The production cross sections of $\mathrm {D^0}$, $\mathrm {D^+}$, and $\mathrm {\Lambda_{c}^{+}}$ hadrons originating from beauty-hadron decays (i.e. non-prompt) were measured for the first time at midrapidity in proton$-$lead (p$-$Pb) collisions at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV. Nuclear modification factors ($R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$) of non-prompt $\mathrm {D^0}$, $\mathrm {D^+}$, and $\mathrm {\Lambda_{c}^{+}}$ are calculated as a function of the transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm T}$) to investigate the modification of the momentum spectra measured in p$-$Pb collisions with respect to those measured in proton$-$proton (pp) collisions at the same energy. The $R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$ measurements are compatible with unity and with the measurements in the prompt charm sector, and do not show a significant $p_{\mathrm T}$ dependence. The $p_{\mathrm T}$-integrated cross sections and $p_{\mathrm T}$-integrated $R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$ of non-prompt $\mathrm {D^0}$ and $\mathrm {D^+}$ mesons are also computed by extrapolating the visible cross sections down to $p_{\mathrm T}$ = 0. The non-prompt D-meson $R_{\mathrm {pPb}}$ integrated over $p_{\mathrm T}$ is compatible with unity and with model calculations implementing modification of the parton distribution functions of nucleons bound in nuclei with respect to free nucleons. The non-prompt $\mathrm {\Lambda_{c}^{+}/D^{0}}$ and $\mathrm{D^+/D^0}$ production ratios are computed to investigate hadronisation mechanisms of beauty quarks into mesons and baryons. The measured ratios as a function of $p_{\mathrm T}$ display a similar trend to that measured for charm hadrons in the same collision system.
In this Letter, the first evidence of the ${}^4_{\bar{\Lambda}}\overline{\mathrm{He}}$ antihypernucleus is presented, along with the first measurement at the LHC of the production of (anti)hypernuclei with mass number $A=4$, specifically (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{H}$ and (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{He}$. In addition, the antiparticle-to-particle ratios for both hypernuclei (${}^4_{\bar{\Lambda}}\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ / ${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{H}$~and ${}^4_{\bar{\Lambda}}\overline{\mathrm{He}}$ / ${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{He}$) are shown, which are sensitive to the baryochemical potential of the strongly-interacting matter created in heavy-ion collisions. The results are obtained from a data sample of central Pb--Pb collisions, collected during the 2018 LHC data-taking at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = $ 5.02 TeV. The yields measured for the average of the charge-conjugated states are found to be $[0.78 \; \pm \; 0.19 \; \mathrm{(stat.)} \; \pm \; 0.17 \; \mathrm{(syst.)}] \times 10^{-6}$ for the (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{H}$ and $[1.08 \; \pm \; 0.34 \; \mathrm{(stat.)} \; \pm \; 0.20 \; \mathrm{(syst.)}] \times 10^{-6}$ for the (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{He}$, and the measured antiparticle-to-particle ratios are in agreement with unity. The presence of (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{H}$ and (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{He}$ excited states is expected to strongly enhance the production yield of these hypernuclei. The yield values exhibit a combined deviation of 3.3$\sigma$ from the theoretical ground-state-only expectation, while the inclusion of the excited states in the calculations leads to an agreement within 0.6$\sigma$ with the present measurements. Additionally, the measured (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{H}$ and (anti)${}^4_{\Lambda}\mathrm{He}$ masses are compatible with the world-average values within the uncertainties.
A linearly polarized photon can be quantized from the Lorentz-boosted electromagnetic field of a nucleus traveling at ultra-relativistic speed. When two relativistic heavy nuclei pass one another at a distance of a few nuclear radii, the photon from one nucleus may interact through a virtual quark-antiquark pair with gluons from the other nucleus forming a short-lived vector meson (e.g. ${ρ^0}$). In this experiment, the polarization was utilized in diffractive photoproduction to observe a unique spin interference pattern in the angular distribution of ${ρ^0\rightarrowπ^+π^-}$ decays. The observed interference is a result of an overlap of two wave functions at a distance an order of magnitude larger than the ${ρ^0}$ travel distance within its lifetime. The strong-interaction nuclear radii were extracted from these diffractive interactions, and found to be $6.53\pm 0.06$ fm ($^{197} {\rm Au }$) and $7.29\pm 0.08$ fm ($^{238} {\rm U}$), larger than the nuclear charge radii. The observable is demonstrated to be sensitive to the nuclear geometry and quantum interference of non-identical particles.
