Technical design report for the upgrade of the ALICE inner tracking system
ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is studying the physics of strongly interacting matter, and in particular the properties of the Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP), using proton–proton, proton–nucleus and nucleus–nucleus collisions at the CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider). The ALICE Collaboration is preparing a major upgrade of the experimental apparatus, planned for installation in the second long LHC shutdown in the years 2018–2019. A key element of the ALICE upgrade is the construction of a new, ultra-light, high- resolution Inner Tracking System (ITS) based on monolithic CMOS pixel detectors. The primary focus of the ITS upgrade is on improving the performance for detection of heavy-flavour…
Systematic study of charged-pion and kaon femtoscopy in Au + Au collisions atsNN=200GeV
We present a systematic study of charged-pion and kaon interferometry in Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. The kaon mean source radii are found to be larger than pion radii in the outward and longitudinal directions for the same transverse mass; this difference increases for more central collisions. The azimuthal-angle dependence of the radii was measured with respect to the second-order event plane and similar oscillations of the source radii were found for pions and kaons. Hydrodynamic models qualitatively describe the similar oscillations of the mean source radii for pions and kaons, but they do not fully describe the transverse-mass dependence of the oscillations.
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 PromptD-Meson Production inp−PbCollisions atsNN=5.02 TeV
The p_{T}-differential production cross sections of the prompt charmed mesons D^{0}, D^{+}, D^{*+}, and D_{s}^{+} and their charge conjugate in the rapidity interval -0.96<y_{cms}<0.04 were measured in p-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The nuclear modification factor R_{pPb}, quantifying the D-meson yield in p-Pb collisions relative to the yield in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, is compatible within the 15%-20% uncertainties with unity in the transverse momentum interval 1<p_{T}<24 GeV/c. No significant difference among the R_{pPb} of the four D-meson species is observed. The results…
Cross section forbb¯production via dielectrons ind+ Au collisions atsNN=200GeV
We report a measurement of e+e− pairs from semileptonic heavy-flavor decays in d+Au collisions at sNN−−−√=200 GeV. By exploring the mass and transverse-momentum dependence of the yield, the bottom decay contribution can be isolated from charm, and quantified by comparison to pythia and mc@nlo simulations. The resulting bb¯-production cross section is σdAubb¯=1.37±0.28(stat)±0.46(syst) mb, which is equivalent to a nucleon-nucleon cross section of σNNbb=3.4±0.8(stat)±1.1(syst)μb.
Suppression of Λ(1520) resonance production in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
The production yield of the Λ(1520) baryon resonance is measured at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN = 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The measurement is performed in the Λ(1520)→pK− (and charge conjugate) hadronic decay channel as a function of the transverse momentum (pT) and collision centrality. The ratio of the pT-integrated production of Λ(1520) baryons relative to Λ baryons in central collisions is suppressed by about a factor of 2 with respect to peripheral collisions. This is the first observation of the suppression of a baryonic resonance at the LHC and the first 3σ evidence of Λ(1520) suppression within a single collision system. The mea…
Measurement ofΥ(1S+2S+3S)production inp+pand Au + Au collisions atsNN=200GeV
Measurements of bottomonium production in heavy-ion and p + p collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are presented. The inclusive yield of the three states, (1S + 2S + 3S), was measured in the PHENIX experiment via electron-positron decay pairs at midrapidity for Au + Au and p + p collisions at root sNN = 200 GeV. The (1S + 2S + 3S) -> e(+)e(-) differential cross section at midrapidity was found to be B(ee)d sigma/dy = 108 +/- 38 (stat) +/- 15 (syst) +/- 11 (luminosity) pb in p + p collisions. The nuclear modification factor in the 30% most central Au + Au collisions indicates a suppression of the total. state yield relative to the extrapolation from p + p collision data. …
Cross section and transverse single-spin asymmetry ofηmesons inp↑+pcollisions ats=200 GeVat forward rapidity
We present a measurement of the cross section and transverse single-spin asymmetry (AN) for. mesons at large pseudorapidity from root s = 200 GeV p up arrow + p collisions. The measured cross section for 0.5 = 0.061 +/- 0.014. The results are consistent with prior transverse single-spin measurements of forward eta and pi(0) mesons at various energies in overlapping x(F) ranges. Comparison of different particle species can help to determine the origin of the large observed asymmetries in p up arrow + p collisions.
