• Browse all
Production of ${\pi ^0}$ and $\eta$ mesons up to high transverse momentum in pp collisions at 2.76 TeV

The collaboration
Eur.Phys.J. C77 (2017) 339, 2017

Abstract (data abstract)
CERN-LHC. The invariant differential cross sections for inclusive $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons at midrapidity were measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=2.76$ TeV for transverse momenta $0.4<p_{\rm T}<40$ GeV/$c$ and $0.6<p_{\rm T}<20$ GeV/$c$, respectively, using the ALICE detector. This large range in $p_{\rm T}$ was achieved by combining various analysis techniques and different triggers involving the electromagnetic calorimeter (EMCal).In particular, a new single-cluster, shower-shape based method was developed for the identification of high-$p_{\rm T}$ neutral pions, which exploits that the showers originating from their decay photons overlap in the EMCal. Above $4$ GeV/$c$, the measured cross sections are found to exhibit a similar power-law behavior with an exponent of about $6.3$. Next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations differ from the measured cross sections by about $30$% for the $\pi^0$, and between $30$-$50$% for the $\eta$ meson, while generator-level simulations with Pythia 8.2 describe the data to better than $10$-$30$%, except at $p_{\rm T}<1$ GeV/$c$. The new data can therefore be used to further improve the theoretical description of $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ meson production.

• #### Table 1

Data from Fig. 9

10.17182/hepdata.77976.v1/t1

Invariant differential yields of $\pi^0$ produced in inelastic pp collisions at center-of-mass energy 2.76 TeV, the normalization uncertainties of 5.7%...

• #### Table 2

Data from Fig. 9

10.17182/hepdata.77976.v1/t2

Invariant differential yields of $\eta$ produced in inelastic pp collisions at center-of-mass energy 2.76 TeV, the normalization uncertainties of 5.7%...

• #### Table 3

Data from Fig. 9

10.17182/hepdata.77976.v1/t3

Invariant differential cross section of $\pi^0$ produced in inelastic pp collisions at center-of-mass energy 2.76 TeV, the uncertainty of $\sigma_{MB}$...

• #### Table 4

Data from Fig. 9

10.17182/hepdata.77976.v1/t4

Invariant differential cross section of $\eta$ produced in inelastic pp collisions at center-of-mass energy 2.76 TeV, the uncertainty of $\sigma_{MB}$...

• #### Table 5

Data from Fig.10

10.17182/hepdata.77976.v1/t5

The measured ratio of cross sections for inclusive $\eta$ to $\pi^0$ production at a centre-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV.