0000000000104907
AUTHOR
L. Nellen
showing 156 related works from this author
Measurement of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays at midrapidity in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
2020
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
2019
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
2020
$\Upsilon$ 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
2015
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…
Deep-learning based reconstruction of the shower maximum X max using the water-Cherenkov detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2021
The atmospheric depth of the air shower maximum $X_{\mathrm{max}}$ is an observable commonly used for the determination of the nuclear mass composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Direct measurements of $X_{\mathrm{max}}$ are performed using observations of the longitudinal shower development with fluorescence telescopes. At the same time, several methods have been proposed for an indirect estimation of $X_{\mathrm{max}}$ from the characteristics of the shower particles registered with surface detector arrays. In this paper, we present a deep neural network (DNN) for the estimation of $X_{\mathrm{max}}$. The reconstruction relies on the signals induced by shower particles in the groun…
Soft-dielectron excess in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV
2021
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
2018
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
2010
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…
A search for point sources of EeV neutrons
2012
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
2020
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…
Constraints on the origin of cosmic rays above 10^18 eV from large-scale anisotropy searches in data of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2012
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
2021
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
2016
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
2013
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 …
Measurement of ϒ(1S) Elliptic Flow at Forward Rapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
2019
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…
Design, upgrade and characterization of the silicon photomultiplier front-end for the AMIGA detector at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2021
The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory would not have been possible without the strong commitment and effort from the technical and administrative staff in Malargue. We are very grateful to the following agencies and organizations for financial support: Argentina -Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica; Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica (ANPCyT); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET); Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza; Municipalidad de Malargue; NDM Holdings and Valle Las Lenas; in gratitude for their continuing cooperation over land access; Australia -the Australian Research Council; Braz…
A 3-Year Sample of Almost 1,600 Elves Recorded Above South America by the Pierre Auger Cosmic-Ray Observatory
2020
The time and location of the 1,598 verified and reconstructed elves, used for the analysis showcased in this paper, are publicly available on the website of the Pierre Auger Observatory (https://www.auger.org/ index.php/science/data). We wish to thank the World Wide Lightning Location Network (http://wwlln.net), a collaboration among over 50 universities and institutions, for providing the lightning location data used in this paper. We acknowledge Robert Marshall for providing one of the most advanced elve simulations to the public, a key tool in understanding the elves observed by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Ob…
Searches for transverse momentum dependent flow vector fluctuations in Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions at the LHC
2017
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
2017
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
2020
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
2011
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…
Pseudorapidity dependence of the anisotropic flow of charged particles in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2016
We present measurements of the elliptic ($\mathrm{v}_2$), triangular ($\mathrm{v}_3$) and quadrangular ($\mathrm{v}_4$) anisotropic azimuthal flow over a wide range of pseudorapidities ($-3.5< \eta < 5$). The measurements are performed with Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}} = 2.76$ TeV using the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The flow harmonics are obtained using two- and four-particle correlations from nine different centrality intervals covering central to peripheral collisions. We find that the shape of $\mathrm{v}_n(\eta)$ is largely independent of centrality for the flow harmonics $n=2-4$, however the higher harmonics fall off more steeply with increasing $|…
Measurement of spin-orbital angular momentum interactions in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
2020
The first evidence of spin alignment of vector mesons ($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
2021
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…
Techniques for measuring aerosol attenuation using the Central Laser Facility at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2013
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
2020
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
2020
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…
Identifying clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared satellite data
2013
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
2020
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
2017
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
2019
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
2021
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
2016
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
2019
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…
Search for signatures of magnetically-induced alignment in the arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
2011
We present the results of an analysis of data recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory in which we search for groups of directionally-aligned events (or ‘multiplets’) which exhibit a correlation between arrival direc- tion and the inverse of the energy. These signatures are expected from sets of events coming from the same source after having been deflected by intervening coherent magnetic fields. The observation of several events from the same source would open the possibility to accurately reconstruct the position of the source and also measure the integral of the component of the magnetic field orthogonal to the trajectory of the cos- mic rays. We describe the largest multiplets found an…
Probing the radio emission from air showers with polarization measurements
2014
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…
Search for weakly decaying Λn‾ and ΛΛ exotic bound states in central Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2016
We present results of a search for two hypothetical strange dibaryon states, i.e. the H-dibaryon and the possible (Lambda n) over bar bound state. The search is performed with the ALICE detector in central (0-10%) Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN = 2.76 TeV, by invariant mass analysis in the decay modes (Lambda n) over bar (d) over bar pi(+) and H-dibaryon -> Lambda p pi(-). No evidence for these bound states is observed. Upper limits are determined at 99% confidence level for a wide range of lifetimes and for the full range of branching ratios. The results are compared to thermal, coalescence and hybrid UrQMD model expectations, which describe correctly the production of other loosely bound s…
Measurement of the Proton-Air Cross Section ats=57 TeVwith the Pierre Auger Observatory
2012
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.
Pseudorapidity and transverse-momentum distributions of charged particles in proton–proton collisions at s=13 TeV
2016
The pseudorapidity (η) and transverse-momentum (pT) distributions of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions are measured at the centre-of-mass energy s√ = 13 TeV. The pseudorapidity distribution in |η|< 1.8 is reported for inelastic events and for events with at least one charged particle in | η|< 1. The pseudorapidity density of charged particles produced in the pseudorapidity region |η|< 0.5 is 5.31 ± 0.18 and 6.46 ± 0.19 for the two event classes, respectively. The transverse-momentum distribution of charged particles is measured in the range 0.15 < pT < 20 GeV/c and |η|< 0.8 for events with at least one charged particle in |η|< 1. The correlation between transverse momen…
The FRAM robotic telescope for atmospheric monitoring at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2021
FRAM (F/Photometric Robotic Atmospheric Monitor) is a robotic telescope operated at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina for the purposes of atmospheric monitoring using stellar photometry. As a passive system which does not produce any light that could interfere with the observations of the fluorescence telescopes of the observatory, it complements the active monitoring systems that use lasers. We discuss the applications of stellar photometry for atmospheric monitoring at optical observatories in general and the particular modes of operation employed by the Auger FRAM. We describe in detail the technical aspects of FRAM, the hardware and software requirements for a successful operati…
Investigation of the p–Σ0 interaction via femtoscopy in pp collisions
2020
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
2012
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
2021
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, …
A Targeted Search for Point Sources of EeV Neutrons
2014
A flux of neutrons from an astrophysical source in the Galaxy can be detected in the Pierre Auger Observatory as an excess of cosmic-ray air showers arriving from the direction of the source. To avoid the statistical penalty for making many trials, classes of objects are tested in combinations as nine “target sets”, in addition to the search for a neutron flux from the Galactic Center or from the Galactic Plane. Within a target set, each candidate source is weighted in proportion to its electromagnetic flux, its exposure to the Auger Observatory, and its flux attenuation factor due to neutron decay. These searches do not find evidence for a neutron flux from any class of candidate sources. …
Large-scale distribution of arrival directions of cosmic rays detected above 1018 eV at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2012
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
2020
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
2019
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…
Reconstruction of events recorded with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2020
Cosmic rays arriving at Earth collide with the upper parts of the atmosphere, thereby inducing extensive air showers. When secondary particles from the cascade arrive at the ground, they are measured by surface detector arrays. We describe the methods applied to the measurements of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory to reconstruct events with zenith angles less than 60 using the timing and signal information recorded using the water-Cherenkov detector stations. In addition, we assess the accuracy of these methods in reconstructing the arrival directions of the primary cosmic ray particles and the sizes of the induced showers.
Antennas for the detection of radio emission pulses from cosmic-ray induced air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory.
2012
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…
Forward-central two-particle correlations in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
2016
Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 < |η| < 4.0) and associated particles in the cen
Evidence that Ultra-High-Energy Gamma Rays are a Universal Feature Near Powerful Pulsars
2021
The highest-energy known gamma-ray sources are all located within 0.5 degrees of extremely powerful pulsars. This raises the question of whether ultra-high-energy (UHE; $>$ 56 TeV) gamma-ray emission is a universal feature expected near pulsars with a high spin-down power. Using four years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory, we present a joint-likelihood analysis of ten extremely powerful pulsars to search for UHE gamma-ray emission correlated with these locations. We report a significant detection ($>$ 3$��$), indicating that UHE gamma-ray emission is a generic feature of powerful pulsars. We discuss the emission mechanisms of the gamma rays a…
Linear and non-linear flow mode in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2017
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…
Search for ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger Observatory
2016
We present a search for ultra-relativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger Observatory. Such particles, possibly a relic of phase transitions in the early universe, would deposit a large amount of energy along their path through the atmosphere, comparable to that of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). The air shower profile of a magnetic monopole can be effectively distinguished by the fluorescence detector from that of standard UHECRs. No candidate was found in the data collected between 2004 and 2012, with an expected background of less than 0.1 event from UHECRs. The corresponding 90% confidence level (C.L.) upper limits on the flux of ultra-relativistic magnetic monopoles ra…
A study of the effect of molecular and aerosol conditions in the atmosphere on air fluorescence measurements at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2010
The air fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to perforin calorimetric measurements of extensive air showers created by Cosmic rays of above 10(18) eV. To correct these measurements for the effects introduced by atmospheric fluctuations, the Observatory contains a group Of monitoring instruments to record atmospheric conditions across the detector site, ail area exceeding 3000 km(2). The atmospheric data are used extensively in the reconstruction of air showers, and are particularly important for the correct determination of shower energies and the depths of shower maxima. This paper contains a summary of the molecular and aerosol conditions measured at the Pierr…
Search for First Harmonic Modulation in the Right Ascension Distribution of Cosmic Rays Detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2011
We present the results of searches for dipolar-type anisotropies in different energy ranges above 2.5 × 1017 eV with the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory, reporting on both the phase and the amplitude measurements of the first harmonic modulation in the right-ascension distribution. Upper limits on the amplitudes are obtained, which provide the most stringent bounds at present, being below 2% at 99% C.L. for EeV energies. We also compare our results to those of previous experiments as well as with some theoretical expectations.
Azimuthally Differential Pion Femtoscopy in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2017
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…
Measurement of the Fluctuations in the Number of Muons in Extensive Air Showers with the Pierre Auger Observatory
2021
The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory would not have been possible without the strong commitment and effort from the technical and administrative staff in Malargue. We are very grateful to the following agencies and organizations for financial support: Argentina-Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica (ANPCyT), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza, Municipalidad de Malargue, NDM Holdings and Valle Las Lenas; in gratitude for their continuing cooperation over land access; Australia-the Australian Research Council; Brazil…
Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2015
Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions around the highest-energy cosmic rays with E ≥ 6×1019 eV by analyzing cosmic rays with energies above E ≥ 5×1018 eV arriving within an angular separation of approximately 15∘. We characterize the energy distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy distribution. No significant patterns are found with this analysis. The comparison of these measurements with …
Multiplicity dependence of light (anti-)nuclei production in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
2020
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
2018
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
2016
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
2017
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
2020
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
2011
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
2017
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 ...