Measurement of the relative yields of ψ(2S) to ψ(1S) mesons produced at forward and backward rapidity in p+p , p+Al , p+Au , and He3+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV
The PHENIX Collaboration has measured the ratio of the yields of ψ(2S) to ψ(1S) mesons produced in p+p, p+Al, p+Au, and He3+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV over the forward and backward rapidity intervals 1.2<|y|<2.2. We find that the ratio in p+p collisions is consistent with measurements at other collision energies. In collisions with nuclei, we find that in the forward (p-going or He3-going) direction, the relative yield of ψ(2S) mesons to ψ(1S) mesons is consistent with the value measured in p+p collisions. However, in the backward (nucleus-going) direction, the ψ(2S) meson is preferentially suppressed by a factor of ∼2. This suppression is attributed in some models to the breakup of the w…
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…
Cold-Nuclear-Matter Effects on Heavy-Quark Production at Forward and Backward Rapidity ind+AuCollisions atsNN=200 GeV
The PHENIX experiment has measured open heavy-flavor production via semileptonic decay over the transverse momentum range 1 < p(T) < 6 GeV/c at forward and backward rapidity (1.4 < vertical bar y vertical bar < 2.0) in d + Au and p + p collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. In central d + Au collisions, relative to the yield in p + p collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, a suppression is observed at forward rapidity (in the d-going direction) and an enhancement at backward rapidity (in the Au-going direction). Predictions using nuclear-modified-parton-distribution functions, even with additional nuclear-p(T) broadening, cannot simultaneously reproduce the data a…
Heavy-quark production and elliptic flow in Au + Au collisions atsNN=62.4GeV
We present measurements of electrons and positrons from the semileptonic decays of heavy-flavor hadrons at midrapidity (|y|< 0.35) in Au+Au collisions at sNN−−−−√=62.4 GeV. The data were collected in 2010 by the PHENIX experiment that included the new hadron-blind detector. The invariant yield of electrons from heavy-flavor decays is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 1<peT<5 GeV/c. The invariant yield per binary collision is slightly enhanced above the p+p reference in Au+Au 0%–20%, 20%–40%, and 40%–60% centralities at a comparable level. At this low beam energy this may be a result of the interplay between initial-state Cronin effects, final-state flow, and energy …
Performance of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC
ALICE is the heavy-ion experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The experiment continuously took data during the first physics campaign of the machine from fall 2009 until early 2013, using proton and lead-ion beams. In this paper we describe the running environment and the data handling procedures, and discuss the performance of the ALICE detectors and analysis methods for various physics observables.
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
Upgrade of the ALICE Experiment Letter Of Intent
ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is studying the physics of strongly interacting matter, and in particular the properties of the Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP), using proton–proton, proton–nucleus and nucleus–nucleus collisions at the CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider). The ALICE Collaboration is preparing a major upgrade of the experimental apparatus, planned for installation in the second long LHC shutdown in the years 2018–2019. These plans are presented in the ALICE Upgrade Letter of Intent, submitted to the LHCC (LHC experiments Committee) in September 2012. In order to fully exploit the physics reach of the LHC in this field, high- precision measurements of the heavy-flavour production…
Azimuthal anisotropy ofD-meson production in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV
The production of the prompt charmed mesons D0, D+, and D*+ relative to the reaction plane was measured in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision of √sNN=2.76TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decays at central rapidity in the transverse-momentum (p_T) interval 2–16 GeV/c. The azimuthal anisotropy is quantified in terms of the second coefficient v2 in a Fourier expansion of the D-meson azimuthal distribution and in terms of the nuclear modification factor R_AA, measured in the direction of the reaction plane and orthogonal to it. The v2 coefficient was measured with three different …
