0000000000065525
AUTHOR
T. Antičić
Measurement of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays at midrapidity in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
The differential invariant yield as a function of transverse momentum (pT) of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured at midrapidity in central (0–10%), semi-central (30–50%) and peripheral (60–80%) lead–lead (Pb–Pb) collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV in the pT intervals 0.5–26 GeV/c (0–10% and 30–50%) and 0.5–10 GeV/c (60–80%). The production cross section in proton–proton (pp) collisions at s=5.02 TeV was measured as well in 0.5<pT<10 GeV/c and it lies close to the upper band of perturbative QCD calculation uncertainties up to pT=5 GeV/c and close to the mean value for larger pT. The modification of the electron yield with respect to what is expected for an inco…
HΛ3 and H‾Λ¯3 production in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
Abstract The production of the hypertriton nuclei H Λ 3 and H ‾ Λ ¯ 3 has been measured for the first time in Pb–Pb collisions at s NN = 2.76 TeV with the ALICE experiment at LHC. The p T -integrated H Λ 3 yield in one unity of rapidity, d N / d y × B . R . ( H Λ 3 → He 3 , π − ) = ( 3.86 ± 0.77 ( stat. ) ± 0.68 ( syst. ) ) × 10 − 5 in the 0–10% most central collisions, is consistent with the predictions from a statistical thermal model using the same temperature as for the light hadrons. The coalescence parameter B 3 shows a dependence on the transverse momentum, similar to the B 2 of deuterons and the B 3 of 3He nuclei. The ratio of yields S 3 = H Λ 3 / ( He 3 × Λ / p ) was measured to b…
ϒ production in p–Pb collisions at sNN=8.16 TeV
$\Upsilon$ production in p-Pb interactions is studied at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 8.16 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The measurement is performed reconstructing bottomonium resonances via their dimuon decay channel, in the centre-of-mass rapidity intervals $2.03 < y_{\rm{cms}} < 3.53$ and $-4.46 < y_{\rm{cms}} < -2.96$, down to zero transverse momentum. In this work, results on the inclusive $\Upsilon(1\rm{S})$ production cross section as a function of rapidity and transverse momentum are presented. The corresponding nuclear modification factor shows a suppression of the $\Upsilon(1\rm{S})$ yields with respect to pp collis…
Measurement of charged jet production cross sections and nuclear modification in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
Charged jet production cross sections in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the LHC are presented. Using the anti-kT algorithm, jets have been reconstructed in the central rapidity region from charged particles with resolution parameters R = 0.2 and R = 0.4. The reconstructed jets have been corrected for detector effects and the underlying event background. To calculate the nuclear modification factor, RpPb, of charged jets in p–Pb collisions, a pp reference was constructed by scaling previously measured charged jet spectra at √s = 7 TeV. In the transverse momentum range 20 ≤ pT, ch jet ≤ 120 GeV/c, RpPb is found to be consistent with unity, indicating th…
Soft-dielectron excess in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV
Physical review letters 127(4), 042302 (2021). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.042302
D -Meson Azimuthal Anisotropy in Midcentral Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
A.I. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (Yerevan Physics Institute) Foundation (ANSL), State Committee of Science and World Federation of Scientists (WFS), Armenia; Austrian Academy of Sciences and Nationalstiftung fur Forschung, Technologie und Entwicklung, Austria; Ministry of Communications and High Technologies, National Nuclear Research Center, Azerbaijan; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (Finep), and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), Brazil; Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MSTC), National Natural Science Foundation of …
Measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic rays above 10^18 eV using the Pierre Auger Observatory
We report a measurement of the flux of cosmic rays with unprecedented precision and Statistics using the Pierre Auger Observatory Based on fluorescence observations in coincidence with at least one Surface detector we derive a spectrum for energies above 10(18) eV We also update the previously published energy spectrum obtained with the surface detector array The two spectra are combined addressing the systematic uncertainties and, in particular. the influence of the energy resolution on the spectral shape The spectrum can be described by a broken power law E-gamma with index gamma = 3 3 below the ankle which is measured at log(10)(E-ankle/eV) = 18 6 Above the ankle the spectrum is describe…
Dielectron and heavy-quark production in inelastic and high-multiplicity proton–proton collisions at s=13TeV
The measurement of dielectron production is presented as a function of invariant mass and transverse momentum (pT) at midrapidity (|ye|<0.8) in proton–proton (pp) collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV. The contributions from light-hadron decays are calculated from their measured cross sections in pp collisions at s=7 TeV or 13 TeV. The remaining continuum stems from correlated semileptonic decays of heavy-flavour hadrons. Fitting the data with templates from two different MC event generators, PYTHIA and POWHEG, the charm and beauty cross sections at midrapidity are extracted for the first time at this collision energy: dσcc¯/dy|y=0=974±138(stat.)±140(syst.)±214(BR)μb and dσbb…
A search for point sources of EeV neutrons
A thorough search of the sky exposed at the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory reveals no statistically significant excess of events in any small solid angle that would be indicative of a flux of neutral particles from a discrete source. The search covers from −90◦ to +15◦ in declination using four different energy ranges above 1 EeV (1018 eV). The method used in this search is more sensitive to neutrons than to photons. The upper limit on a neutron flux is derived for a dense grid of directions for each of the four energy ranges. These results constrain scenarios for the production of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays in the Galaxy.
Measurement of the (anti-)3He elliptic flow in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV
The elliptic flow ( v 2 ) of (anti-) 3He is measured in Pb–Pb collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV in the transverse-momentum ( p T ) range of 2–6 GeV/c for the centrality classes 0–20%, 20–40%, and 40–60% using the event-plane method. This measurement is compared to that of pions, kaons, and protons at the same center-of-mass energy. A clear mass ordering is observed at low p T , as expected from relativistic hydrodynamics. The violation of the scaling of v 2 with the number of constituent quarks at low p T , already observed for identified hadrons and deuterons at LHC energies, is confirmed also for (anti-) 3He. The elliptic flow of (anti-) 3He is underestimated by the Blast-Wave model and overe…
J/ψElliptic Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions atsNN=2.76 TeV
We report on the first measurement of inclusive J/psi elliptic flow v(2) in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range 2.5 < y < 4.0. The dependence of the J/psi v(2) on the collision centrality and on the J/psi transverse momentum is studied in the range 0 <= p(T) < 10 GeV/c. For semicentral Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV, an indication of nonzero v(2) is observed with a largest measured value of v(2) = 0.116 +/-0.046(stat) +/- 0.029(syst) for J/psi in the transverse momentum range 2 <= p(T) < 4 GeV/c. The elliptic flow measurement complements the previously reported ALI…
Constraints on the origin of cosmic rays above 10^18 eV from large-scale anisotropy searches in data of the Pierre Auger Observatory
A thorough search for large-scale anisotropies in the distribution of arrival directions of cosmic rays detected above 10(18) eV at the Pierre Auger Observatory is reported. For the first time, these large-scale anisotropy searches are performed as a function of both the right ascension and the declination and expressed in terms of dipole and quadrupole moments. Within the systematic uncertainties, no significant deviation from isotropy is revealed. Upper limits on dipole and quadrupole amplitudes are derived under the hypothesis that any cosmic ray anisotropy is dominated by such moments in this energy range. These upper limits provide constraints on the production of cosmic rays above 10(…
Elliptic Flow of Electrons from Beauty-Hadron Decays in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
The elliptic flow of electrons from beauty hadron decays at midrapidity ($|y|$ $<$ 0.8) is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The azimuthal distribution of the particles produced in the collisions can be parameterized with a Fourier expansion, in which the second harmonic coefficient represents the elliptic flow, $v_{\rm 2}$. The $v_{\rm 2}$ coefficient is measured for the first time in transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) range 1.3-6 GeV/$c$ in the centrality class 30-50%. The measurement of electrons from beauty-hadron decays exploits their larger mean proper decay length $c\tau \approx$ 500 $\mu$m compared to that of charm had…
Elliptic flow of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The elliptic flow, $v_{2}$, of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity ($2.5 < y < 4$) is measured in Pb--Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$~=~2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The scalar product, two- and four-particle $Q$ cumulants and Lee-Yang zeros methods are used. The dependence of the $v_2$ of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays on the collision centrality, in the range 0--40\%, and on transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, is studied in the interval $3 < p_{\rm T} < 10$~GeV/$c$. A positive $v_2$ is observed with the scalar product and two-particle $Q$ cumulants in semi-central collisions (10--20\% and 20--40\% centrality classes) for the $p_{\rm T}$ int…
Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos at the Pierre Auger Observatory
The observation of ultrahigh energy neutrinos (UHE nu s) has become a priority in experimental astroparticle physics. UHE nu s can be detected with a variety of techniques. In particular, neutrinos can interact in the atmosphere (downward-going nu) or in the Earth crust (Earth-skimming nu), producing air showers that can be observed with arrays of detectors at the ground. With the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect these types of cascades. The distinguishing signature for neutrino events is the presence of very inclined showers produced close to the ground (i.e., after having traversed a large amount of atmosphere). In this work we review the procedure and …
Pseudorapidity Density of Charged Particles inp+PbCollisions atsNN=5.02 TeV
The charged-particle pseudorapidity density measured over four units of pseudorapidity in nonsingle-diffractive p + Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV is presented. The average value at midrapidity is measured to be 16.81 +/- 0.71 (syst), which corresponds to 2.14 +/- 0.17 (syst) per participating nucleon, calculated with the Glauber model. This is 16% lower than in nonsingle-diffractive pp collisions interpolated to the same collision energy and 84% higher than in d + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 0.2 TeV. The measured pseudorapidity density in p + Pb collisions is compared to model predictions and provides new constraints on the description of …
Measurement of ϒ(1S) Elliptic Flow at Forward Rapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
The first measurement of the Υ(1S) elliptic flow coefficient (v2) is performed at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4) in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The results are obtained with the scalar product method and are reported as a function of transverse momentum (pT) up to 15 GeV/c in the 5%–60% centrality interval. The measured Υ(1S)v2 is consistent with 0 and with the small positive values predicted by transport models within uncertainties. The v2 coefficient in 2 < pT < 15 GeV/c is lower than that of inclusive J/ψ mesons in the same pT interval by 2.6 standard deviations. These results, combined with earlier suppression measurements, are in agreement with…
Centrality, rapidity and transverse momentum dependence of J/ψ suppression in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The inclusive J/.nuclear modification factor (R-AA) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76TeVhas been measured by ALICE as a function of centrality in the e+ e-decay channel at mid-rapidity (| y| < 0.8) and as a function of centrality, transverse momentum and rapidity in the + -decay channel at forward-rapidity (2.5 < y < 4). The J/.yields measured in Pb-Pb are suppressed compared to those in ppcollisions scaled by the number of binary collisions. The RAAintegrated over a centrality range corresponding to 90% of the inelastic Pb-Pb cross section is 0.72 - 0.06(stat.) - 0.10(syst.) at mid-rapidity and 0.58 - 0.01(stat.) - 0.09(syst.) at forward-rapidity. At low transverse momentum, signi…
KS0andΛProduction in Pb-Pb Collisions atsNN=2.76 TeV
The ALICE measurement of K^0_S and {\Lambda} production at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV is presented. The transverse momentum (pT) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the pT range from 0.4 GeV/c (0.6 GeV/c for {\Lambda}) to 12 GeV/c. The pT dependence of the {\Lambda}/K^0_S ratios exhibits maxima in the vicinity of 3 GeV/c, and the positions of the maxima shift towards higher pT with increasing collision centrality. The magnitude of these maxima increases by almost a factor of three between most peripheral and most central Pb-Pb collisions. This baryon excess at intermediate pT is not observed in pp interactions at sqrt(s) = 0.9 Te…
Searches for transverse momentum dependent flow vector fluctuations in Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions at the LHC
The measurement of azimuthal correlations of charged particles is presented for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 2.76 TeV and p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. These correlations are measured for the second, third and fourth order flow vector in the pseudorapidity region $|��|<0.8$ as a function of centrality and transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ using two observables, to search for evidence of $p_{\rm T}$-dependent flow vector fluctuations. For Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV, the measurements indicate that $p_{\rm T}$-dependent fluctuations are only present for the second order flow vector. Similar results hav…
Flow dominance and factorization of transverse momentum correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC
Physical review letters 118(16), 162302 (2017). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.162302
Production of charged pions, kaons, and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb and inelastic pp collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
Mid-rapidity production of $\pi^{\pm}$, $\rm{K}^{\pm}$ and ($\bar{\rm{p}}$)p measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC, in Pb-Pb and inelastic pp collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV, is presented. The invariant yields are measured over a wide transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) range from hundreds of MeV/$c$ up to 20 GeV/$c$. The results in Pb-Pb collisions are presented as a function of the collision centrality, in the range 0$-$90%. The comparison of the $p_{\rm{T}}$-integrated particle ratios, i.e. proton-to-pion (p/$\pi$) and kaon-to-pion (K/$\pi$) ratios, with similar measurements in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV show no significant energy dependence. B…
The Lateral Trigger Probability function for the Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray Showers detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory
In this paper we introduce the concept of Lateral Trigger Probability (LTP) function, i.e., the probability for an Extensive Air Shower (EAS) to trigger an individual detector of a ground based array as a function of distance to the shower axis, taking into account energy, mass and direction of the primary cosmic ray. We apply this concept to the surface array of the Pierre Auger Observatory consisting of a 1.5 km spaced grid of about 1600 water Cherenkov stations. Using Monte Carlo simulations of ultra-high energy showers the LTP functions are derived for energies in the range between 1017 and 1019 eV and zenith angles up to 65. A parametrization combining a step function with an exponenti…
Harmonic decomposition of two particle angular correlations in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
Angular correlations between unidentified charged trigger (t) and associated (a) particles are measured by the ALICE experiment in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV for transverse momenta 0.25 p(T)(a). The shapes of the pair correlation distributions are studied in a variety of collision centrality classes between 0 and 50% of the total hadronic cross section for particles in the pseudorapidity interval |eta| 0.8, and are referred to as "long-range correlations". Fourier components V-n Delta equivalent to are extracted from the long-range azimuthal correlation functions. If particle pairs are correlated to one another through their individual correlation to a common symmetry plane, …
Inclusive quarkonium production at forward rapidity in pp collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathbf {\sqrt{s}=8}~$$\end{document}s=8TeV
We report on the inclusive production cross sections of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\mathrm{J}/\psi }$$\end{document}J/ψ, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\psi (\mathrm{2S})}$$\end{document}ψ(2S), \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepac…
Measurement of spin-orbital angular momentum interactions in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
The first evidence of spin alignment of vector mesons ($K^{*0}$ and $\phi$) in heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is reported. The spin density matrix element $\rho_{00}$ is measured at midrapidity ($|y| <$ 0.5) in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy ($\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$) of 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector. $\rho_{00}$ values are found to be less than 1/3 (1/3 implies no spin alignment) at low transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T} <$ 2 GeV/$c$) for $K^{*0}$ and $\phi$ at a level of 3$\sigma$ and 2$\sigma$, respectively. No significant spin alignment is observed for the $K^0_S$ meson (spin = 0) in Pb-Pb collisions and for the vector mesons in $pp$ collisions. The meas…
First measurement of coherent ρ0 photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Xe–Xe collisions at sNN=5.44 TeV
Abstract The first measurement of the coherent photoproduction of ρ 0 vector mesons in ultra-peripheral Xe–Xe collisions at s NN = 5.44 TeV is presented. This result, together with previous HERA γp data and γ–Pb measurements from ALICE, describes the atomic number (A) dependence of this process, which is particularly sensitive to nuclear shadowing effects and to the approach to the black-disc limit of QCD at a semi-hard scale. The cross section of the Xe + Xe → ρ 0 + Xe + Xe process, measured at midrapidity through the decay channel ρ 0 → π + π − , is found to be d σ / d y = 131.5 ± 5.6 ( stat . ) − 16.9 + 17.5 ( syst . ) mb. The ratio of the continuum to resonant contributions for the prod…
Charge separation relative to the reaction plane in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76 TeV
Measurements of charge-dependent azimuthal correlations with the ALICE detector at the LHC are reported for Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV. Two- and three-particle charge-dependent azimuthal correlations in the pseudorapidity range vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.8 are presented as a function of the collision centrality, particle separation in pseudorapidity, and transverse momentum. A clear signal compatible with a charge-dependent separation relative to the reaction plane is observed, which shows little or no collision energy dependence when compared to measurements at RHIC energies. This provides a new insight for understanding the nature of the charge-dependent azimuthal co…
Techniques for measuring aerosol attenuation using the Central Laser Facility at the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargue, Argentina, is designed to study the properties of ultra-high energy cosmic rays with energies above 10(18) eV. It is a hybrid facility that employs a Fluorescence Detector to perform nearly calorimetric measurements of Extensive Air Shower energies. To obtain reliable calorimetric information from the FD, the atmospheric conditions at the observatory need to be continuously monitored during data acquisition. In particular, light attenuation due to aerosols is an important atmospheric correction. The aerosol concentration is highly variable, so that the aerosol attenuation needs to be evaluated hourly. We use light from the Central Laser Facility, lo…
Multiplicity dependence of inclusive J/ψ production at midrapidity in pp collisions at s=13 TeV
Measurements of the inclusive J/ψ yield as a function of charged-particle pseudorapidity density dNch/dη in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with ALICE at the LHC are reported. The J/ψ meson yield is measured at midrapidity (|y| < 0.9) in the dielectron channel, for events selected based on the charged-particle multiplicity at midrapidity (|η| < 1) and at forward rapidity (−3.7 < η < −1.7 and 2.8 < η < 5.1); both observables are normalized to their corresponding averages in minimum bias events. The increase of the normalized J/ψ yield with normalized dNch/dη is significantly stronger than linear and dependent on the transverse momentum. The data are compared to theoretical predictions, which de…
Measurement of the low-energy antideuteron inelastic cross section
In this Letter, we report the first measurement of the inelastic cross section for antideuteron-nucleus interactions at low particle momenta, covering a range of $0.3 \leq p < 4$ GeV/$c$. The measurement is carried out using p-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV, recorded with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC and utilizing the detector material as an absorber for antideuterons and antiprotons. The extracted raw primary antiparticle-to-particle ratios are compared to the results from detailed ALICE simulations based on the GEANT4 toolkit for the propagation of antiparticles through the detector material. The analysis of th…
Long-range angular correlations of π, K and p in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
Angular correlations between unidentified charged trigger particles and various species of charged associated particles (unidentified particles, pions, kaons, protons and antiprotons) are measured by the ALICE detector in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV in the transverse-momentum range 0.3 < p(T) < 4 GeV/c. The correlations expressed as associated yield per trigger particle are obtained in the pseudorapidity range vertical bar n(lab)vertical bar < 0.8. Fourier coefficients are extracted from the long-range correlations projected onto the azimuthal angle difference and studied as a function of p(T) and in intervals of event multiplicity. In high-multipl…
Identifying clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared satellite data
We describe a new method of identifying night-time clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared data from the Imager instruments on the GOES-12 and GOES-13 satellites. We compare cloud. identifications resulting from our method to those obtained by the Central Laser Facility of the Auger Observatory. Using our new method we can now develop cloud probability maps for the 3000 km(2) of the Pierre Auger Observatory twice per hour with a spatial resolution of similar to 2.4 km by similar to 5.5 km. Our method could also be applied to monitor cloud cover for other ground-based observatories and for space-based observatories. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Scattering Studies with Low-Energy Kaon-Proton Femtoscopy in Proton-Proton Collisions at the LHC
The study of the strength and behaviour of the antikaon-nucleon ($\mathrm{\overline{K}N}$) interaction constitutes one of the key focuses of the strangeness sector in low-energy Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). In this letter a unique high-precision measurement of the strong interaction between kaons and protons, close and above the kinematic threshold, is presented. The femtoscopic measurements of the correlation function at low pair-frame relative momentum of (K$^+$ p $\oplus$ K$^-$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$) and (K$^-$ p $\oplus$ K$^+$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$) pairs measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5, 7 and 13 TeV are reported. A structure observed around a relative momentum of 58 Me…
ϕ-Meson production at forward rapidity in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV and in pp collisions at s=2.76 TeV
The first study of $\phi$-meson production in p–Pb collisions at forward and backward rapidity, at a nucleon– nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$= 5.02 TeV, has been performed with the ALICE apparatus at the LHC. The $\phi$-mesons have been identified in the dimuon decay channel in the transverse momentum ($p_T$) range 1 < $p_T$ < 7 GeV/c, both in the p-going (2.03 < y < 3.53) and the Pb-going (−4.46 < y < −2.96) directions — where $y$ stands for the rapidity in the nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass — the integrated luminosity amounting to 5.01 ± 0.19 nb$^{−1}$ and 5.81 ± 0.20 nb$^{−1}$ , respectively, for the two data samples. Differential cross sections as a function of transverse …
First Observation of an Attractive Interaction between a Proton and a Cascade Baryon
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. This Letter presents the first experimental observation of the attractive strong interaction between a proton and a multistrange baryon (hyperon) Ξ−. The result is extracted from two-particle correlations of combined p−Ξ−⊕¯p−¯Ξ+ pairs measured in p−Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV at the LHC with ALICE. The measured correlation function is compared with the prediction obtained assuming only an attractive Coulomb interaction and a stand…
ϒ production and nuclear modification at forward rapidity in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV
Abstract The production of ϒ mesons in Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair s NN = 5.02 TeV is measured with the muon spectrometer of the ALICE detector at the LHC. The yields as well as the nuclear modification factors are determined in the forward rapidity region 2.5 y 4.0 , as a function of rapidity, transverse momentum and collision centrality. The results show that the production of the ϒ ( 1S ) meson is suppressed by a factor of about three with respect to the production in proton–proton collisions. For the first time, a significant signal for the ϒ ( 2S ) meson is observed at forward rapidity, indicating a suppression stronger by about a factor 2–3 with respec…
Anisotropic Flow of Charged Particles in Pb-Pb Collisions atsNN=5.02 TeV
We report the first results of elliptic (v2), triangular (v3), and quadrangular (v4) flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √sNN=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurements are performed in the central pseudorapidity region |η|<0.8 and for the transverse momentum range 0.2<pT<5 GeV/c. The anisotropic flow is measured using two-particle correlations with a pseudorapidity gap greater than one unit and with the multiparticle cumulant method. Compared to results from Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV, the anisotropic flow coefficients v2, v3, and v4 are found to increase by (3.0±0.6)%, (4.3±1.4)%, …
Measuring KS0K± interactions using Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
We present the first measurements of femtoscopic correlations between the KS0 and K± particles in pp collisions at s=7 TeV measured by the ALICE experiment. The observed femtoscopic correlations are consistent with final-state interactions proceeding solely via the a0(980) resonance. The extracted kaon source radius and correlation strength parameters for KS0K− are found to be equal within the experimental uncertainties to those for KS0K+ . Results of the present study are compared with those from identical-kaon femtoscopic studies also performed with pp collisions at s=7 TeV by ALICE and with a KS0K± measurement in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV. Combined with the Pb–Pb results, our pp a…
Probing the radio emission from air showers with polarization measurements
The emission of radio waves from air showers has been attributed to the so-called geomagnetic emission process. At frequencies around 50 MHz this process leads to coherent radiation which can be observed with rather simple setups. The direction of the electric field induced by this emission process depends only on the local magnetic field vector and on the incoming direction of the air shower. We report on measurements of the electric field vector where, in addition to this geomagnetic component, another component has been observed which cannot be described by the geomagnetic emission process. The data provide strong evidence that the other electric field component is polarized radially wit…
Measurement of the Proton-Air Cross Section ats=57 TeVwith the Pierre Auger Observatory
We report a measurement of the proton-air cross section for particle production at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon of 57 TeV. This is derived from the distribution of the depths of shower maxima observed with the Pierre Auger Observatory: systematic uncertainties are studied in detail. Analyzing the tail of the distribution of the shower maxima, a proton-air cross section of [505 +/- 22(stat)(-36)(+28)(syst)] mb is found.
Investigation of the p–Σ0 interaction via femtoscopy in pp collisions
This Letter presents the first direct investigation of the p-$\Sigma^{0}$ interaction, using the femtoscopy technique in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV measured by the ALICE detector. The $\Sigma^{0}$ is reconstructed via the decay channel to $\Lambda \gamma$, and the subsequent decay of $\Lambda$ to p$\pi^-$. The photon is detected via the conversion in material to e$^{+}$e$^{-}$ pairs exploiting the unique capability of the ALICE detector to measure electrons at low transverse momenta. The measured p-$\Sigma^{0}$ correlation indicates a shallow strong interaction. The comparison of the data to several theoretical predictions obtained employing the $Correlation~Anal…
Search for point-like sources of ultra-high energy neutrinos at the pierre auger observatory and improved limit on the diffuse flux of tau neutrinos
The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory can detect neutrinos with energy Eν between 1017 eV and 1020 eV from point-like sources across the sky south of +55º and north of −65º declinations. A search has been performed for highly inclined extensive air showers produced by the interaction of neutrinos of all flavors in the atmosphere (downward-going neutrinos), and by the decay of tau leptons originating from tau neutrino interactions in Earth’s crust (Earth-skimming neutrinos). No candidate neutrinos have been found in data up to 2010 May 31. This corresponds to an equivalent exposure of ∼3.5 years of a full surface detector array for the Earth-skimming channel and ∼2 years…
Jet-associated deuteron production in pp collisions at s=13 TeV
Author(s): Acharya, S; Adamova, D; Adler, A; Adolfsson, J; Aglieri Rinella, G; Agnello, M; Agrawal, N; Ahammed, Z; Ahmad, S; Ahn, SU; Akbar, Z; Akindinov, A; Al-Turany, M; Albuquerque, DSD; Aleksandrov, D; Alessandro, B; Alfanda, HM; Alfaro Molina, R; Ali, B; Ali, Y; Alici, A; Alizadehvandchali, N; Alkin, A; Alme, J; Alt, T; Altenkamper, L; Altsybeev, I; Anaam, MN; Andrei, C; Andreou, D; Andronic, A; Angeletti, M; Anguelov, V; Anticic, T; Antinori, F; Antonioli, P; Apadula, N; Aphecetche, L; Appelshauser, H; Arcelli, S; Arnaldi, R; Arratia, M; Arsene, IC; Arslandok, M; Augustinus, A; Averbeck, R; Aziz, S; Azmi, MD; Badala, A; Baek, YW; Bai, X; Bailhache, R; Bala, R; Balbino, A; Baldisseri, …
Large-scale distribution of arrival directions of cosmic rays detected above 1018 eV at the Pierre Auger Observatory
A thorough search for large-scale anisotropies in the distribution of arrival directions of cosmic rays detected above 1018 eV at the Pierre Auger Observatory is presented. This search is performed as a function of both declination and right ascension in several energy ranges above 1018 eV, and reported in terms of dipolar and quadrupolar coefficients. Within the systematic uncertainties, no significant deviation from isotropy is revealed. Assuming that any cosmic-ray anisotropy is dominated by dipole and quadrupole moments in this energy range, upper limits on their amplitudes are derived. These upper limits allow us to test the origin of cosmic rays above 1018 eV from stationary Galactic …
Probing the Effects of Strong Electromagnetic Fields with Charge-Dependent Directed Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC
The first measurement at the LHC of charge-dependent directed flow ($v_{1}$) relative to the spectator plane is presented for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. Results are reported for charged hadrons and $\rm D^{0}$ mesons for the transverse momentum intervals $p_{\rm T}>0.2$ GeV/$c$ and $3<p_{\rm T}<$ 6 GeV/$c$ in the 5-40% and 10-40% centrality classes, respectively. The difference between the positively and negatively charged hadron $v_{1}$ has a positive slope as a function of pseudorapidity $\eta$, ${\rm d}\Delta{v_1}/{\rm d}\eta=$[1.68 $\pm$ 0.49 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.41 (syst.)] $\times 10^{-4}$. The same measurement for $\rm D^{0}$ and $\rm\bar{D}{}^0$ mesons yields a p…
Investigations of Anisotropic Flow Using Multiparticle Azimuthal Correlations in pp , p−Pb , Xe-Xe, and Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC
Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients (vn) and their cross-correlations using two- and multiparticle cumulant methods are reported in collisions of pp at √s=13 TeV, p−Pb at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √sNN=5.02 TeV, Xe-Xe at √sNN=5.44 TeV, and Pb-Pb at √sNN=5.02 TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. The multiplicity dependence of vn is studied in a very wide range from 20 to 3000 particles produced in the midrapidity region |η| v3>v4 is found in pp and p−Pb collisions, similar to that seen in large collision systems, while a weak v2 multiplicity dependence is observed relative to nucleus-nucleus collisions in the same multiplicity range. Using a novel subevent method, v…
Anisotropic flow of charged hadrons, pions and (anti-)protons measured at high transverse momentum in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The elliptic, v(2), triangular, v(3), and quadrangular, v(4), azimuthal anisotropic flow coefficients are measured for unidentified charged particles, pions, and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN = 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Results obtained with the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods are reported for the pseudo-rapidity range vertical bar eta vertical bar 8 GeV/c. The small p(T) dependence of the difference between elliptic flow results obtained from the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods suggests a common origin of flow fluctuations up to p(T) = 8 GeV/c. The magnitude of the (anti-)proton elliptic and triangular flo…
Antennas for the detection of radio emission pulses from cosmic-ray induced air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory.