2021
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…
First measurement of quarkonium polarization in nuclear collisions at the LHC
2021
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
2012
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…
Searches for anisotropies in the arrival directions of the highest energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory
2015
We analyze the distribution of arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory in 10 years of operation. The data set, about three times larger than that used in earlier studies, includes arrival directions with zenith angles up to $80^\circ$, thus covering from $-90^\circ$ to $+45^\circ$ in declination. After updating the fraction of events correlating with the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the V��ron-Cetty and V��ron catalog, we subject the arrival directions of the data with energies in excess of 40 EeV to different tests for anisotropy. We search for localized excess fluxes and for self-clustering of event directions at angular scales up t…
Observation of the suppression of the flux of cosmic rays above 4x10^19eV
2008
The energy spectrum of cosmic rays above 2.5 × 10¹⁸ eV, derived from 20,000 events recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory, is described. The spectral index γ of the particle flux, J ∝ E-γ, at energies between 4 × 10¹⁸ eV and 4 × 10¹⁹ eV is 2.69 ± 0.02(stat) ± 0.06(syst), steepening to 4.2 ± 0.4(stat) ± 0.06(syst) at higher energies. The hypothesis of a single power law is rejected with a significance greater than 6 standard deviations. The data are consistent with the prediction by Greisen and by Zatsepin and Kuz'min.
A survey of active galaxies at TeV photon energies with the HAWC gamma-ray observatory
2020
The High Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-Ray Observatory (HAWC) continuously detects TeV photons and particles within its large field-of-view, accumulating every day a deeper exposure of two thirds of the sky. We analyzed 1523~days of HAWC live data acquired over four and a half years, in a follow-up analysis of {138} nearby ($z<0.3$) active galactic nuclei from the {\em Fermi} 3FHL catalog culminating within $40^\circ$ of the zenith at Sierra Negra, the HAWC site. This search for persistent TeV emission used a maximum-likelihood analysis assuming intrinsic power-law spectra attenuated by pair production of gamma-ray photons with the extragalactic background light. HAWC clearly detects persi…
Multi-strange baryon production in p Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
2016
The multi-strange baryon yields in Pb--Pb collisions have been shown to exhibit an enhancement relative to pp reactions. In this work, $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ production rates have been measured with the ALICE experiment as a function of transverse momentum, ${p_{\rm T}}$, in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of ${\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The results cover the kinematic ranges 0.6 GeV/$c<{p_{\rm T}} <$7.2 GeV/$c$ and 0.8 GeV/$c<{p_{\rm T}}<$ 5 GeV/$c$, for $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ respectively, in the common rapidity interval -0.5 $<{y_{\rm CMS}}<$ 0. Multi-strange baryons have been identified by reconstructing their weak decays into charged particles. The ${p_{\rm T}}$ spectra are ana…
The energy spectrum of cosmic rays beyond the turn-down around 1017 eV as measured with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2021
The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory would not have been possible without the strong commitment and effort from the technical and administrative staff in Malargüe. We are very grateful to the following agencies and organizations for financial support: Argentina – Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza; Municipalidad de Malargüe; NDM Holdings and Valle Las Leñas; in gratitude for their continuing cooperation over land access; Australia – the Australian Research Council; Be…
Extraction of the Muon Signals Recorded with the Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory Using Recurrent Neural Networks
2021
The Pierre Auger Observatory, at present the largest cosmic-ray observatory ever built, is instrumented with a ground array of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, known as the Surface Detector (SD). The SD samples the secondary particle content (mostly photons, electrons, positrons and muons) of extensive air showers initiated by cosmic rays with energies ranging from $10^{17}~$eV up to more than $10^{20}~$eV. Measuring the independent contribution of the muon component to the total registered signal is crucial to enhance the capability of the Observatory to estimate the mass of the cosmic rays on an event-by-event basis. However, with the current design of the SD, it is difficult to straightfo…
Measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum using hybrid events of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2012
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…
Centrality Dependence of the Charged-Particle Multiplicity Density at Midrapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions atsNN=5.02 TeV
2016
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…
The exposure of the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2010
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…
Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in sNN=2.76 TeV Pb–Pb collisions
2016
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
2017
The European physical journal / Plus 132(2), 99 (2017). doi:10.1140/epjp/i2017-11279-1
3HWC: The Third HAWC Catalog of Very-High-Energy Gamma-ray Sources
2020
We present a new catalog of TeV gamma-ray sources using 1523 days of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The catalog represents the most sensitive survey of the Northern gamma-ray sky at energies above several TeV, with three times the exposure compared to the previous HAWC catalog, 2HWC. We report 65 sources detected at $\geq$ 5 sigma significance, along with the positions and spectral fits for each source. The catalog contains eight sources that have no counterpart in the 2HWC catalog, but are within $1^\circ$ of previously detected TeV emitters, and twenty sources that are more than $1^\circ$ away from any previously detected TeV source. Of these twenty new so…
Production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at high transverse momentum in Pb–Pb collisions atsNN=5.02and 2.76 TeV
2021
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…
Inclusive heavy-flavour production at central and forward rapidity in Xe–Xe collisions at TeV
2021
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…
Erratum to "Atmospheric effects on extensive air showers observed with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger observatory"[Astroparticle Physics 32…
2010
The Pierre Auger Collaboration... K.B. Barber... J.A. Bellido... R.W. Clay... B.R. Dawson... V.C. Holmes... J. Sorokin... P. Wahrlich... B.J. Whelan... M.G. Winnick... et al.
