Emergence of long-range angular correlations in low-multiplicity proton-proton collisions

The ALICE collaboration Acharya, Shreyasi ; Adamova, Dagmar ; Aglieri Rinella, Gianluca ; et al.
Phys.Rev.Lett. 132 (2024) 172302, 2024.
Inspire Record 2725922 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.150695

This Letter presents the measurement of near-side associated per-trigger yields, denoted ridge yields, from the analysis of angular correlations of charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. Long-range ridge yields are extracted for pairs of charged particles with a pseudorapidity difference of $1.4 < |\Delta\eta| < 1.8$ and a transverse momentum of $1 < p_{\rm T} < 2$ GeV/$c$, as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity measured at midrapidity. This study extends the measurements of the ridge yield to the low multiplicity region, where in hadronic collisions it is typically conjectured that a strongly-interacting medium is unlikely to be formed. The precision of the new results allows for the first direct quantitative comparison with the results obtained in $\mathrm {e^{+}e^{-}}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 91 GeV, where initial-state effects such as pre-equilibrium dynamics and collision geometry are not expected to play a role. In the multiplicity range where the $\mathrm {e^{+}e^{-}}$ results have good precision, the measured ridge yields in pp collisions are substantially larger than the limits set in $\mathrm {e^{+}e^{-}}$ annihilations. Consequently, the findings presented in this Letter suggest that the processes involved in $\mathrm {e^{+}e^{-}}$ annihilations do not contribute significantly to the emergence of long-range correlations in pp collisions.

1 data table

Ridge yield $Y_\mathrm{ridge}$ extracted at $1.4<|\Delta\eta|<1.8$ with $1.0<p_\mathrm{T,trig}<2.0\,\mathrm{GeV}/c$, $1.0<p_\mathrm{T,assoc}<2.0\,\mathrm{GeV}/c$ as a function of charged particle multiplicity counted at midrapidity $|\eta|<1.0$. The first three points at $N_\mathrm{ch}<8$ represent a 95% upper confidence limit where the statistical and systematic uncertainty have been combined.