The Pierre Auger Observatory is exploring the potential of the radio detection technique to study extensive air showers induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) addresses both technological and scientific aspects of the radio technique. A first phase of AERA has been operating since September 2010 with detector stations observing radio signals at frequencies between 30 and 80 MHz. In this paper we present comparative studies to identify and optimize the antenna design for the final configuration of AERA consisting of 160 individual radio detector stations. The transient nature of the air shower signal requires a detailed description of the antenna s…
Dielectron production in proton-proton and proton-lead collisions at √sNN=5.02TeV
The first measurements of dielectron production at midrapidity (|ηe| < 0.8) in proton–proton and proton–lead collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV at the LHC are presented. The dielectron cross section is measured with the ALICE detector as a function of the invariant mass mee and the pair transverse momentum pT, ee in the ranges mee < 3.5 GeV/c2 and pT, ee < 8 GeV/c, in both collision systems. In proton–proton collisions, the charm and beauty cross sections are determined at midrapidity from a fit to the data with two different event generators. This complements the existing dielectron measurements performed at √s = 7 and 13 TeV. The slope of the √s dependence of the three measurements is…
Charged kaon femtoscopic correlations inppcollisions ats=7 TeV
Correlations of two charged identical kaons (KchKch) are measured in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV by the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). One-dimensional (KKch)-K-ch correlation functions are constructed in three multiplicity and four transverse momentum ranges. The (KKch)-K-ch femtoscopic source parameters R and lambda are extracted. The (KKch)-K-ch correlations show a slight increase of femtoscopic radii with increasing multiplicity and a slight decrease of radii with increasing transverse momentum. These trends are similar to the ones observed for pi pi and K-s(0) K-s(0) correlations in pp and heavy-ion collisions. However at high multiplicities, there is an indica…
Measurement of pion, kaon and proton production in proton–proton collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sqrt{s} = 7$$\end{document}s=7 TeV
The measurement of primary \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\pi ^{\pm }$$\end{document}π±, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$K^{\pm }$$\end{document}K±, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrs…
Forward-central two-particle correlations in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 < |η| < 4.0) and associated particles in the cen
Ds+ meson production at central rapidity in proton–proton collisions at s=7 TeV
The pt-differential inclusive production cross section of the prompt charm-strange meson D_s in the rapidity range |y| phi pi, with phi -> KK, and its charge conjugate, about 480 D_s mesons were counted, after selection cuts, in the transverse momentum range 2
Linear and non-linear flow mode in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The second and the third order anisotropic flow, V2 and V3, are mostly determined by the corresponding initial spatial anisotropy coefficients, e2 and e3, in the initial density distribution. In addition to their dependence on the same order initial anisotropy coefficient, higher order anisotropic flow, Vn (n > 3), can also have a significant contribution from lower order initial anisotropy coefficients, which leads to mode-coupling effects. In this Letter we investigate the linear and non-linear modes in higher order anisotropic flow Vn for n = 4, 5, 6 with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurements are done for particles in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 0.8 and the…
Production of K\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{*}$$\end{document}∗(892)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{0}$$\end{document}0 and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\phi $$\end{document}ϕ(1020) in p–Pb collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sqrt{s_{{\text {NN}}}}$$\end{document}sNN = 5.02 TeV
The production of K\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{*}$$\end{document}∗(892)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{0}$$\end{document}0 and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage…
Suppression of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in central Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral collisions, corresponding to 0-5% and 70-80% of the hadronic Pb-Pb cross section. The measured charged particle spectra in |eta| < 0.8 and 0.3 < p(T) < 20 GeV/c are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same root s(NN), scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification factor R-AA. The result indicates only weak medium effects (R-AA approximate to 0.7) in peripheral collisions. In cen…
Two-pion Bose–Einstein correlations in central Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC. (C) 2010 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Azimuthally Differential Pion Femtoscopy in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
We present the first azimuthally differential measurements of the pion source size relative to the second harmonic event plane in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair of √sNN = 2.76 TeV. The measurements have been performed in the centrality range 0%-50% and for pion pair transverse momenta 0.2 < kT < 0.7 GeV/c. We find that the Rside and Rout radii, which characterize the pion source size in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the pion transverse momentum, oscillate out of phase, similar to what was observed at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The final-state source eccentricity, estimated via Rside oscillations, is found to be significantly sma…
Multiplicity dependence of light (anti-)nuclei production in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
The measurement of the deuteron and anti- deuteron production in the rapidity range −1 < y < 0 as a function of transverse momentum and event multiplicity in p–Pb collisions at √sNN= 5.02 TeV is presented. (Anti-)deuterons are identified via their specific energy loss dE/dxand via their time-of-flight. Their production in p–Pb collisions is compared to pp and Pb–Pb collisions and is discussed within the context of thermal and coalescence models. The ratio of integrated yields of deuterons to protons (d/p) shows a significant increase as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity of the event starting from values similar to those observed in pp collisions at low multiplicities and appro…
Production of 4He and 4He‾ in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76TeV at the LHC
Results on the production of 4 He and He‾4 nuclei in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76TeV in the rapidity range |y|<1 , using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0–10% central events are found to be dN/dyHe4=(0.8±0.4(stat)±0.3(syst))×10−6 and dN/dyHe‾4=(1.1±0.4(stat)±0.2(syst))×10−6 , respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature ( Tchem=156MeV ) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of He‾4/4He is 1.4±0.8(stat)±0.5(syst) .
Direct photon production in Pb–Pb collisions atsNN=2.76 TeV
Direct photon production at mid-rapidity in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV was studied in the transverse momentum range 0.9<pT<14 GeV/c. Photons were detected with the highly segmented electromagnetic calorimeter PHOS and via conversions in the ALICE detector material with the e+e− pair reconstructed in the central tracking system. The results of the two methods were combined and direct photon spectra were measured for the 0–20%, 20–40%, and 40–80% centrality classes. For all three classes, agreement was found with perturbative QCD calculations for pT≳5 GeV/c. Direct photon spectra down to pT≈1 GeV/c could be extracted for the 20–40% and 0–20% centrality classes. The significance of th…
Production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
Abstract The production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p–Pb collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV was studied for 2 p 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 centre-of-mass system (cms) 2.03 y cms 3.53 and − 4.46 y cms − 2.96 , respectively. The production cross sections and nuclear modification factors are presented as a function of transverse momentum ( p T ). At forward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity while at backward rapidity, in the interval 2.5 p T 3.5 GeV/c, it is above unity by more than 2σ. Th…
Exploration of jet substructure using iterative declustering in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at LHC energies
The ALICE collaboration at the CERN LHC reports novel measurements of jet substructure in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$= 7 TeV and central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. Jet substructure of track-based jets is explored via iterative declustering and grooming techniques. We present the measurement of the momentum sharing of two-prong substructure exposed via grooming, the $z_{\rm{g}}$, and its dependence on the opening angle, in both pp and Pb-Pb collisions. We also present the first measurement of the distribution of the number of branches obtained in the iterative declustering of the jet, which is interpreted as the number of its hard splittings. In Pb-Pb collisions, we…
Advanced functionality for radio analysis in the Offline software framework of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The advent of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) necessitates the development of a powerful framework for the analysis of radio measurements of cosmic ray air showers. As AERA performs ‘‘radio- hybrid’’ measurements of air shower radio emission in coincidence with the surface particle detectors and fluorescence telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the radio analysis functionality had to be incorporated in the existing hybrid analysis solutions for fluorescence and surface detector data. This goal has been achieved in a natural way by extending the existing Auger Offline software framework with radio functionality. In this article, we lay out the design, highlights and features …
Centrality dependence of the pseudorapidity density distribution for charged particles in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
We present the charged-particle pseudorapidity density in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02\,\mathrm{Te\kern-.25exV}$ in centrality classes measured by ALICE. The measurement covers a wide pseudorapidity range from $-3.5$ to $5$, which is sufficient for reliable estimates of the total number of charged particles produced in the collisions. For the most central (0-5%) collisions we find $21\,400\pm 1\,300$ while for the most peripheral (80-90%) we find $230\pm 38$. This corresponds to an increase of $(27\pm4)\%$ over the results at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76\,\mathrm{Te\kern-.25exV}$ previously reported by ALICE. The energy dependence of the total number of charged particles…
Multiharmonic Correlations of Different Flow Amplitudes in Pb-Pb Collisions at ...