Correlation of the highest-energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic objects.
2007
Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory during the past 3.7 years, we demonstrated a correlation between the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energy above ~ 6x10^{19} electron volts and the positions of active galactic nuclei (AGN) lying within ~ 75 megaparsecs. We rejected the hypothesis of an isotropic distribution of these cosmic rays with at least a 99% confidence level from a prescribed a priori test. The correlation we observed is compatible with the hypothesis that the highest energy particles originate from nearby extragalactic sources whose flux has not been substantially reduced by interaction with the cosmic background radiation. AGN or objects having a similar…
Coherent ψ(2S) photo-production in ultra-peripheral Pb Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2015
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
2016
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
2010
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.
Measurement of jet suppression in central Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2015
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…
Multiplicity dependence of charged pion, kaon, and (anti)proton production at large transverse momentum in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
2016
The production of charged pions, kaons and (anti)protons has been measured at mid-rapidity ($-0.5 10$ GeV/$c$), the particle ratios are consistent with those reported for pp and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC energies. At intermediate $p_{\rm T}$ the (anti)proton $R_{\rm pPb}$ shows a Cronin-like enhancement, while pions and kaons show little or no nuclear modification. At high $p_{\rm T}$ the charged pion, kaon and (anti)proton $R_{\rm pPb}$ are consistent with unity within statistical and systematic uncertainties.
Longitudinal and azimuthal evolution of two-particle transverse momentum correlations in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76TeV
2020
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…
Measurements of mixed harmonic cumulants in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
2021
Correlations between moments of different flow coefficients are measured in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. These new measurements are based on multiparticle mixed harmonic cumulants calculated using charged particles in the pseudorapidity region |η|<0.8 with the transverse momentum range 0.2<pT<5.0 GeV/c. The centrality dependence of correlations between two flow coefficients as well as the correlations between three flow coefficients, both in terms of their second moments, are shown. In addition, a collection of mixed harmonic cumulants involving higher moments of v2 and v3 is measured for the first time, where the characteristic signature of ne…
Pion–kaon femtoscopy and the lifetime of the hadronic phase in Pb−Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2021
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
2016
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…
Muons in air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory: Measurement of atmospheric production depth
2014
The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory provides information about the longitudinal development of the muonic component of extensive air showers. Using the timing information from the flash analog-to-digital converter traces of surface detectors far from the shower core, it is possible to reconstruct a muon production depth distribution. We characterize the goodness of this reconstruction for zenith angles around 60° and different energies of the primary particle. From these distributions, we define Xμmax as the depth along the shower axis where the production of muons reaches maximum. We explore the potentiality of Xμmax as a useful observable to infer the mass compositi…
Measurement of an Excess in the Yield ofJ/ψat Very LowpTin Pb–Pb Collisions atsNN=2.76 TeV
2016
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
2020
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
2021
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 …
Studies on the response of a water-Cherenkov detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory to atmospheric muons using an RPC hodoscope
2020
Extensive air showers, originating from ultra-high energy cosmic rays, have been successfully measured through the use of arrays of water-Cherenkov detectors (WCDs). Sophisticated analyses exploiting WCD data have made it possible to demonstrate that shower simulations, based on different hadronic-interaction models, cannot reproduce the observed number of muons at the ground. The accurate knowledge of the WCD response to muons is paramount in establishing the exact level of this discrepancy. In this work, we report on a study of the response of a WCD of the Pierre Auger Observatory to atmospheric muons performed with a hodoscope made of resistive plate chambers (RPCs), enabling us to selec…
Event-shape engineering for inclusive spectra and elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV
2016
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…
Search for ultrahigh energy neutrinos in highly inclined events at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2011
Erratum: Phys. Rev. D 85, 029902(E) (2012) [http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.85.029902]
The effect of the geomagnetic field on cosmic ray energy estimates and large scale anisotropy searches on data from the Pierre Auger Observatory
2011
We present a comprehensive study of the influence of the geomagnetic field on the energy estimation of extensive air showers with a zenith angle smaller than $60^\circ$, detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The geomagnetic field induces an azimuthal modulation of the estimated energy of cosmic rays up to the ~2% level at large zenith angles. We present a method to account for this modulation of the reconstructed energy. We analyse the effect of the modulation on large scale anisotropy searches in the arrival direction distributions of cosmic rays. At a given energy, the geomagnetic effect is shown to induce a pseudo-dipolar pattern at the percent level in the declination distribution t…
Correlated Event-by-Event Fluctuations of Flow Harmonics in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV
2016
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
2010
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
2020
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,…
Particle identification in ALICE: a Bayesian approach
2016
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
2015
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…
Centrality dependence of the nuclear modification factor of charged pions, kaons, and protons in Pb-Pb collisions atsNN=2.76TeV
2016
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…
Description of atmospheric conditions at the Pierre Auger Observatory using the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS)
2012
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
2017
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
2020
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…
Bounds on the density of sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays from the Pierre Auger Observatory
2013
We derive lower bounds on the density of sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays from the lack of significant clustering in the arrival directions of the highest energy events detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The density of uniformly distributed sources of equal intrinsic intensity was found to be larger than similar to (0.06 – 5) x 10(-4) Mpc(-3) at 95% CL, depending on the magnitude of the magnetic defections. Similar bounds, in the range (0.2 – 7) x 10(-4) Mpc(-3), were obtained for sources following the local matter distribution.
