Charm production at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector. The decays D0 -> K- pi+, D+ -> K- pi+ pi+, D*+ -> D0(K- pi+) pi+, D_s+ -> phi(K- K+) pi+, Lambda_c+ -> p K- pi+, and their charge conjugates are analysed in a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 15 nb^{-1}. Differential cross-sections dsigma/dp_T are measured for prompt production of the five charmed hadron species in bins of transverse momentum and rapidity in the region 0 < p_T < 8 GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. Theoretical predictions are compared to the measured differential cross-sections. The integrated cross-sections of the charm hadrons are computed in the above p_T-y range, and their ratios are reported. A combination of the five integrated cross-section measurements gives sigma(c\bar{c})_{p_T < 8 GeV/c, 2.0 < y < 4.5} = 1419 +/- 12 (stat) +/- 116 (syst) +/- 65 (frag) microbarn, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the fragmentation functions.
The production of $J/\psi$ pairs in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been observed using an integrated luminosity of $37.5 pb^{-1}$ collected with the LHCb detector. The production cross-section for pairs with both \jpsi in the rapidity range $2<y^{J/\psi}<4.5$ and transverse momentum $p_{T}^{J/\psi}<10 GeV/c$ is $$ \sigma^{J/\psi J/\psi} = 5.1\pm1.0\pm1.1 nb,$$ where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.
The production of B+- mesons in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV is studied using 35 pb-1 of data collected by the LHCb detector. The B+- mesons are reconstructed exclusively in the B+- -> J/psi K+- mode, with J/psi -> mu+ mu-. The differential production cross-section is measured as a function of the B+- transverse momentum in the fiducial region 0 < pT < 40 GeV/c and with rapidity 2.0 < y < 4.5. The total cross-section, summing up B+ and B-, is measured to be sigma(pp -> B+- X, 0 < pT < 40 GeV/c, 2.0 < y < 4.5) = 41.4 +- 1.5 (stat.) +- 3.1 (syst.) mub.
The differential cross-section for the inclusive production of $\psi(2S)$ mesons in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =7 TeV has been measured with the LHCb detector. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb$^{-1}$ collected during 2010. The $\psi(2S)$ mesons are reconstructed in the decay channels $\psi(2S) \rightarrow \mu^{+} \mu^{-}$ and $\psi(2S)$ $\rightarrow$ $J$/$\psi \pi^{+}\pi^{-}$, with the $J$/$\psi$ meson decaying into two muons. Results are presented both for promptly produced $\psi(2S)$ mesons and for those originating from $b$-hadron decays. In the kinematic range $p_{\rm T}(\psi(2S))$ $\leq$ 16 GeV/$c$ and 2 < $y$($\psi(2S))$ $\leq$ 4.5 we measure \begin{eqnarray*} \sigma_{\rm prompt}(\psi(2S)) &=& 1.44 \pm 0.01~(\text{stat})\pm 0.12~(\text{syst})^{+0.20}_{-0.40}~(\text{pol})~{\rm \mu b}, \\ \sigma_{b}(\psi(2S)) &=& 0.25 \pm 0.01~(\text{stat}) \pm 0.02~(\text{syst})~{\rm \mu b}, \end{eqnarray*} where the last uncertainty on the prompt cross-section is due to the unknown $\psi(2S)$ polarization. Recent QCD calculations are found to be in good agreement with our measurements. Combining the present result with the LHCb $J$/$\psi$ measurements we determine the inclusive branching fraction \begin{equation*} \mathcal{B}(b \rightarrow \psi(2S) X) = (2.73 \pm 0.06~(\text{stat}) \pm 0.16~(\text{syst}) \pm 0.24~(\text{BF})) \times 10^{-3}, \end{equation*} where the last uncertainty is due to the $\mathcal{B}(b \rightarrow J/\psi X)$, $\mathcal{B}(J/\psi \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-)$ and $\mathcal{B}(\psi(2S) \rightarrow e^+ e^-)$ branching fraction uncertainties. All above results are corrected by an erratum included as an appendix.