Low-momentum direct-photon measurement in Cu + Cu collisions at sNN=200GeV
We measured direct photons for pT<5GeV/c in minimum bias and 0%–40% most-central events at midrapidity for Cu+Cu collisions at sNN=200GeV. The e+e− contribution from quasireal direct virtual photons has been determined as an excess over the known hadronic contributions in the e+e− mass distribution. A clear enhancement of photons over the binary scaled p+p fit is observed for pT<4GeV/c in Cu+Cu data. The pT spectra are consistent with the Au+Au data covering a similar number of participants. The inverse slopes of the exponential fits to the excess after subtraction of the p+p baseline are 285±53(stat)±57(syst)MeV/c and 333±72(stat)±45(syst)MeV/c for minimum bias and 0%–40% most-central even…
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…
Centrality categorization forRp(d)+Ain high-energy collisions
High-energy proton- and deuteron-nucleus collisions provide an excellent tool for studying a wide array of physics effects, including modifications of parton distribution functions in nuclei, gluon saturation, and color neutralization and hadronization in a nuclear environment, among others. All of these effects are expected to have a significant dependence on the size of the nuclear target and the impact parameter of the collision, also known as the collision centrality. In this article, we detail a method for determining centrality classes in p(d) + A collisions via cuts on the multiplicity at backward rapidity (i.e., the nucleus-going direction) and for determining systematic uncertainti…
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…
Measurement of ϕ -meson production at forward rapidity in p+p collisions at s=510 GeV and its energy dependence from s=200 GeV to 7 TeV
The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured the differential cross section of φ(1020)-meson production at forward rapidity in p+p collisions at s=510 GeV via the dimuon decay channel. The partial cross section in the rapidity and pT ranges 1.2
Measurement of transverse energy at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV
We report the transverse energy ($E_{\mathrm T}$) measured with ALICE at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at ${\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}}$ = 2.76 TeV as a function of centrality. The transverse energy was measured using identified single particle tracks. The measurement was cross checked using the electromagnetic calorimeters and the transverse momentum distributions of identified particles previously reported by ALICE. The results are compared to theoretical models as well as to results from other experiments. The mean $E_{\mathrm T}$ per unit pseudorapidity ($\eta$), $\langle $d$E_{\mathrm T}/$d$\eta \rangle$, in 0-5% central collisions is 1737 $\pm$ 6(stat.) $\pm$ 97(sys.) GeV. We find a si…
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)%, …
Measurements of e+e− pairs from open heavy flavor in p+p and d+A collisions at sNN=200 GeV
We report a measurement of e+e− pairs from semileptonic heavy-flavor decays in p+p collisions at sNN=200 GeV. The e+e− pair yield from bb¯ and cc¯ is separated by exploiting a double differential fit done simultaneously in dielectron invariant mass and pT. We used three different event generators, pythia, mc@nlo, and powheg, to simulate the e+e− spectra from cc¯ and bb¯ production. The data can be well described by all three generators within the detector acceptance. However, when using the generators to extrapolate to 4π, significant differences are observed for the total cross section. These difference are less pronounced for bb¯ than for cc¯. The same model dependence was observed in alr…
Measurement of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavor hadron decays inppcollisions ats=2.76 TeV
The pT-differential production cross section of electrons from semileptonic decays of heavy-flavor hadrons has been measured at midrapidity in proton-proton collisions at s=2.76TeV in the transverse momentum range 0.5<pT<12GeV/c with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis was performed using minimum bias events and events triggered by the electromagnetic calorimeter. Predictions from perturbative QCD calculations agree with the data within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties.