Measurement of the cosmic-ray energy spectrum above 2.5×1018 eV using the Pierre Auger Observatory
2020
We report a measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic rays for energies above 2.5×10^18 eV based on 215,030 events recorded with zenith angles below 60°. A key feature of the work is that the estimates of the energies are independent of assumptions about the unknown hadronic physics or of the primary mass composition. The measurement is the most precise made hitherto with the accumulated exposure being so large that the measurements of the flux are dominated by systematic uncertainties except at energies above 5×10^19 eV. The principal conclusions are(1) The flattening of the spectrum near 5×10^18 eV, the so-called "ankle,"is confirmed.(2) The steepening of the spectrum at around 5×10^19…
Transverse momentum spectra and nuclear modification factors of charged particles in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC
2018
We report the measured transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra of primary charged particles from pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV in the kinematic range of $0.15<p_{\rm T}<50$ GeV/$c$ and $|\eta|< 0.8$. A significant improvement of systematic uncertainties motivated the reanalysis of data in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV, as well as in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV, which is also presented. Spectra from Pb-Pb collisions are presented in nine centrality intervals and are compared to a reference spectrum from pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. For cent…
Multi-resolution anisotropy studies of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2017
We report a multi-resolution search for anisotropies in the arrival directions of cosmic rays detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory with local zenith angles up to $80^\circ$ and energies in excess of 4 EeV ($4 \times 10^{18}$ eV). This search is conducted by measuring the angular power spectrum and performing a needlet wavelet analysis in two independent energy ranges. Both analyses are complementary since the angular power spectrum achieves a better performance in identifying large-scale patterns while the needlet wavelet analysis, considering the parameters used in this work, presents a higher efficiency in detecting smaller-scale anisotropies, potentially providing directional informa…
Dielectron and heavy-quark production in inelastic and high-multiplicity proton–proton collisions at s=13TeV
2018
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…
Charged jet cross section and fragmentation in proton-proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV
2019
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. We report the differential charged jet cross section and jet fragmentation distributions measured with the ALICE detector in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy √s=7 TeV. Jets with pseudorapidity |η|40 GeV/c, the pythia calculations also agree with the measured charged jet cross section. pythia6 simulations describe the fragmentation distributions to 15%. Larger discrepancies are observed for pythia8. SCOAP
The ALICE Transition Radiation Detector: Construction, operation, and performance
2018
The Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) was designed and built to enhance the capabilities of the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). While aimed at providing electron identification and triggering, the TRD also contributes significantly to the track reconstruction and calibration in the central barrel of ALICE. In this paper the design, construction, operation, and performance of this detector are discussed. A pion rejection factor of up to 410 is achieved at a momentum of 1 GeV/$c$ in p-Pb collisions and the resolution at high transverse momentum improves by about 40% when including the TRD information in track reconstruction. The triggering capability is demonstrated both …
Interpretation of the depths of maximum of extensive air showers measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
2013
To interpret the mean depth of cosmic ray air shower maximum and its dispersion, we parametrize those two observables as functions of the first two moments of the ln A distribution. We examine the goodness of this simple method through simulations of test mass distributions. The application of the parameterization to Pierre Auger Observatory data allows one to study the energy dependence of the mean ln A and of its variance under the assumption of selected hadronic interaction models. We discuss possible implications of these dependences in term of interaction models and astrophysical cosmic ray sources.
Spectrum and Morphology of the Very-High-Energy Source HAWC J2019+368
2021
The MGRO J2019+37 region is one of the brightest sources in the sky at TeV energies. It was detected in the 2 year HAWC catalog as 2HWC J2019+367 and here we present a detailed study of this region using data from HAWC. This analysis resolves the region into two sources: HAWC J2019+368 and HAWC J2016+371. We associate HAWC J2016+371 with the evolved supernova remnant CTB 87, although its low significance in this analysis prevents a detailed study at this time. An investigation of the morphology (including possible energy dependent morphology) and spectrum for HAWC J2019+368 is the focus of this work. We associate HAWC J2019+368 with PSR J2021+3651 and its X-ray pulsar wind nebula, the Drago…
Probing the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with neutrinos in the EeV energy range using the Pierre Auger Observatory
2019
Neutrinos with energies above 1017 eV are detectable with the Surface Detector Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The identification is efficiently performed for neutrinos of all flavors interacting in the atmosphere at large zenith angles, as well as for Earth-skimming τ neutrinos with nearly tangential trajectories relative to the Earth. No neutrino candidates were found in ∼ 14.7 years of data taken up to 31 August 2018. This leads to restrictive upper bounds on their flux. The 90% C.L. single-flavor limit to the diffuse flux of ultra-high-energy neutrinos with an Eν -2 spectrum in the energy range 1.0 × 1017 eV -2.5 × 1019 eV is E2 dNν/dEν < 4.4 × 10-9 GeV cm-2 s-1 sr-1, placing str…
Large-scale Cosmic-Ray Anisotropies above 4 EeV Measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
2018
We present a detailed study of the large-scale anisotropies of cosmic rays with energies above 4 EeV measured using the Pierre Auger Observatory. For the energy bins [4,8] EeV and $E\geq 8$ EeV, the most significant signal is a dipolar modulation in right ascension at energies above 8 EeV, as previously reported. In this paper we further scrutinize the highest-energy bin by splitting it into three energy ranges. We find that the amplitude of the dipole increases with energy above 4 EeV. The growth can be fitted with a power law with index $\beta=0.79\pm 0.19$. The directions of the dipoles are consistent with an extragalactic origin of these anisotropies at all the energies considered. Addi…
Testing Hadronic Interactions at Ultrahigh Energies with Air Showers Measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
2016
Ultrahigh energy cosmic ray air showers probe particle physics at energies beyond the reach of accelerators. Here we introduce a new method to test hadronic interaction models without relying on the absolute energy calibration, and apply it to events with primary energy 6-16 EeV (ECM=110-170 TeV), whose longitudinal development and lateral distribution were simultaneously measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The average hadronic shower is 1.33±0.16 (1.61±0.21) times larger than predicted using the leading LHC-tuned models EPOS-LHC (QGSJetII-04), with a corresponding excess of muons.