The cross-section for inclusive phi meson production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV has been measured with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The differential cross-section is measured as a function of the phi transverse momentum p_T and rapidity y in the region 0.6 < p_T < 5.0 GeV/c and 2.44 < y < 4.06. The cross-section for inclusive phi production in this kinematic range is sigma(pp -> phi X) = 1758 pm 19(stat) ^{+43}_{-14}(syst) pm 182(scale) microbarn, where the first systematic uncertainty depends on the p_T and y region and the second is related to the overall scale. Predictions based on the Pythia 6.4 generator underestimate the cross-section.
The production of $J/\psi$ mesons with rapidity $1.5<y<4.0$ or $-5.0<y<-2.5$ and transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}<14 \mathrm{GeV}/c$ is studied with the LHCb detector in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5 \mathrm{TeV}$. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about $1.6 \mathrm{nb}^{-1}$. For the first time the nuclear modification factor and forward-backward production ratio are determined separately for prompt $J/\psi$ mesons and $J/\psi$ from $b$-hadron decays. Clear suppression of prompt $J/\psi$ production with respect to proton-proton collisions at large rapidity is observed, while the production of $J/\psi$ from $b$-hadron decays is less suppressed. These results show good agreement with available theoretical predictions. The measurement shows that cold nuclear matter effects are important for interpretations of the related quark-gluon plasma signatures in heavy-ion collisions.
A precision measurement of the $Z$ boson production cross-section at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV in the forward region is presented, using $pp$ collision data collected by the LHCb detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 fb$^{-1}$. The production cross-section is measured using $Z\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-$ events within the fiducial region defined as pseudorapidity $2.0<\eta<4.5$ and transverse momentum $p_{T}>20$ GeV/$c$ for both muons and dimuon invariant mass $60<M_{\mu\mu}<120$ GeV/$c^2$. The integrated cross-section is determined to be $\sigma (Z \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-)$ = 196.4 $\pm$ 0.2 $\pm$ 1.6 $\pm$ 3.9~pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third is due to the luminosity determination. The measured results are in agreement with theoretical predictions within uncertainties.
Exclusive $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)$ vector meson production has been observed in the dimuon channel using the LHCb detector. The cross-section times branching fractions to two muons with pseudorapidities between 2.0 and 4.5 are measured to be \begin{equation*} \sigma_{pp\rightarrow J/\psi (\rightarrow \mu^{+} \mu^{-})} (2.0 <\eta_{\mu^{\pm}}< 4.5) = 307 \pm 21 \pm 36~\text{pb}, \end{equation*} \begin{equation*} \sigma_{pp\rightarrow \psi(2S) (\rightarrow \mu^{+} \mu^{-})} (2.0 <\eta_{\mu^{\pm}}< 4.5) = 7.8 \pm 1.3 \pm 1.0~\text{pb}, \end{equation*} where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The measurements are found to be in good agreement with results from previous experiments and theoretical predictions. The $J/\psi$ photoproduction cross-section has been measured as a function of the photon-proton centre-of-mass energy. The results are consistent with measurements obtained at HERA and confirm a similar power law behaviour for the photoproduction cross-section.
A measurement of the cross-section for pp$ \rightarrow$Z$ \rightarrow$e$^+$e$^-$ is presented using data at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.94 fb$^{-1}$. The process is measured within the kinematic acceptance $p_{\mathrm{T}}>20$GeV/$c$ and $2<\eta<4.5$ for the daughter electrons and dielectron invariant mass in the range 60-120 GeV/$c^2$. The cross-section is determined to be $$\sigma(pp \rightarrow Z \rightarrow e^+ e^- )=76.0\pm0.8\pm2.0\pm2.6{\rm pb}$$ where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third is the uncertainty in the luminosity. The measurement is performed as a function of Z rapidity and as a function of an angular variable which is closely related to the Z transverse momentum. The results are compared with previous LHCb measurements and with theoretical predictions from QCD.
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