Multiparticle azimuthal correlations for extracting event-by-event elliptic and triangular flow in Au + Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV
We present measurements of elliptic and triangular azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles detected at forward rapidity 1<|η|<3 in Au + Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, as a function of centrality. The multiparticle cumulant technique is used to obtain the elliptic flow coefficients v2{2},v2{4},v2{6}, and v2{8}, and triangular flow coefficients v3{2} and v3{4}. Using the small-variance limit, we estimate the mean and variance of the event-by-event v2 distribution from v2{2} and v2{4}. In a complementary analysis, we also use a folding procedure to study the distributions of v2 and v3 directly, extracting both the mean and variance. Implications for initial geometrical fluctuations and their …
Measurements of mass-dependent azimuthal anisotropy in central p + Au, d + Au, and He3 + Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV
We present measurements of the transverse- momentum dependence of elliptic flow v2 for identified pions and (anti)protons at midrapidity (|η|<0.35), in 0%–5% central p+Au and He3+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV. When taken together with previously published measurements in d+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, the results cover a broad range of small-collision-system multiplicities and intrinsic initial geometries. We observe a clear mass-dependent splitting of v2(pT) in d+Au and He3+Au collisions, just as in large nucleus-nucleus (A+A) collisions, and a smaller splitting in p+Au collisions. Both hydrodynamic and transport model calculations successfully describe the data at low pT (<1.5GeV/c), but …
Multi-particle azimuthal correlations in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider
Measurements of multi-particle azimuthal correlations (cumulants) for charged particles in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions are presented. They help address the question of whether there is evidence for global, flow-like, azimuthal correlations in the p-Pb system. Comparisons are made to measurements from the larger Pb-Pb system, where such evidence is established. In particular, the second harmonic two-particle cumulants are found to decrease with multiplicity, characteristic of a dominance of few-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions. However, when a $|\Delta \eta|$ gap is placed to suppress such correlations, the two-particle cumulants begin to rise at high-multiplicity, indicating the prese…
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…
Net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76TeV.
We report the first measurement of the net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV, measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The dynamical fluctuations per unit entropy are observed to decrease when going from peripheral to central collisions. An additional reduction in the amount of fluctuations is seen in comparison to the results from lower energies. We examine the dependence of fluctuations on the pseudo-rapidity interval, which may account for the dilution of fluctuations during the evolution of the system. We find that the ALICE data points are between the theoretically predicted values for a hadron gas and a Quark-Gluon Plasma.…
Measurement of the higher-order anisotropic flow coefficients for identified hadrons in Au + Au collisions atsNN=200GeV
Measurements of the anisotropic flow coefficients v2{Ψ2},v3{Ψ3},v4{Ψ4}, and v4{Ψ2} for identified particles (π±,K±, and p+p) at midrapidity, obtained relative to the event planes Ψm at forward rapidities in Au + Au collisions at sNN=200GeV, are presented as a function of collision centrality and particle transverse momenta pT. The vn coefficients show characteristic patterns consistent with hydrodynamical expansion of the matter produced in the collisions. For each harmonic n, a modified valence quark-number Nq scaling [plotting vn{Ψm}/(Nq)n/2 versus transverse kinetic energies (KET)/Nq] is observed to yield a single curve for all the measured particle species for a broad range of KET. A si…
Neutral pion and η meson production at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
Neutral pion and η meson production in the transverse momentum range 1 <pT< 20 GeV/c have been measured at midrapidity by the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in central and semicentral Pb-Pb collisions at sNN = 2.76 TeV. These results were obtained using the photon conversion method as well as the Photon Spectrometer (PHOS) and Electromagnetic Calorimeter detectors. The results extend the upper pT reach of the previous ALICE π0 measurements from 12 to 20 GeV/c and present the first measurement of η meson production in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC. The η/π0 ratio is similar for the two centralities and reaches at high pT a plateau value of 0.457 ± 0.013stat ± 0.018sys…
Inclusive cross section and double-helicity asymmetry forπ0production at midrapidity inp+pcollisions ats=510 GeV
PHENIX measurements are presented for the cross section and double-helicity asymmetry (A(LL)) in inclusive pi(0) production at midrapidity from p + p collisions at root s = 510 GeV from data taken in 2012 and 2013 at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The next-to-leading-order perturbative-quantum-chromodynamics theory calculation is in excellent agreement with the presented cross section results. The calculation utilized parton-to-pion fragmentation functions from the recent DSS14 global analysis, which prefer a smaller gluon-to-pion fragmentation function. The pi(0)A(LL) results follow an increasingly positive asymmetry trend with p(T) and root s with respect to the predictions and are …
Inclusive double-helicity asymmetries in neutral-pion and eta-meson production inp→+p→collisions ats=200 GeV
Results are presented from data recorded in 2009 by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider for the double-longitudinal spin asymmetry, A(LL), for pi(0) and eta production in root s = 200 GeV polarized p + p collisions. Comparison of the pi(0) results with different theory expectations based on fits of other published data showed a preference for small positive values of gluon polarization, Delta G, in the proton in the probed Bjorken x range. The effect of adding the new 2009 pi(0) data to a recent global analysis of polarized scattering data is also shown, resulting in a best fit Delta G(DSSV)([0.05,0.2]) = 0.06(-0.15)(+0.11) in the range 0.05 < x < 0.2, with the unce…
Low-mass vector-meson production at forward rapidity inp+pcollisions ats=200 GeV
The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured low-mass vector-meson ,omega, rho, and phi, production through the dimuon decay channel at forward rapidity (1.2 mu mu) = 80 +/- 6(stat) +/- 12(syst)nb and d sigma/dy(phi -> mu mu) = 27 +/- 3(stat) +/- 4(syst)nb. These results are compared with midrapidity measurements and calculations.
