We present a new measurement of J/psi production in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/nucleon, from the data sample collected in year 2000 by the NA50 Collaboration, under improved experimental conditions with respect to previous years. With the target system placed in vacuum, the setup was better adapted to study, in particular, the most peripheral nuclear collisions with unprecedented accuracy. The analysis of this data sample shows that the (J/psi)/Drell-Yan cross-sections ratio measured in the most peripheral Pb-Pb interactions is in good agreement with the nuclear absorption pattern extrapolated from the studies of proton-nucleus collisions. Furthermore, this new measurement confirms our previous observation that the (J/psi)/Drell-Yan cross-sections ratio departs from the normal nuclear absorption pattern for semi-central Pb-Pb collisions and that this ratio persistently decreases up to the most central collisions.
Centrality classes based on the transverse energy measurement Errors are rms values obtained with fit.
Cross sections ratio J/PSI/Drell-Yan as a function of ET IN GEV obtained withthe ET Centrality estimator.
Cross sections ratio J/PSI/Drell-Yan as a function of NPART obtained withthe ET Centrality estimator.
Muon pairs produced in Pb–Pb interactions at 158 GeV/ c per nucleon are used to study the transverse momentum distributions of the J/ ψ , ψ ′ and dimuons in the mass continuum. In particular, the dependence of these distributions on the centrality of the Pb–Pb collision is investigated in detail.
Mean values of PT and PT**2 calculated from the IMR distributions.
Mean values of PT and PT**2 calculated from the J/PSI distributions.
Mean values of PT and PT**2 calculated from the PSI(3685) distributions.