Incoherent J/$\psi$ photoproduction in heavy ion ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs), in which the photon interacts with localized, fluctuating gluonic hotspots rather than the entire nucleus, provides a unique probe of those fluctuations. This study presents the first measurement of the dependence of this photoproduction yield on the photon-nucleon center-of-mass energy ($W_\gamma^\mathrm{N}$), using PbPb UPCs at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The data corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.52 nb$^{-1}$, recorded by the CMS experiment. The measurement covers a wide $W_\gamma^\mathrm{N}$ range of $\approx$40-400 GeV, probing gluons carrying a fraction of nucleon momentum $x$ in the range between 5.9 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ and 6.5 $\times$ 10$^{-5}$. The measured incoherent J/$\psi$ photoproduction cross section is suppressed relative to theoretical predictions without nuclear effects. However, the ratio of incoherent to coherent photoproduction remains constant across the probed $W_\gamma^\mathrm{N}$ and $x$ range. Together, these results pose significant challenges to current theoretical models which include gluon saturation or nuclear shadowing effects.
The differential incoherent $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ photoproduction cross section as a function of $|y|$, in different neutron multiplicity classes.
The differential incoherent $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ photoproduction cross section as a function of $y$, in different neutron multiplicity classes.
The incoherent $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ photoproduction cross section as a function of photon-nuclear center-of-mass energy per nucleon $W_{\gamma \mathrm{N}}^{\mathrm{Pb}}$ or Bjorken $x$, measured in PbPb ultra-peripheral collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The $W_{\gamma \mathrm{N}}^{\mathrm{Pb}}$ values used correspond to the center of each rapidity range. The theoretical uncertainties is due to the uncertainties in the photon flux.
Quasireal photons exchanged in relativistic heavy ion interactions are powerful probes of the gluonic structure of nuclei. The coherent J/$\psi$ photoproduction cross section in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions is measured as a function of photon-nucleus center-of-mass energies per nucleon (W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$), over a wide range of 40 $\lt$ W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$$\lt$ 400 GeV. Results are obtained using data at the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.52 nb$^{-1}$. The cross section is observed to rise rapidly at low W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$, and plateau above W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$$\approx$ 40 GeV, up to 400 GeV, a new regime of small Bjorken-$x$ ($\approx$ 6 $\times$ 10$^{-5}$) gluons being probed in a heavy nucleus. The observed energy dependence is not predicted by current quantum chromodynamic models.
The differential coherent $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ photoproduction cross section as a function of rapidity, in different neutron multiplicity classes: 0n0n, 0nXn, XnXn , and AnAn.
The differential coherent $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ photoproduction cross section as a function of rapidity, in different neutron multiplicity classes: 0n0n, 0nXn, XnXn , and AnAn.
The total coherent $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ photoproduction cross section as a function of photon-nuclear center-of-mass energy per nucleon $W_{\gamma \mathrm{N}}^{\mathrm{Pb}}$, measured in PbPb ultra-peripheral collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The $W_{\gamma \mathrm{N}}^{\mathrm{Pb}}$ values used correspond to the center of each rapidity range. The theoretical uncertainties is due to the uncertainties in the photon flux.
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