Inclusive quarkonium production at forward rapidity in pp collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usep…
2016
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…
Limits on point-like sources of ultra-high-energy neutrinos with the Pierre Auger Observatory
2019
With the Surface Detector array (SD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect neutrinos with energy between 1017 eV and 1020 eV from point-like sources across the sky, from close to the Southern Celestial Pole up to 60 in declination, with peak sensitivities at declinations around ∼-53 and ∼+55, and an unmatched sensitivity for arrival directions in the Northern hemisphere. A search has been performed for highly-inclined air showers induced by neutrinos of all flavours with no candidate events found in data taken between 1 Jan 2004 and 31 Aug 2018. Upper limits on the neutrino flux from point-like steady sources have been derived as a function of source declination. An unrivaled sensit…
First measurement of the |t|-dependence of coherent J/ψ photonuclear production
2021
The first measurement of the dependence on $|t|$, the square of the momentum transferred between the incoming and outgoing target nucleus, of coherent J/ψ photoproduction is presented. The data were measured with the ALICE detector in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the J/$\psi$ produced in the central rapidity region $|y| < 0.8$, which corresponds to the small Bjorken-$x$ range $(0.3 − 1.4) \times 10 ^{−3}$. The measured $|t|$-dependence is not described by computations based only on the Pb nuclear form factor, while the photonuclear cross section is better reproduced by models including shadowing according t…
Real-time data processing in the ALICE High Level Trigger at the LHC
2019
At the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, atomic nuclei are collided at ultra-relativistic energies. Many final-state particles are produced in each collision and their properties are measured by the ALICE detector. The detector signals induced by the produced particles are digitized leading to data rates that are in excess of 48 GB/$s$. The ALICE High Level Trigger (HLT) system pioneered the use of FPGA- and GPU-based algorithms to reconstruct charged-particle trajectories and reduce the data size in real time. The results of the reconstruction of the collision events, available online, are used for high level data quality and detector-performance monitoring and real-tim…
Search for a common baryon source in high-multiplicity pp collisions at the LHC
2020
Physics letters / B B811, 135849 (2020). doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2020.135849
Calibration of the underground muon detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2021
To obtain direct measurements of the muon content of extensive air showers with energy above $10^{16.5}$ eV, the Pierre Auger Observatory is currently being equipped with an underground muon detector (UMD), consisting of 219 10 $\mathrm{m^2}$-modules, each segmented into 64 scintillators coupled to silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). Direct access to the shower muon content allows for the study of both of the composition of primary cosmic rays and of high-energy hadronic interactions in the forward direction. As the muon density can vary between tens of muons per m$^2$ close to the intersection of the shower axis with the ground to much less than one per m$^2$ when far away, the necessary bro…
Observation of inclined EeV air showers with the radio detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2018
With the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we have observed the radio emission from 561 extensive air showers with zenith angles between 60 and 84. In contrast to air showers with more vertical incidence, these inclined air showers illuminate large ground areas of several km2 with radio signals detectable in the 30 to 80 MHz band. A comparison of the measured radio-signal amplitudes with Monte Carlo simulations of a subset of 50 events for which we reconstruct the energy using the Auger surface detector shows agreement within the uncertainties of the current analysis. As expected for forward-beamed radio emission undergoing no significant absorption or sc…
The ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC
2008
Journal of Instrumentation 3(08), S08002 (2008). doi:10.1088/1748-0221/3/08/S08002
Dielectron production in proton-proton and proton-lead collisions at √sNN=5.02TeV
2020
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…
Measurement of pion, kaon and proton production in proton–proton collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym…
2015
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…
Cosmic-Ray Anisotropies in Right Ascension Measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
2020
We present measurements of the large-scale cosmic-ray anisotropies in right ascension, using data collected by the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory over more than 14 years. We determine the equatorial dipole component, ~d⊥, through a Fourier analysis in right ascension that includes weights for each event so as to account for the main detector-induced systematic effects. For the energies at which the trigger efficiency of the array is small, the “East-West” method is employed. Besides using the data from the array with detectors separated by 1500 m, we also include data from the smaller but denser sub-array of detectors with 750 m separation, which allows us to extend …
Production of K\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy}…
2016
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…
Search for photons with energies above 1018 eV using the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2017
A search for ultra-high energy photons with energies above 1 EeV is performed using nine years of data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory in hybrid operation mode. An unprecedented separation power between photon and hadron primaries is achieved by combining measurements of the longitudinal air-shower development with the particle content at ground measured by the fluorescence and surface detectors, respectively. Only three photon candidates at energies 1-2 EeV are found, which is compatible with the expected hadron-induced background. Upper limits on the integral flux of ultra-high energy photons of 0.027, 0.009, 0.008, 0.008 and 0.007 km-2 sr-1 yr-1 are derived at 95% C.L. for ener…
