The production cross sections of the prompt charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, D$^{*+}$ and D$_s$ were measured at mid-rapidity in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. D mesons were reconstructed from their decays D$^0\rightarrow{\rm K}^-\pi^+$, D$^+\rightarrow{\rm K}^-\pi^+\pi^+$, D$^{*+}\rightarrow D^0\pi^+$, D$_s^+\rightarrow\phi\pi^+\rightarrow{\rm K}^-{\rm K}^+\pi^+$, and their charge conjugates. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections were measured at mid-rapidity in the interval $1<p_{\rm T}<24$ GeV/$c$ for D$^0$, D$^+$ and D$^{*+}$ mesons and in $2<p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$ for D$_s$ mesons, using an analysis method based on the selection of decay topologies displaced from the interaction vertex. The production cross sections of the D$^0$, D$^+$ and D$^{*+}$ mesons were also measured in three $p_{\rm T}$ intervals as a function of the rapidity $y_{\rm cms}$ in the centre-of-mass system in $-1.26<y_{\rm cms}<0.34$. In addition, the prompt D$^0$ cross section was measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV and p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV down to $p_{\rm T}=0$ using an analysis technique that is based on the estimation and subtraction of the combinatorial background, without reconstruction of the D$^0$ decay vertex. The nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}(p_{\rm T})$, defined as the ratio of the $p_{\rm T}$-differential D-meson cross section in p-Pb collisions and that in pp collisions scaled by the mass number of the Pb nucleus, was calculated for the four D-meson species and found to be compatible with unity within experimental uncertainties. The results are compared to theoretical calculations that include cold-nuclear-matter effects and to transport model calculations incorporating the interactions of charm quarks with an expanding deconfined medium.
A systematic set of measurements of the global transverse energy distributions, dσ/dET and dET/dη, from beams of protons, O16 and Si28 at 14.6A GeV/c, incident on targets ranging from Be to Au is presented. The detector was a semicircular array of lead-glass blocks, covering polar angles 9°<θ<32°, whose total response provides a good measure of the produced particle yield in the central rapidity region of these reactions. Proton-nucleus spectra exhibit a similar shape on the high-energy tail, independent of target, suggesting that produced particles in such events arise mostly from the first collision of the projectile proton. For targets heavier than Cu, the high-energy edges of the oxygen-nucleus spectra, and of the silicon-nucleus spectra, reach ratios consistent with the geometry of central collisions. Angular distributions, dET/dη, are characterized by Gaussian fits, and an acceptance-independent form of the differential cross section is found, based on the maximum value of dET/dη. The projectile dependence of nucleus-nucleus spectra is studied in terms of two very different models: simple energy scaling and the wounded projectile nucleon model of p+A convolutions.
We report on the inclusive production cross sections of J/$\psi$, $\psi$(2S), $\Upsilon$(1S), $\Upsilon$(2S) and $\Upsilon$(3S), measured at forward rapidity with the ALICE detector in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV. The analysis is based on data collected at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.28 pb$^{-1}$. Quarkonia are reconstructed in the dimuon-decay channel. The differential production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and rapidity $y$, over the $p_{\rm T}$ ranges $0<p_{\rm T}<20$ GeV/$c$ for J/$\psi$, $0<p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$ for all other resonances, and for $2.5<y<4$. The cross sections, integrated over $p_{\rm T}$ and $y$, and assuming unpolarized quarkonia, are $\sigma_{{\rm J}/\psi} = 8.98\pm0.04\pm0.82$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\psi{\rm (2S)}} = 1.23\pm0.08\pm0.22$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(1S)}} = 71\pm6\pm7$ nb, $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(2S)}} = 26\pm5\pm4$ nb and $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(3S)}} = 9\pm4\pm1$ nb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second one is systematic. These values agree, within at most $1.4\sigma$, with measurements performed by the LHCb collaboration in the same rapidity range.
The cross section of jets reconstructed from charged particles is measured in the transverse momentum range of $5<p_\mathrm{T}<100\ \mathrm{GeV}/c$ in pp collisions at the center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 5.02\ \mathrm{TeV}$ with the ALICE detector. The jets are reconstructed using the anti-$k_\mathrm{T}$ algorithm with resolution parameters $R=0.2$, $0.3$, $0.4$, and $0.6$ in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|< 0.9-R$. The charged jet cross sections are compared with the leading order (LO) and to next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative Quantum ChromoDynamics (pQCD) calculations. It was found that the NLO calculations agree better with the measurements. The cross section ratios for different resolution parameters were also measured. These ratios increase from low $p_\mathrm{T}$ to high $p_\mathrm{T}$ and saturate at high $p_\mathrm{T}$, indicating that jet collimation is larger at high $p_\mathrm{T}$ than at low $p_\mathrm{T}$. These results provide a precision test of pQCD predictions and serve as a baseline for the measurement in Pb$-$Pb collisions at the same energy to quantify the effects of the hot and dense medium created in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC.