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…
One-dimensional charged kaon femtoscopy in p -Pb collisions at sNN = 5.02 TeV
The correlations of identical charged kaons were measured in p-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The femtoscopic invariant radii and correlation strengths were extracted from one-dimensional kaon correlation functions and were compared with those obtained in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at √s=7 TeV and √sNN=2.76 TeV, respectively. The presented results also complement the identical-pion femtoscopic data published by the ALICE collaboration. The extracted radii increase with increasing charged-particle multiplicity and decrease with increasing pair transverse momentum. At comparable multiplicities, the radii measured in p-Pb collisions are found to be close to tho…
Measurement of Long-Range Angular Correlation and Quadrupole Anisotropy of Pions and (Anti)Protons in Centrald+AuCollisions atsNN=200GeV
We present azimuthal angular correlations between charged hadrons and energy deposited in calorimeter towers in central d+Au and minimum bias p+p collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. The charged hadron is measured at midrapidity |η| 2.75 is observed in d+Au collisions. Using the event plane method applied to the Au-going energy distribution, we extract the anisotropy strength v_{2} for inclusive charged hadrons at midrapidity up to p_{T}=4.5 GeV/c. We also present the measurement of v_{2} for identified π^{±} and (anti)protons in central d+Au collisions, and observe a mass-ordering pattern similar to that seen in heavy-ion collisions. These results are compared with viscous hydrodynamic calc…
Kaon femtoscopy in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV
We present the results of three-dimensional femtoscopic analyses for charged and neutral kaons recorded by ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at √ s NN = 2.76 TeV. Femtoscopy is used to measure the space-time characteristics of particle production from the effects of quantum statistics and final-state interactions in two-particle correlations. Kaon femtoscopy is an important supplement to that of pions because it allows one to distinguish between different model scenarios working equally well for pions. In particular, we compare the measured three-dimensional kaon radii with a purely hydrodynamical calculation and a model where the hydrodynamic phase is followed by a hadronic rescattering stage. The…
Neutron emission from electromagnetic dissociation of Pb nuclei at $\sqrt {s_{NN}} = 2.76$ TeV measured with the ALICE ZDC
The ALICE Zero Degree Calorimeter system (ZDC) is composed of two identical sets of calorimeters, placed at opposite sides with respect to the interaction point, 114 meters away from it, complemented by two small forward electromagnetic calorimeters (ZEM). Each set of detectors consists of a neutron (ZN) and a proton (ZP) ZDC. They are placed at zero degrees with respect to the LHC axis and allow to detect particles emitted close to beam direction, in particular neutrons and protons emerging from hadronic heavy-ion collisions (spectator nucleons) and those emitted from electromagnetic processes. For neutrons emitted by these two processes, the ZN calorimeters have nearly 100% acceptance. Du…
Azimuthal anisotropy ofπ0andηmesons in Au + Au collisions atsNN=200GeV
The azimuthal anisotropy coefficients v2 and v4 of p 0 and. mesons are measured in Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV as a function of transverse momentum p(T) (1-14 GeV/c) and centrality. The extracted v(2) coefficients are found to be consistent between the two meson species over the measured p(T) range. The ratio of v(4)/v(2)(2) for pi(0) mesons is found to be independent of p(T) for 1- 9 GeV/c, implying a lack of sensitivity of the ratio to the change of underlying physics with p(T). Furthermore, the ratio of v(4)/v(2)(2) is systematically larger in central collisions, which may reflect the combined effects of fluctuations in the initial collision geometry and finite viscosity i…
Cross section and longitudinal single-spin asymmetry AL for forward W±→μ±ν production in polarized p+p collisions at s=510 GeV
We have measured the cross section and single-spin asymmetries from forward W±→μ±ν production in longitudinally polarized p+p collisions at s=510 GeV using the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The cross sections are consistent with previous measurements at this collision energy, while the most forward and backward longitudinal single spin asymmetries provide new insights into the sea quark helicities in the proton. The charge of the W bosons provides a natural flavor separation of the participating partons. © 2018 authors. Published by the American Physical Society.