The event-by-event correlations between three flow amplitudes are measured for the first time in Pb-Pb collisions, using higher-order symmetric cumulants. We find that different three-harmonic correlations develop during the collective evolution of the medium when compared to correlations that exist in the initial state. These new results cannot be interpreted in terms of previous lower-order flow measurements since contributions from two-harmonic correlations are explicitly removed in the new observables. A comparison to Monte Carlo simulations provides new and independent constraints for the initial conditions and system properties of nuclear matter created in heavy-ion collisions. © 2021…
Centrality and pseudorapidity dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density in Xe–Xe collisions at sNN=5.44TeV
In this Letter, the ALICE Collaboration presents the first measurements of the charged-particle multiplicity density, dNch/dη, and total charged-particle multiplicity, Nchtot, in Xe–Xe collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair of sNN=5.44TeV. The measurements are performed as a function of collision centrality over a wide pseudorapidity range of −3.5<η<5. The values of dNch/dη at mid-rapidity and Nchtot for central collisions, normalised to the number of nucleons participating in the collision (Npart) as a function of sNN follow the trends established in previous heavy-ion measurements. The same quantities are also found to increase as a function of Npart, and up …
Beauty production in pp collisions at s=2.76 TeV measured via semi-electronic decays
The ALICE Collaboration at the LHC reports measurement of the inclusive production cross section of electrons from semi-leptonic decays of beauty hadrons with rapidity |y|<0.8 and transverse momentum 1<pT<10 GeV/c, in pp collisions at s=2.76 TeV. Electrons not originating from semi-electronic decay of beauty hadrons are suppressed using the impact parameter of the corresponding tracks. The production cross section of beauty decay electrons is compared to the result obtained with an alternative method which uses the distribution of the azimuthal angle between heavy-flavour decay electrons and charged hadrons. Perturbative QCD predictions agree with the measured cross section within the exper…
First measurement of quarkonium polarization in nuclear collisions at the LHC
The polarization of inclusive J/$\psi$ and $\Upsilon(1{\rm S})$ produced in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV at the LHC is measured with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out by reconstructing the quarkonium through its decay to muon pairs in the rapidity region $2.5<y<4$ and measuring the polar and azimuthal angular distributions of the muons. The polarization parameters $\lambda_{\theta}$, $\lambda_{\phi}$ and $\lambda_{\theta\phi}$ are measured in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames, in the transverse momentum interval $2<p_{\rm T}<10$ GeV/$c$ and $p_{\rm T}<15$ GeV/$c$ for the J/$\psi$ and $\Upsilon(1{\rm S})$, respectively. The polarization parameter…
A search for anisotropy in the arrival directions of ultra high energy cosmic rays recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory
Observations of cosmic ray arrival directions made with the Pierre Auger Observatory have previously provided evidence of anisotropy at the 99% CL using the correlation of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) with objects drawn from the Véron-Cetty Véron catalog. In this paper we report on the use of three catalog independent methods to search for anisotropy. The 2pt–L, 2pt+ and 3pt methods, each giving a different measure of selfclustering in arrival directions, were tested on mock cosmic ray data sets to study the impacts of sample size and magnetic smearing on their results, accounting for both angular and energy resolutions. If the sources of UHECRs follow the same large scale structu…
Elliptic Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at
We report a precise measurement of the J/ψ elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The J/ψ mesons are reconstructed at midrapidity (|y|<0.9) in the dielectron decay channel and at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4.0) in the dimuon channel, both down to zero transverse momentum. At forward rapidity, the elliptic flow v2 of the J/ψ is studied as a function of the transverse momentum and centrality. A positive v2 is observed in the transverse momentum range 2<pT<8 GeV/c in the three centrality classes studied and confirms with higher statistics our earlier results at sNN=2.76 TeV in semicentral collisions. At midrapidity, the J/ψ v2 is investigated as …
Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter
Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, 6 x 10(19) eV. The anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less than 3.1 degrees from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc (using the Veron-Cetty and Veron 12th catalog). An updated measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009. The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more precise measurement. The correlating…
Measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum using hybrid events of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The energy spectrum of ultra-high energy cosmic rays above 10$^{18}$ eV is measured using the hybrid events collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory between November 2005 and September 2010. The large exposure of the Observatory allows the measurement of the main features of the energy spectrum with high statistics. Full Monte Carlo simulations of the extensive air showers (based on the CORSIKA code) and of the hybrid detector response are adopted here as an independent cross check of the standard analysis (Phys. Lett. B 685, 239 (2010)). The dependence on mass composition and other systematic uncertainties are discussed in detail and, in the full Monte Carlo approach, a region of confiden…
Transverse Momentum Distribution and Nuclear Modification Factor of Charged Particles inp+PbCollisions atsNN=5.02 TeV
The transverse momentum (pT) distribution of primary charged particles is measured in minimum bias (non-single-diffractive) p + Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-s = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The pT spectra measured near central rapidity in the range 0.5< p(T) < 20 GeV/c exhibit a weak pseudorapidity dependence. The nuclear modification factor R-pPb is consistent with unity for p(T) above 2 GeV/c. This measurement indicates that the strong suppression of hadron production at high p(T) observed in Pb + Pb collisions at the LHC is not due to an initial-state effect. The measurement is compared to theoretical calculations. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.082302
The exposure of the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is a detector for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. It consists of a surface array to measure secondary particles at ground level and a fluorescence detector to measure the development of air showers in the atmosphere above the array. The ‘‘hybrid” detection mode combines the information from the two subsystems. We describe the determination of the hybrid exposure for events observed by the fluorescence telescopes in coincidence with at least one water-Cherenkov detector of the surface array. A detailed knowledge of the time dependence of the detection operations is crucial for an accurate evaluation of the exposure. We discuss the relevance of monitoring data coll…
Measurement of quarkonium production at forward rapidity in \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathbf {pp}$$\end{document}pp collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathbf {\sqrt{s}=7}~$$\end{document}s=7TeV
The inclusive production cross sections at forward rapidity of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\mathrm{J}/\psi }$$\end{document}J/ψ, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\psi (\mathrm{2S})}$$\end{document}ψ(2S), \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} …
Centrality dependence of charged jet production in p–Pb collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$$\end{document}sNN = 5.02 TeV
Measurements of charged jet production as a function of centrality are presented for p–Pb collisions recorded at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sqrt{s_\mathrm {NN}}= 5.02$$\end{document}sNN=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector. Centrality classes are determined via the energy deposit in neutron calorimeters at zero degree, close to the beam direction, to minimise dynamical biases of the selection. The corresponding number of participants or binary nucleon–nucleon collisions is determined based on…
Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in sNN=2.76 TeV Pb–Pb collisions
We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semicentral √sNN = 2.76 TeV Pb–Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as vch jet 2 . Jet finding is performed employing the anti-kT algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero vch jet 2 is observed in semi-central …
Determination of the event collision time with the ALICE detector at the LHC
The European physical journal / Plus 132(2), 99 (2017). doi:10.1140/epjp/i2017-11279-1
Measurement of Z 0 -boson production at large rapidities in Pb–Pb collisions at
The production of Z0 bosons at large rapidities in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02TeV is reported. Z0 candidates are reconstructed in the dimuon decay channel (Z0→μ+μ−), based on muons selected with pseudo-rapidity −4.0 20GeV/c. The invariant yield and the nuclear modification factor, RAA, are presented as a function of rapidity and collision centrality. The value of RAA for the 0–20% central Pb–Pb collisions is 0.67±0.11(stat.)±0.03(syst.)±0.06(corr. syst.), exhibiting a deviation of 2.6σ from unity. The results are well-described by calculations that include nuclear modifications of the parton distribution functions, while the predictions using vacuum PDFs deviate from data by 2.3σ in the 0…
Performance of the ALICE VZERO system