This Letter presents the first measurement of the impact-parameter dependent angular anisotropy in the decay of coherently photoproduced $\rho^0$ mesons. The $\rho^0$ mesons are reconstructed through their decay into pion pairs. The measured anisotropy corresponds to the amplitude of the $\cos(2\phi)$ modulation, where $\phi$ is the angle between the two vectors formed by the sum and the difference of the transverse momenta of the pions, respectively. The measurement was performed by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC using data from ultraperipheral Pb$-$Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}~=~5.02$ TeV per nucleon pair. Different impact-parameter regions are selected by classifying the events in nuclear-breakup classes. The amplitude of the $\cos(2\phi)$ modulation is found to increase by about one order of magnitude from large to small impact parameters. Theoretical calculations describe the measured $\cos(2\phi)$ anisotropy and its impact-parameter dependence as the result of a quantum interference effect at the femtometer scale, arising from the ambiguity regarding which of the nuclei is the photon source in the interaction.
The ALICE Collaboration presents a new suite of jet substructure measurements in Pb-Pb and pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s}_{\rm NN} = 5.02$ TeV. These measurements provide access to the internal structure of jets via the momentum and angle of their constituents, probing how the quark--gluon plasma modifies jets, an effect known as jet quenching. Jet grooming additionally removes soft wide-angle radiation to enhance perturbative accuracy and reduce experimental uncertainties. We report the groomed and ungroomed jet mass $m_{\rm jet}$ and jet angularities $\lambda_\alpha^\kappa$ using $\kappa=1$ and $\alpha>0$. Charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-$k_\mathrm{T}$ algorithm with resolution parameter $R = 0.2$. A narrowing of the jet mass and angularity distributions in Pb-Pb collisions with respect to pp is observed and is enhanced for groomed results, confirming modification of the jet core. By using consistent jet definitions and kinematic cuts between the mass and angularities for the first time, previous inconsistencies in the interpretation of quenching measurements are resolved, rectifying a hurdle for understanding how jet quenching arises from first principles and highlighting the importance of a well-controlled baseline. These results are compared with a variety of theoretical models of jet quenching, providing constraints on jet energy-loss mechanisms in the quark--gluon plasma.
The first measurement of $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ and $^3_ {\overline{\Lambda}}\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ differential production with respect to transverse momentum and centrality in Pb$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$~TeV is presented. The $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ has been reconstructed via its two-charged-body decay channel, i.e., $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H} \rightarrow {}^{3}\mathrm{He} + \pi^{-}$. A Blast-Wave model fit of the $p_{\rm T}$-differential spectra of all nuclear species measured by the ALICE collaboration suggests that the $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ kinetic freeze-out surface is consistent with that of other nuclei. The ratio between the integrated yields of $_{\Lambda}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ and $^3\mathrm{He}$ is compared to predictions from the statistical hadronisation model and the coalescence model, with the latter being favoured by the presented measurements.
In this letter, measurements of (anti)alpha production in central (0$-$10%) Pb$-$Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon$-$nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV are presented, including the first measurement of an antialpha transverse-momentum spectrum. Owing to its large mass, the production of (anti)alpha is expected to be sensitive to different particle production models. The production yields and transverse-momentum spectra of nuclei are of particular interest because they provide a stringent test of these models. The averaged antialpha and alpha spectrum is compared to the spectra of lighter particles, by including it into a common blast-wave fit capturing the hydrodynamic-like flow of all particles. This fit is indicating that the (anti)alpha also participates in the collective expansion of the medium created in the collision. A blast-wave fit including only protons, (anti)alpha, and other light nuclei results in a similar flow velocity as the fit that includes all particles. A similar flow velocity, but a significantly larger kinetic freeze-out temperature is obtained when only protons and light nuclei are included in the fit. The coalescence parameter $B_4$ is well described by calculations from a statistical hadronization model but significantly underestimated by calculations assuming nucleus formation via coalescence of nucleons. Similarly, the (anti)alpha-to-proton ratio is well described by the statistical hadronization model. On the other hand, coalescence calculations including approaches with different implementations of the (anti)alpha substructure tend to underestimate the data.