Centrality Dependence of the Charged-Particle Multiplicity Density at Midrapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions atsNN=5.02 TeV
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles, dNch/dη, at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions has been measured at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √sNN=5.02 TeV. For the 5% most central collisions, we measure a value of 1943 ± 54. The rise in dNch/dη as a function of √sNN p is steeper than that observed in proton-proton collisions and follows the trend established by measurements at lower energy. The increase of dNch/dη as a function of the average number of participant nucleons, ⟨Npart⟩, calculated in a Glauber model, is compared with the previous measurement at √sNN=2.76 TeV. A constant factor of about 1.2 describes the increase in dNch/dη from √sNN=2.76 to 5.02 TeV for all cen…
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
Search for dark photons from neutral meson decays inp+pandd+Aucollisions atsNN=200 GeV
The standard model (SM) of particle physics is spectacularly successful, yet the measured value of the muon anomalous magnetic moment (g−2)μ deviates from SM calculations by 3.6σ. Several theoretical models attribute this to the existence of a “dark photon,” an additional U(1) gauge boson, which is weakly coupled to ordinary photons. The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has searched for a dark photon, U, in π0,η→γe+e− decays and obtained upper limits of O(2×10−6) on U−γ mixing at 90% C.L. for the mass range 30<mU<90 MeV/c2. Combined with other experimental limits, the remaining region in the U−γ mixing parameter space that can explain the (g−2)μ deviation from its SM…
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…
Two-particle differential transverse momentum and number density correlations in p−Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV and Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider
The production cross section and the transverse momentum distribution of charged particles is measured in pp collisions at √s = 2.76 TeV, 5.02 TeV, 7 TeV and 13 TeV, as well as for Pb-Pb collision at √s_NN = 5.02 TeV and Xe-Xe at √s_NN = 5.44 TeV in ALICE at the LHC. The measurement is performed in the transverse momentum region of 0.15 results show a faster-than-linear increase with the center-of-mass energy and follow a similar trend with respect to previous measurements. The analysis of the p_T spectra in multiplicity intervals show a weak center-of-mass energy dependence when they are compared to their respective inelastic (INEL) pp measurement. The average multiplicity as a function of…
Nonperturbative-transverse-momentum effects and evolution in dihadron and direct photon-hadron angular correlations in p+p collisions at s=510 GeV
Dihadron and isolated direct photon-hadron angular correlations are measured in $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=510$ GeV. Correlations of charged hadrons of $0.7<p_T<10$ GeV/$c$ with $\pi^0$ mesons of $4<p_T<15$ GeV/$c$ or isolated direct photons of $7<p_T<15$ GeV/$c$ are used to study nonperturbative effects generated by initial-state partonic transverse momentum and final-state transverse momentum from fragmentation. The nonperturbative behavior is characterized by measuring the out-of-plane transverse momentum component $p_{\rm out}$ perpendicular to the axis of the trigger particle, which is the high-$p_T$ direct photon or $\pi^0$. Nonperturbative evolution effects are extracted from …
Nuclear matter effects onJ/ψproduction in asymmetric Cu + Au collisions atsNN=200GeV
We report on J/psi production from asymmetric Cu + Au heavy-ion collisions at root S-NN = 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at both forward (Cu-going direction) and backward (Au-going direction) rapidities. The nuclear modification of J/psi yields in Cu + Au collisions in the Au-going direction is found to be comparable to that inAu + Au collisions when plotted as a function of the number of participating nucleons. In the Cu-going direction, J/psi production shows a stronger suppression. This difference is comparable in magnitude and has the same sign as the difference expected from shadowing effects due to stronger low-x gluon suppression in the larger Au nucleus.