ALICE is an LHC experiment devoted to the study of strongly interacting matter in proton-proton, proton--nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at ultra-relativistic energies. The ALICE VZERO system, made of two scintillator arrays at asymmetric positions, one on each side of the interaction point, plays a central role in ALICE. In addition to its core function as a trigger, the VZERO system is used to monitor LHC beam conditions, to reject beam-induced backgrounds and to measure basic physics quantities such as luminosity, particle multiplicity, centrality and event plane direction in nucleus-nucleus collisions. After describing the VZERO system, this publication presents its performance o…
Production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at high transverse momentum in Pb–Pb collisions atsNN=5.02and 2.76 TeV
Abstract Measurements of the production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in Pb–Pb collisions at s NN = 5.02 and 2.76 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC are reported. The nuclear modification factor R AA at s NN = 5.02 TeV is measured at forward rapidity ( 2.5 y 4 ) as a function of transverse momentum p T in central, semi-central, and peripheral collisions over a wide p T interval, 3 p T 20 GeV/c, in which muons from beauty-hadron decays are expected to take over from charm as the dominant source at high p T ( p T > 7 GeV/c). The R AA shows an increase of the suppression of the yields of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays with increasing centrality. A suppression by a fact…
Measurement of the Cross Section for Electromagnetic Dissociation with Neutron Emission in Pb-Pb Collisions atsNN=2.76 TeV
The first measurement of neutron emission in electromagnetic dissociation of Pb-208 nuclei at the LHC is presented. The measurement is performed using the neutron zero degree calorimeters of the ALICE experiment, which detect neutral particles close to beam rapidity. The measured cross sections of single and mutual electromagnetic dissociation of Pb nuclei at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV with neutron emission are sigma(singleEMD) = 187.4 +/- 0.2(stat)(-11.2)(+13.2) (syst) b and sigma(mutualEMD) = 5. 7 +/- 0.1(stat) +/- 0.4(syst) b, respectively. The experimental results are compared to the predictions from a relativistic electromagnetic dissociation model. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.252302
The ALICE Collaboration
The production of mesons containing strange quarks (KS, φ) and both singly and doubly strange baryons ( , , and − + +) are measured at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at √ s = 0.9 TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The results are obtained from the analysis of about 250 k minimum bias events recorded in 2009. Measurements of yields (dN/dy) and transverse momentum spectra at mid-rapidity for inelastic pp collisions are presented. For mesons, we report yields (〈dN/dy〉) of 0.184 ± 0.002(stat.) ± 0.006(syst.) for KS and 0.021 ± 0.004(stat.) ± 0.003(syst.) for φ. For baryons, we find 〈dN/dy〉 = 0.048 ± 0.001(stat.) ± 0.004(syst.) for , 0.047 ± 0.002(stat.) ± 0.005(syst.) for and 0.0101 ± 0.0…
Inclusive heavy-flavour production at central and forward rapidity in Xe–Xe collisions at TeV
The first measurements of the production of muons and electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in Xe–Xe collisions at sNN=5.44 TeV, using the ALICE detector at the LHC, are reported. The measurement of the nuclear modification factor RAA is performed as a function of transverse momentum pT in several centrality classes at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4) and midrapidity (|y|<0.8) for muons and electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays, respectively. A suppression by a factor up to about 2.5 compared to the binary-scaled pp reference is observed in central collisions at both central and forward rapidities. The RAA of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays is compared to previous measur…
Coherent ψ(2S) photo-production in ultra-peripheral Pb Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
We have performed the first measurement of the coherent ψ(2S) photo-production cross section in ultraperipheral Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC. This charmonium excited state is reconstructed via the ψ(2S) → l +l − and ψ(2S) → J/ψπ+π− decays, where the J/ψ decays into two leptons. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 22 μb−1. The cross section for coherent ψ(2S) production in the rapidity interval −0.9 < y < 0.9 is dσcoh ψ(2S)/dy = 0.83±0.19 stat+syst mb. The ψ(2S) to J/ψ coherent cross section ratio is 0.34+0.08 −0.07(stat + syst). The obtained results are compared to predictions from theoretical models.
Measurement of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV
The production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured as a function of transverse momentum (pT) in minimum-bias p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The measurement covers the pT interval 0.5 < pT < 12 GeV/c and the rapidity range −1.065 < ycms < 0.135 in the centre-of-mass reference frame. The contribution of electrons from background sources was subtracted using an invariant mass approach. The nuclear modification factor RpPb was calculated by comparing the pT-differential invariant cross section in p–Pb collisions to a pp reference at the same centre-of-mass energy, which was obtained by interpolating measurements at √s = 2.76 TeV an…
Measurement of the Depth of Maximum of Extensive Air Showers above 10(18) eV
We describe the measurement of the depth of maximum, Xmax, of the longitudinal development of air showers induced by cosmic rays. Almost four thousand events above 10¹⁸ eV observed by the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory in coincidence with at least one surface detector station are selected for the analysis. The average shower maximum was found to evolve with energy at a rate of (106⁺³⁵₋₂₁) g/cm²/decade below 1018.24 ± 0.05 eV and (24 ± 3) g/cm²/decade above this energy. The measured shower-to-shower fluctuations decrease from about 55 to 26 g/cm². The interpretation of these results in terms of the cosmic ray mass composition is briefly discussed.
Centrality determination of Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV with ALICE
This publication describes the methods used to measure the centrality of inelastic Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV per colliding nucleon pair with ALICE. The centrality is a key parameter in the study of the properties of QCD matter at extreme temperature and energy density, because it is directly related to the initial overlap region of the colliding nuclei. Geometrical properties of the collision, such as the number of participating nucleons and the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, are deduced from a Glauber model with a sharp impact parameter selection and shown to be consistent with those extracted from the data. The centrality determination provides …
Measurement of jet suppression in central Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The transverse momentum(p(T)) spectrum and nuclear modification factor (R-AA) of reconstructed jets in 0-10% and 10-30% central Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV were measured. Jets were reconstructed using the anti-k(T) jet algorithm with a resolution parameter of R = 0.2 from charged and neutral particles, utilizing the ALICE tracking detectors and Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMCal). The jet p(T) spectra are reported in the pseudorapidity interval of \eta(jet)\ 5 GeV/c to suppress jets constructed from the combinatorial background in Pb-Pb collisions. The leading charged particle requirement applied to jet spectra both in pp and Pb-Pb collisions had a negligible effect on the R-A…
Longitudinal and azimuthal evolution of two-particle transverse momentum correlations in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76TeV
This paper presents the first measurements of the charge independent (CI) and charge dependent (CD) two-particle transverse momentum correlators G2CI and G2CD in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76TeV by the ALICE collaboration. The two-particle transverse momentum correlator G2 was introduced as a measure of the momentum current transfer between neighboring system cells. The correlators are measured as a function of pair separation in pseudorapidity (Δη) and azimuth (Δφ) and as a function of collision centrality. From peripheral to central collisions, the correlator G2CI exhibits a longitudinal broadening while undergoing a monotonic azimuthal narrowing. By contrast, G2CD exhibits a narrowing alo…
Pion–kaon femtoscopy and the lifetime of the hadronic phase in Pb−Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
Abstract In this paper, the first femtoscopic analysis of pion–kaon correlations at the LHC is reported. The analysis was performed on the Pb–Pb collision data at s NN = 2.76 TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. The non-identical particle correlations probe the spatio-temporal separation between sources of different particle species as well as the average source size of the emitting system. The sizes of the pion and kaon sources increase with centrality, and pions are emitted closer to the centre of the system and/or later than kaons. This is naturally expected in a system with strong radial flow and is qualitatively reproduced by hydrodynamic models. ALICE data on pion–kaon emission asymm…
Centrality evolution of the charged-particle pseudorapidity density over a broad pseudorapidity range in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
State Committee of Science, World Federation of Scientists (WFS) and Swiss Fonds Kidagan, Armenia; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP), Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Chinese Ministry of Education (CMOE) and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MSTC); Ministry of Education and Youth of the Czech Republic; Danish Natural Science Research Council, the Carlsberg Foundation and the Danish National Research Foundation; The European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme; Helsinki Inst…
Measurements of inclusive jet spectra in pp and central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV
This article reports measurements of the pT- differential inclusive jet cross section in pp collisions at √s=5 .02TeV and the pT- differential inclusive jet yield in Pb-Pb 0–10% central collisions at√sNN =5.02TeV. Jets were reconstructed at midrapidity with the ALICE tracking detectors and electromagnetic calorimeter using the anti-kT algorithm. For ppcollisions, we report jet cross sections for jet resolution parameters R =0.1–0.6 over the range 20 < pT, jet < 140 GeV/c, as well as the jet cross-section ratios of different R and comparisons to two next-to-leading-order (NLO)– based theoretical predictions. For Pb-Pb collisions, we report the R=0.2 and R=0.4 jet spectra for 40 < pT, jet < 1…
Transverse-momentum and event-shape dependence of D-meson flow harmonics in Pb–Pb collisions at
A. I. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (Yerevan Physics Institute) Foundation (ANSL), State Committee of Science and World Federation of Scientists (WFS), Armenia; Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Science Fund (FWF): [M 2467-N36] and Nationalstiftung fur Forschung, Technologie und Entwicklung, Austria; Ministry of Communications and High Technologies, National Nuclear Research Center, Azerbaijan; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (Finep), Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil; Ministry of Education of China (MOEC), Ministry …
Centrality dependence ofπ,K, andpproduction in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV
In this paper measurements are presented of pi(+/-), K-+/-, p, and (p) over bar production at midrapidity (vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.5), in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV as a function of centrality. The measurement covers the transverse-momentum (p(T)) range from 100, 200, and 300 MeV/c up to 3, 3, and 4.6 GeV/c for pi, K, and p, respectively. The measured p(T) distributions and yields are compared to expectations based on hydrodynamic, thermal and recombination models. The spectral shapes of central collisions show a stronger radial flow than measured at lower energies, which can be described in hydrodynamic models. In peripheral collisions, the p(T) distributions are not…
Energy dependence of the transverse momentum distributions of charged particles in pp collisions measured by ALICE
Differential cross sections of charged particles in inelastic pp collisions as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ have been measured at $\sqrt{s}=$ 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV at the LHC. The $p_{\rm T}$ spectra are compared to NLO-pQCD calculations. Though the differential cross section for an individual $\sqrt{s}$ cannot be described by NLO-pQCD, the relative increase of cross section with $\sqrt{s}$ is in agreement with NLO-pQCD. Based on these measurements and observations, procedures are discussed to construct pp reference spectra at $\sqrt{s} =$ 2.76 and 5.02 TeV up to $p_{\rm T}$ = 50 GeV/$c$ as required for the calculation of the nuclear modification factor in nucleus-nucleus and proton-nucleus coll…
K*(892)0 and ϕ(1020) meson production at high transverse momentum in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The yields of the K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) resonances are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV through their hadronic decays using the ALICE detector. The measurements are performed in multiple centrality intervals at mid-rapidity (vertical bar y vertical bar <0.5) in the transverse-momentum ranges 0.3 <p(T) <5 GeV/c for the K*(892)(0) and 0.5 <p(T) <5 GeV/c for the phi(1020). The yields of K*(892)(0) are suppressed in central Pb-Pb collisions with respect to pp and peripheral Pb-Pb collisions (perhaps due to rescattering of its decay products in the hadronic medium), while the longer-lived phi(1020) meson is not suppressed. These particles are also used as probes to study …
Correlated Event-by-Event Fluctuations of Flow Harmonics in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
We report the measurements of correlations between event-by-event fluctuations of amplitudes of anisotropic flow harmonics in nucleus-nucleus collisions, obtained for the first time using a new analysis method based on multiparticle cumulants in mixed harmonics. This novel method is robust against systematic biases originating from non-flow effects and by construction any dependence on symmetry planes is eliminated. We demonstrate that correlations of flow harmonics exhibit a better sensitivity to medium properties than the individual flow harmonics. The new measurements are performed in Pb-Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}=2.76$ TeV by the…
Trigger and aperture of the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory consists of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, for the study of extensive airshowers (EAS) generated by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We describe the trigger hierarchy, from the identification of candidates howers at the level of a single detector, amongst a large background (mainly random single cosmic ray muons), up to the selection of real events and the rejection of random coincidences. Such trigger makes the surface detector array fully efficient for the detection of EAS with energy above 3 x 1018 eV, for all zenith angles between 03 and 603, independently of the position of the impact point and of the mass of the primary particl…
Multiplicity dependence of K*(892)0 and ϕ(1020) production in pp collisions at s=13 TeV
The striking similarities that have been observed between high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions and heavy-ion collisions can be explored through multiplicity-differential measurements of identified hadrons in pp collisions. With these measurements, it is possible to study mechanisms such as collective flow that determine the shapes of hadron transverse momentum ( pT ) spectra, to search for possible modifications of the yields of short-lived hadronic resonances due to scattering effects in an extended hadron-gas phase, and to investigate different explanations provided by phenomenological models for enhancement of strangeness production with increasing multiplicity. In this paper,…
Origin of atmospheric aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory using studies of air mass trajectories in South America
The Pierre Auger Observatory is making significant contributions towards understanding the nature and origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. One of its main challenges is the monitoring of the atmosphere, both in terms of its state variables and its optical properties. The aim of this work is to analyze aerosol optical depth $\tau_{\rm a}(z)$ values measured from 2004 to 2012 at the observatory, which is located in a remote and relatively unstudied area of the Pampa Amarilla, Argentina. The aerosol optical depth is in average quite low - annual mean $\tau_{\rm a}(3.5~{\rm km})\sim 0.04$ - and shows a seasonal trend with a winter minimum - $\tau_{\rm a}(3.5~{\rm km})\sim 0.03$ -, and a sum…
Centrality dependence of particle production inp−Pbcollisions atsNN=5.02TeV
We report measurements of the primary charged-particle pseudorapidity density and transverse momentum distributions in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 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 (N-part) or the number of nucleon-nucleon binary collisions (N-coll) are described. We show that, in contrast to Pb…
Description of atmospheric conditions at the Pierre Auger Observatory using the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS)
Atmospheric conditions at the site of a cosmic ray observatory must be known for reconstructing observed extensive air showers. The Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) is a global atmospheric model predicated on meteorological measurements and numerical weather predictions. GDAS provides altitude-dependent profiles of the main state variables of the atmosphere like temperature, pressure, and humidity. The original data and their application to the air shower reconstruction of the Pierre Auger Observatory are described. By comparisons with radiosonde and weather station measurements obtained on-site in Malargüe and averaged monthly models, the utility of the GDAS data is shown.
J/ production as a function of charged-particle pseudorapidity density in p–Pb collisions at
We report measurements of the inclusive J/ψ yield and average transverse momentum as a function of charged-particle pseudorapidity density dNch/dη in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The observables are normalised to their corresponding averages in non-single diffractive events. An increase of the normalised J/ψ yield with normalised dNch/dη, measured at mid-rapidity, is observed at mid-rapidity and backward rapidity. At forward rapidity, a saturation of the relative yield is observed for high charged-particle multiplicities. The normalised average transverse momentum at forward and backward rapidities increases with multiplicity at low multiplicities and saturates beyo…
Global baryon number conservation encoded in net-proton fluctuations measured in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
Experimental results are presented on event-by-event net-proton fluctuation measurements in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV, recorded by the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. These measurements have as their ultimate goal an experimental test of Lattice QCD (LQCD) predictions on second and higher order cumulants of net-baryon distributions to search for critical behavior near the QCD phase boundary. Before confronting them with LQCD predictions, account has to be taken of correlations stemming from baryon number conservation as well as fluctuations of participating nucleons. Both effects influence the experimental measurements and are usually not considered in theoretical calculations. For t…