The inclusive production cross sections at forward rapidity of J/$\psi$, $\psi$(2S), $\Upsilon$(1S) and $\Upsilon$(2S) are measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis is based in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.35 pb$^{-1}$. Quarkonia are reconstructed in the dimuon-decay channel and the signal yields are evaluated by fitting the $\mu^+\mu^-$ invariant mass distributions. The differential production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and rapidity $y$, over the ranges $0 < p_{\rm T} < 20$ GeV/$c$ for J/$\psi$, $0 < p_{\rm T} < 12$ GeV/$c$ for all other resonances and for $2.5 < y < 4$. The measured cross sections integrated over $p_{\rm T}$ and $y$, and assuming unpolarized quarkonia, are: $\sigma_{J/\psi} = 6.69 \pm 0.04 \pm 0.63$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\psi^{\prime}} = 1.13 \pm 0.07 \pm 0.14$ $\mu$b, $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm(1S)}} = 54.2 \pm 5.0 \pm 6.7$ nb and $\sigma_{\Upsilon{\rm (2S)}} = 18.4 \pm 3.7 \pm 2.2$ nb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second one is systematic. The results are compared to measurements performed by other LHC experiments and to theoretical models.
The ALICE collaboration at the LHC reports measurement of the inclusive production cross section of electrons from semi-leptonic decays of beauty hadrons with rapidity $|y|<0.8$ and transverse momentum $1<p_{\mathrm{T}}<10$ GeV/$c$, in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = $ 2.76 TeV. Electrons not originating from semi-electronic decay of beauty hadrons are suppressed using the impact parameter of the corresponding tracks. The production cross section of beauty decay electrons is compared to the result obtained with an alternative method which uses the distribution of the azimuthal angle between heavy-flavour decay electrons and charged hadrons. Perturbative QCD calculations agree with the measured cross section within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties. The integrated visible cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{b} \rightarrow \mathrm{e}} = 3.47\pm0.40(\mathrm{stat})^{+1.12}_{-1.33}(\mathrm{sys})\pm0.07(\mathrm{norm}) \mu$b, was extrapolated to full phase space using Fixed Order plus Next-to-Leading Log (FONLL) predictions to obtain the total b$\bar{\mathrm{b}}$ production cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{b\bar{b}}} = 130\pm15.1(\mathrm{stat})^{+42.1}_{-49.8}(\mathrm{sys})^{+3.4}_{-3.1}(\mathrm{extr})\pm2.5(\mathrm{norm})\pm4.4(\mathrm{BR}) \mu$b.
The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt (B feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$, and for transverse momentum $1< p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$, were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic decays D$^0 \rightarrow $K$\pi$, D$^+ \rightarrow $K$\pi\pi$, D$^{*+} \rightarrow $D$^0\pi$, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a $L_{\rm int} = 1.1$ nb$^{-1}$ event sample collected in 2011 with a minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and our previous measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The results were compared to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.
The production cross section of inclusive J/$\psi$ pairs in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV is measured with ALICE. The measurement is performed for J/$\psi$ in the rapidity interval $2.5 < y < 4.0$ and for transverse momentum $p_{\rm T} > 0$. The production cross section of inclusive J/$\psi$ pairs is reported to be $10.3 \pm 2.3 {\rm (stat.)} \pm 1.3 {\rm (syst.)}$ nb in this kinematic interval. The contribution from non-prompt J/$\psi$ (i.e. originated from beauty-hadron decays) to the inclusive sample is evaluated. The results are discussed and compared with data.
In this paper Au+Au collisions at 11.6A GeV/c are characterized by two global observables: the energy measured near zero degrees (EZCAL) and the total event multiplicity. Particle spectra are measured for different event classes that are defined in a two-dimensional grid of both global observables. For moderately central events (σ/σint<12%) the proton dN/dy distributions do not depend on EZCAL but only on the event multiplicity. In contrast the shape of the proton transverse spectra shows little dependence on the event multiplicity. The change in the proton dN/dy distributions suggests that different conditions are formed in the collision for different event classes. These event classes are studied for signals of new physics by measuring pion and kaon spectra and yields. In the event classes doubly selected on EZCAL and multiplicity there is no indication of any unusual pion or kaon yields, spectra, or K/π ratio even in the events with extreme multiplicity.
We report on the production of inclusive $\Upsilon$(1S) and $\Upsilon$(2S) in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV at the LHC. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector at backward ($-4.46< y_{{\rm cms}}<-2.96$) and forward ($2.03< y_{{\rm cms}}<3.53$) rapidity down to zero transverse momentum. The production cross sections of the $\Upsilon$(1S) and $\Upsilon$(2S) are presented, as well as the nuclear modification factor and the ratio of the forward to backward yields of $\Upsilon$(1S). A suppression of the inclusive $\Upsilon$(1S) yield in p-Pb collisions with respect to the yield from pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions is observed at forward rapidity but not at backward rapidity. The results are compared to theoretical model calculations including nuclear shadowing or partonic energy loss effects.