Dielectron production in Au + Au collisions atsNN=200GeV
We present measurements of e+e- production at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV. The invariant yield is studied within the PHENIX detector acceptance over a wide range of mass (mee<5 GeV/c2) and pair transverse momentum (pT<5 GeV/c) for minimum bias and for five centrality classes. The e+e- yield is compared to the expectations from known sources. In the low-mass region (mee=0.30-0.76 GeV/c2) there is an enhancement that increases with centrality and is distributed over the entire pair pT range measured. It is significantly smaller than previously reported by the PHENIX experiment and amounts to 2.3±0.4(stat)±0.4(syst)±0.2(model) or to 1.7±0.3(stat)±0.3(syst)±0.2(model) for min…
Measurement ofKS0andK*0inp+p,d+Au, and Cu + Cu collisions atsNN=200 GeV
The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has performed a systematic study of K-S(0) and K*(0) meson production at midrapidity in p + p, d + Au, and Cu + Cu collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. The K-S(0) and K*(0) mesons are reconstructed via their K-S(0) -> pi(0)(-> gamma gamma) pi(0)(-> gamma gamma) and K*(0) -> K-+/-pi(-/+) decay modes, respectively. The measured transverse-momentum spectra are used to determine the nuclear modification factor of K-S(0) and K*(0) mesons in d + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at different centralities. In the d + Au collisions, the nuclear modification factor of K-S(0) and K*(0) mesons is almost constant as a function of transverse momentum a…
Centrality dependence of low-momentum direct-photon production inAu+Aucollisions atsNN=200 GeV
The PHENIX experiment at RHIC has measured the centrality dependence of the direct photon yield from Au+Au collisions at sNN−−−√=200 GeV down to pT=0.4 GeV/c. Photons are detected via photon conversions to e+e− pairs and an improved technique is applied that minimizes the systematic uncertainties that usually limit direct photon measurements, in particular at low pT. We find an excess of direct photons above the Ncoll-scaled yield measured in p+p collisions. This excess yield is well described by an exponential distribution with an inverse slope of about 240MeV/c in the pT range 0.6–2.0 GeV/c. While the shape of the pT distribution is independent of centrality within the experimental uncert…
Measurement of an Excess in the Yield ofJ/ψat Very LowpTin Pb–Pb Collisions atsNN=2.76 TeV
We report on the first measurement of an excess in the yield of J/ψ at very low transverse momentum (pT< 0.3 GeV/c) in peripheral hadronic Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV, performed by ALICE at the CERN LHC. Remarkably, the measured nuclear modification factor of J/ψ in the rapidity range 2.5< y< 4 reaches about 7 (2) in the pT range 0- 0.3 GeV/c in the 70-90% (50-70%) centrality class. The J/ψ production cross section associated with the observed excess is obtained under the hypothesis that coherent photoproduction of J/ψ is the underlying physics mechanism. If confirmed, the observation of J/ψ coherent photoproduction in Pb-Pb collisions at impact parameters smaller than twice the nuc…
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…
Charged-pion cross sections and double-helicity asymmetries in polarizedp+pcollisions ats=200 GeV
We present midrapidity charged-pion invariant cross sections, the ratio of the pi(-) to pi(+) cross sections and the charge-separated double-spin asymmetries in polarized p + p collisions at root s = p + 200 GeV. While the cross section measurements are consistent within the errors of next-to-leading-order (NLO) perturbative quantum chromodynamics predictions (pQCD), the same calculations overestimate the ratio of the charged-pion cross sections. This discrepancy arises from the cancellation of the substantial systematic errors associated with the NLO-pQCD predictions in the ratio and highlights the constraints these data will place on flavor-dependent pion fragmentation functions. The char…
Event-shape engineering for inclusive spectra and elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV
We report on results obtained with the event-shape engineering technique applied to Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV. By selecting events in the same centrality interval, but with very different average flow, different initial-state conditions can be studied. We find the effect of the event-shape selection on the elliptic flow coefficient v2 to be almost independent of transverse momentum pT, which is as expected if this effect is attributable to fluctuations in the initial geometry of the system. Charged-hadron, -pion, -kaon, and -proton transverse momentum distributions are found to be harder in events with higher-than-average elliptic flow, indicating an interplay between radial and ell…