Kaon femtoscopy in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV
2017
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…
Precision measurement of the mass difference between light nuclei and anti-nuclei
2015
The measurement of the mass differences for systems bound by the strong force has reached a very high precision with protons and anti-protons. The extension of such measurement from (anti-)baryons to (anti-)nuclei allows one to probe any difference in the interactions between nucleons and anti-nucleons encoded in the (anti-)nuclei masses. This force is a remnant of the underlying strong interaction among quarks and gluons and can be described by effective theories, but cannot yet be directly derived from quantum chromodynamics. Here we report a measurement of the difference between the ratios of the mass and charge of deuterons and anti-deuterons, and $^{3}{\rm He}$ and $^3\overline{\rm He}…
Study of cosmic ray events with high muon multiplicity using the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider
2016
ALICE is one of four large experiments at the CERN Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, specially designed to study particle production in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Located 52 meters underground with 28 meters of overburden rock, it has also been used to detect muons produced by cosmic ray interactions in the upper atmosphere. In this paper, we present the multiplicity distribution of these atmospheric muons and its comparison with Monte Carlo simulations. This analysis exploits the large size and excellent tracking capability of the ALICE Time Projection Chamber. A special emphasis is given to the study of high multiplicity events containing more than 100 reconstructed muons a…
Centrality and pseudorapidity dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density in Xe–Xe collisions at sNN=5.44TeV
2019
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 …
Measurement of dielectron production in central Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV
2019
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. The first measurement of dielectron (e + e −) production in central (0 – 10 %) Pb – Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76TeV at the LHC is presented. The dielectron invariant-mass spectrum is compared to the expected contributions from hadron decays in the invariant-mass range 0 < mee < 3.5 GeV / c2. The ratio of data and the cocktail of hadronic contributions without vacuum ρ0 is measured in the invariant-mass range 0.15 < mee < 0.7 GeV / c2, w…
Elliptic Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at
2017
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 …
Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to a dark matter signal from the Galactic centre
2021
Full list of authors: Acharyya, A.; Adam, R.; Adams, C.; Agudo, I.; Aguirre-Santaella, A.; Alfaro, R.; Alfaro, J.; Alispach, C.; Aloisio, R.; Alves Batista, R.; Amati, L.; Ambrosi, G.; Angüner, E. O.; Antonelli, L. A.; Aramo, C.; Araudo, A.; Armstrong, T.; Arqueros, F.; Asano, K.; Ascasíbar, Y. Ashley, M.; Balazs, C.; Ballester, O.; Baquero Larriva, A.; Barbosa Martins, V.; Barkov, M.; Barres de Almeida, U.; Barrio, J. A.; Bastieri, D.; Becerra, J.; Beck, G.; Becker Tjus, J.; Benbow, W.; Benito, M.; Berge, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bernlöhr, K.; Berti, A.; Bertucci, B.; Beshley, V.; Biasuzzi, B.; Biland, A.; Bissaldi, E.; Biteau, J.; Blanch, O.; Blazek, J.; Bocchino, F.; Boisson, C.; Bonneau Arbe…
Centrality dependence of charged jet production in p–Pb collisions at \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepac…
2016
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…
Data-driven estimation of the invisible energy of cosmic ray showers with the Pierre Auger Observatory
2019
The determination of the primary energy of extensive air showers using the fluorescence detection technique requires an estimation of the energy carried away by particles that do not deposit all their energy in the atmosphere. This estimation is typically made using Monte Carlo simulations and thus depends on the assumed primary particle mass and on model predictions for neutrino and muon production. In this work we present a new method to obtain the invisible energy from events detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The method uses measurements of the muon number at ground level, and it allows us to significantly reduce the systematic uncertainties related to the mass composition and th…
Measurement of Z 0 -boson production at large rapidities in Pb–Pb collisions at
2018
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…
An Indication of Anisotropy in Arrival Directions of Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays through Comparison to the Flux Pattern of Extragalactic Gamma-Ray …
2018
A new analysis of the dataset from the Pierre Auger Observatory provides evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays on an intermediate angular scale, which is indicative of excess arrivals from strong, nearby sources. The data consist of 5514 events above 20 EeV with zenith angles up to 80 deg recorded before 2017 April 30. Sky models have been created for two distinct populations of extragalactic gamma-ray emitters: active galactic nuclei from the second catalog of hard Fermi-LAT sources (2FHL) and starburst galaxies from a sample that was examined with Fermi-LAT. Flux-limited samples, which include all types of galaxies from the Swift-BAT and 2MASS …
Direct measurement of the muonic content of extensive air showers between 2× 1017 and 2×1018 eV at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2020
The hybrid design of the Pierre Auger Observatory allows for the measurement of the properties of extensive air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays with unprecedented precision. By using an array of prototype underground muon detectors, we have performed the first direct measurement, by the Auger Collaboration, of the muon content of air showers between 2 × 10 17 and 2 × 10 18 eV. We have studied the energy evolution of the attenuation-corrected muon density, and compared it to predictions from air shower simulations. The observed densities are found to be larger than those predicted by models. We quantify this discrepancy by combining the measurements from the muon detector …
A search for point sources of EeV photons
2014