The transverse momentum spectra and integrated yields of $\overlineΣ^{\pm}$ have been measured in pp and p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV with the ALICE experiment. Measurements are performed via the newly accessed decay channel $\overlineΣ^{\pm} \rightarrow {\rm\overline{n}}π^{\pm}$. A new method of antineutron reconstruction with the PHOS electromagnetic spectrometer is developed and applied to this analysis. The $p_{\rm T}$ spectra of $\overlineΣ^{\pm}$ are measured in the range $0.5 < p_{\rm T} < 3$ GeV/$c$ and compared to predictions of the PYTHIA 8, DPMJET, PHOJET, EPOS LHC and EPOS4 models. The EPOS LHC and EPOS4 models provide the best descriptions of the measured spectra both in pp and p-Pb collisions, while models which do not account for multiparton interactions provide a considerably worse description at high $p_{\rm T}$. The total yields of $\overlineΣ^{\pm}$ in both pp and p-Pb collisions are compared to predictions of the Thermal-FIST model and dynamical models PYTHIA 8, DPMJET, PHOJET, EPOS LHC and EPOS4. All models reproduce the total yields in both colliding systems within uncertainties. The nuclear modification factors $R_{\rm pPb}$ for both $\overlineΣ^{+}$ and $\overlineΣ^{-}$ are evaluated and compared to those of protons, $Λ$ and $Ξ$ hyperons, and predictions of EPOS LHC and EPOS4 models. No deviations of $R_{\rm pPb}$ for $\overlineΣ^{\pm}$ from the model predictions or measurements for other hadrons are found within uncertainties.
Production cross sections of $\Upsilon$(1S), $\Upsilon$(2S), and $\Upsilon$(3S) states decaying into $\mu^+\mu^-$ in proton-lead (pPb) collisions are reported using data collected by the CMS experiment at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV. A comparison is made with corresponding cross sections obtained with pp data measured at the same collision energy and scaled by the Pb nucleus mass number. The nuclear modification factor for $\Upsilon$(1S) is found to be $R_\mathrm{pPb}(\Upsilon(1S))$ = 0.806 $\pm$ 0.024 (stat) $\pm$ 0.059 (syst). Similar results for the excited states indicate a sequential suppression pattern, such that $R_\mathrm{pPb}(\Upsilon(1S))$$\gt$$R_\mathrm{pPb}(\Upsilon(2S))$$\gt$$R_\mathrm{pPb}(\Upsilon(3S))$. The suppression is much less pronounced in pPb than in PbPb collisions, and independent of transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}^\Upsilon$ and center-of-mass rapidity $y_\mathrm{CM}^\Upsilon$ of the individual $\Upsilon$ state in the studied range $p_\mathrm{T}^\Upsilon$$\lt$ 30 GeV$/c$ and $\vert y_\mathrm{CM}^\Upsilon\vert$$\lt$ 1.93. Models that incorporate sequential suppression of bottomonia in pPb collisions are in better agreement with the data than those which only assume initial-state modifications.
Measurement by the STAR experiment at RHIC of the cold nuclear matter (CNM) effects experienced by inclusive $J/\psi$ at mid-rapidity in 0-100%$p$+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}}$ = 200 GeV is presented. Such effects are quantified utilizing the nuclear modification factor, $R_{p\mathrm{Au}}$, obtained by taking a ratio of $J/\psi$ yield in $p$+Au collisions to that in $p$+$p$ collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The differential $J/\psi$ yield in both $p$+$p$ and $p$+Au collisions is measured through the dimuon decay channel, taking advantage of the trigger capability provided by the Muon Telescope Detector in the RHIC 2015 run. Consequently, the $J/\psi$$R_{p\mathrm{Au}}$ is derived within the transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm{T}}$) range of 0 to 10 GeV/$c$. A suppression of approximately 30% is observed for $p_{\mathrm{T}}<2$ GeV/$c$, while $J/\psi$ $R_{p\mathrm{Au}}$ becomes compatible with unity for $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ greater than 3 GeV/$c$, indicating the $J/\psi$ yield is minimally affected by the CNM effects at high $p_{\mathrm{T}}$. Comparison to a similar measurement from 0-20% central Au+Au collisions reveals that the observed strong $J/\psi$ suppression above 3 Gev/$c$ is mostly due to the hot medium effects, providing strong evidence for the formation of the quark-gluon plasma in these collisions. Several model calculations show qualitative agreement with the measured $J/\psi$ $R_{p\mathrm{Au}}$, while their agreement with the $J/\psi$ yields in $p$+$p$ and $p$+Au collisions is worse.