Measurement of visible cross sections in proton-lead collisions at √sNN= 5.02 TeV in van der Meer scans with the ALICE detector
In 2013, the Large Hadron Collider provided proton-lead and lead-proton collisions at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV. Van der Meer scans were performed for both configurations of colliding beams, and the cross section was measured for two reference processes, based on particle detection by the T0 and V0 detectors, with pseudo-rapidity coverage $4.6<\eta< 4.9$, $-3.3<\eta<-3.0$ and $2.8<\eta< 5.1$, $-3.7<\eta<-1.7$, respectively. Given the asymmetric detector acceptance, the cross section was measured separately for the two configurations. The measured visible cross sections are used to calculate the integrated luminosity of the proton-lead and lead-…
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…
Particle identification in ALICE: a Bayesian approach
We present a Bayesian approach to particle identification (PID) within the ALICE experiment. The aim is to more effectively combine the particle identification capabilities of its various detectors. After a brief explanation of the adopted methodology and formalism, the performance of the Bayesian PID approach for charged pions, kaons and protons in the central barrel of ALICE is studied. PID is performed via measurements of specific energy loss ($\mathrm{d}E/\mathrm{d}x$) and time-of-flight. PID efficiencies and misidentification probabilities are extracted and compared with Monte Carlo simulations using high-purity samples of identified particles in the decay channels ${\rm K}^0_S \righta…
Centrality dependence of particle production inp−Pbcollisions atsNN=5.02TeV
We report measurements of the primary charged-particle pseudorapidity density and transverse momentum distributions in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV and investigate their correlation with experimental observables sensitive to the centrality of the collision. Centrality classes are defined by using different event-activity estimators, i.e., charged-particle multiplicities measured in three different pseudorapidity regions as well as the energy measured at beam rapidity (zero degree). The procedures to determine the centrality, quantified by the number of participants (N-part) or the number of nucleon-nucleon binary collisions (N-coll) are described. We show that, in contrast to Pb…
Measurements of Elliptic and Triangular Flow in High-MultiplicityHe3+AuCollisions atsNN=200 GeV
We present the first measurement of elliptic ($v_2$) and triangular ($v_3$) flow in high-multiplicity $^{3}$He$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. Two-particle correlations, where the particles have a large separation in pseudorapidity, are compared in $^{3}$He$+$Au and in $p$$+$$p$ collisions and indicate that collective effects dominate the second and third Fourier components for the correlations observed in the $^{3}$He$+$Au system. The collective behavior is quantified in terms of elliptic $v_2$ and triangular $v_3$ anisotropy coefficients measured with respect to their corresponding event planes. The $v_2$ values are comparable to those previously measured in $d$$+$Au collis…
Centrality dependence of the nuclear modification factor of charged pions, kaons, and protons in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV
Transverse momentum (pT) spectra of pions, kaons, and protons up to pT=20GeV/c have been measured in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76TeV using the ALICE detector for six different centrality classes covering 0%–80%. The proton-to-pion and the kaon-to-pion ratios both show a distinct peak at pT≈3GeV/c in central Pb-Pb collisions that decreases for more peripheral collisions. For pT>10GeV/c, the nuclear modification factor is found to be the same for all three particle species in each centrality interval within systematic uncertainties of 10%–20%. This suggests there is no direct interplay between the energy loss in the medium and the particle species composition in the hard core of the quenched…
Production of π0 and η mesons in Cu+Au collisions at sNN=200GeV
Production of π0 and η mesons has been measured at midrapidity in Cu+Au collisions at sNN=200GeV. Measurements were performed in π0(η)→γγ decay channel in the 1(2)-20GeV/c transverse momentum range. A strong suppression is observed for π0 and η meson production at high transverse momentum in central Cu+Au collisions relative to the p+p results scaled by the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions. In central collisions the suppression is similar to Au+Au with comparable nuclear overlap. The η/π0 ratio measured as a function of transverse momentum is consistent with mT-scaling parametrization down to pT=2GeV/c, its asymptotic value is constant and consistent with Au+Au and p+p and does not show…