Measurements of air showersmade using the hybrid technique developed with the fluorescence and surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory allow a sensitive search for point sources of EeV photons anywhere in the exposed sky. A multivariate analysis reduces the background of hadronic cosmic rays. The search is sensitive to a declination band from −85º to +20º, in an energy range from 1017.3 eV to 1018.5 eV. No photon point source has been detected. An upper limit on the photon flux has been derived for every direction. The mean value of the energy flux limit that results from this, assuming a photon spectral index of −2, is 0.06 eV cm−2 s−1, and no celestial direction exceeds 0.25 eV …
Upper limit on the cosmic-ray photon flux above 1019 eV using the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
2008
A method is developed to search for air showers initiated by photons using data recorded by the surface detector of the Auger Observatory. The approach is based on observables sensitive to the longitudinal shower development, the signal risetime and the curvature of the shower front. Applying this method to the data, upper limits on the flux of photons of 3.8 x 10-3, 2.5 x 10-3; and 2.2 x 10-3 km-2 sr-1 yr-1 above 1019 eV, 2 x 1019 eV; and 4 x 1019 eV are derived, with corresponding limits on the fraction of photons being 2.0%, 5.1%, and 31% (all limits at 95% c.l.). These photon limits disfavor certain exotic models of sources of cosmic rays. The results also show that the approach adopted…
Measurement of the average shape of longitudinal profiles of cosmic-ray air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory
2019
The profile of the longitudinal development of showers produced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays carries information related to the interaction properties of the primary particles with atmospheric nuclei. In this work, we present the first measurement of the average shower profile in traversed atmospheric depth at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The shapes of profiles are well reproduced by the Gaisser-Hillas parametrization within the range studied, for E>10 17.8 eV .A detailed analysis of the systematic uncertainties is performed using ten years of data and a full detector simulation. The average shape is quantified using two variables related to the width and asymmetry of the profile, and …
Origin of atmospheric aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory using studies of air mass trajectories in South America
2014
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…
Reconstruction of inclined air showers detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
2014
We describe the method devised to reconstruct inclined cosmic-ray air showers with zenith angles greater than $60^\circ$ detected with the surface array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The measured signals at the ground level are fitted to muon density distributions predicted with atmospheric cascade models to obtain the relative shower size as an overall normalization parameter. The method is evaluated using simulated showers to test its performance. The energy of the cosmic rays is calibrated using a sub-sample of events reconstructed with both the fluorescence and surface array techniques. The reconstruction method described here provides the basis of complementary analyses including an…
Nanosecond-level time synchronization of autonomous radio detector stations for extensive air showers
2016
To exploit the full potential of radio measurements of cosmic-ray air showers at MHz frequencies, a detector timing synchronization within 1 ns is needed. Large distributed radio detector arrays such as the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) rely on timing via the Global Positioning System (GPS) for the synchronization of individual detector station clocks. Unfortunately, GPS timing is expected to have an accuracy no better than about 5 ns. In practice, in particular in AERA, the GPS clocks exhibit drifts on the order of tens of ns. We developed a technique to correct for the GPS drifts, and an independent method is used to cross-check that indeed we reach a nanosecond-scale timing accura…
Gamma-Ray spectral energy in HAWC J1825-134 region
2022
The Earth is bombarded by ultrarelativistic particles, known as cosmic rays (CRs). CRs with energies up to a few PeV (=1015eV), the knee in the particle spectrum, are believed to have a Galactic origin. One or more factories of PeV CRs, or PeVatrons, must thus be active within our Galaxy. The direct detection of PeV protons from their sources is not possible since they are deflected in the Galactic magnetic fields. Hundred TeV {gamma}-rays from decaying {pi}0, produced when PeV CRs collide with the ambient gas, can provide the decisive evidence of proton acceleration up to the knee. Here we report the discovery by the High Altitude Water Cerenkov (HAWC) observatory of the {gamma}-ray source…
3rd HAWC cat. of VHE gamma-ray sources (3HWC)
2022
We present a new catalog of TeV gamma-ray sources using 1523 days of data from the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory. The catalog represents the most sensitive survey of the northern gamma-ray sky at energies above several TeV, with three times the exposure compared to the previous HAWC catalog, 2HWC. We report 65 sources detected at >=5{sigma} significance, along with the positions and spectral fits for each source. The catalog contains eight sources that have no counterpart in the 2HWC catalog, but are within 1{deg} of previously detected TeV emitters, and 20 sources that are more than 1{deg} away from any previously detected TeV source. Of these 20 new sources, 14 have a p…
HAWC Gamma-Ray survey, AGNs at TeV photon energies
2022
The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory continuously detects TeV photons and particles within its large field of view, accumulating every day a deeper exposure of two-thirds of the sky. We analyzed 1523days of HAWC live data acquired over four and a half years, in a follow-up analysis of 138 nearby (z<0.3) active galactic nuclei from the Third Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT sources culminating within 40{deg} of the zenith at Sierra Negra, the HAWC site. This search for persistent TeV emission used a maximum- likelihood analysis assuming intrinsic power-law spectra attenuated by pair production of gamma-ray photons with the extragalactic background light. HAWC clearly detec…