small at high transverse momentum also in Pb-Pb collisions. Therefore, the observed reduction of $R_{\rm PbPb}$ below unity for high $p_{\rm T}$ can be ascribed to an effect of the hot and dense medium formed in Pb-Pb collisions.
A detailed study of pseudorapidity densities and multiplicity distributions of primary charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions, at $\sqrt{s} =$ 0.9, 2.36, 2.76, 7 and 8 TeV, in the ...pseudorapidity range $|\eta|<2$, was carried out using the ALICE detector. Measurements were obtained for three event classes: inelastic, non-single diffractive and events with at least one charged particle in the pseudorapidity interval $|\eta|<1$. The use of an improved track-counting algorithm combined with ALICE's measurements of diffractive processes allows a higher precision compared to our previous publications. A KNO scaling study was performed in the pseudorapidity intervals $|\eta|<$ 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5. The data are compared to other experimental results and to models as implemented in Monte Carlo event generators PHOJET and recent tunes of PYTHIA6, PYTHIA8 and EPOS.
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles ($\mathrm{d}N_\mathrm{ch}/\mathrm{d}\eta$) at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions has been measured at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of ...$\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. It increases with centrality and reaches a value of $1943 \pm 54$ in $|\eta|<0.5$ for the 5% most central collisions. A rise in $\mathrm{d}N_\mathrm{ch}/\mathrm{d}\eta$ as a function of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ for the most central collisions is observed, steeper than that observed in proton-proton collisions and following the trend established by measurements at lower energy. The centrality dependence of $\mathrm{d}N_\mathrm{ch}/\mathrm{d}\eta$ as a function of the average number of participant nucleons, ${\langle N_\mathrm{part} \rangle}$, calculated in a Glauber model, is compared with the previous measurement at lower energy. A constant factor of about 1.2 describes the increase in $\frac{2}{\langle N_\mathrm{part} \rangle}\langle \mathrm{d}N_\mathrm{ch}/\mathrm{d}\eta \rangle$ from $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV to $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV for all centrality intervals, within the measured range of 0-80% centrality. The results are also compared to models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.
The multi-strange baryon yields in Pb--Pb collisions have been shown to exhibit an enhancement relative to pp reactions. In this work, $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ production rates have been measured with the ...ALICE experiment as a function of transverse momentum, ${p_{\rm T}}$, in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of ${\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The results cover the kinematic ranges 0.6 GeV/$c<{p_{\rm T}} <$7.2 GeV/$c$ and 0.8 GeV/$c<{p_{\rm T}}<$ 5 GeV/$c$, for $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ respectively, in the common rapidity interval -0.5 $<{y_{\rm CMS}}<$ 0. Multi-strange baryons have been identified by reconstructing their weak decays into charged particles. The ${p_{\rm T}}$ spectra are analysed as a function of event charged-particle multiplicity, which in p-Pb collisions ranges over one order of magnitude and lies between those observed in pp and Pb-Pb collisions. The measured ${p_{\rm T}}$ distributions are compared to the expectations from a Blast-Wave model. The parameters which describe the production of lighter hadron species also describe the hyperon spectra in high multiplicity p-Pb. The yield of hyperons relative to charged pions is studied and compared with results from pp and Pb-Pb collisions. A statistical model is employed, which describes the change in the ratios with volume using a canonical suppression mechanism, in which the small volume causes a species-dependent relative reduction of hadron production. The calculations, in which the magnitude of the effect depends on the strangeness content, show good qualitative agreement with the data.
The production of charged pions, kaons and (anti)protons has been measured at mid-rapidity ($-0.5 < y < 0$) in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. ...Exploiting particle identification capabilities at high transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$), the previously published $p_{\rm T}$ spectra have been extended to include measurements up to 20 GeV/$c$ for seven multiplicity event classes. The $p_{\rm T}$ spectra for pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV, needed to interpolate a pp reference spectrum, have also been extended up to 20 GeV/$c$ to measure the nuclear modification factor ($R_{\rm pPb}$) in non-single diffractive p-Pb collisions. At intermediate transverse momentum ($2 < p_{\rm T} < 10$ GeV/$c$) the proton-to-pion ratio increases with multiplicity in p-Pb collisions, a similar effect is not present in the kaon-to-pion ratio. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependent structure of such increase is qualitatively similar to those observed in pp and heavy-ion collisions. At high $p_{\rm T}$ ($>10$ GeV/$c$), the particle ratios are consistent with those reported for pp and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC energies. At intermediate $p_{\rm T}$ the (anti)proton $R_{\rm pPb}$ shows a Cronin-like enhancement, while pions and kaons show little or no nuclear modification. At high $p_{\rm T}$ the charged pion, kaon and (anti)proton $R_{\rm pPb}$ are consistent with unity within statistical and systematic uncertainties.
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