The elliptic, $v_2$, triangular, $v_3$, and quadrangular, $v_4$, azimuthal anisotropic flow coefficients are measured for unidentified charged particles, pions and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Results obtained with the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods are reported for the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ at different collision centralities and as a function of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, out to $p_{\rm T}=20$ GeV/$c$. The observed non-zero elliptic and triangular flow depends only weakly on transverse momentum for $p_{\rm T}>8$ GeV/$c$. The small $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the difference between elliptic flow results obtained from the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods suggests a common origin of flow fluctuations up to $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$. The magnitude of the (anti-)proton elliptic and triangular flow is larger than that of pions out to at least $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$ indicating that the particle type dependence persists out to high $p_{\rm T}$.
Transverse momentum spectra of $\pi^{\pm}$, $\rm K^{\pm}$ and p($\bar{\rm p}$) up to $p_{\rm T}$ = 20 GeV/$c$ at mid-rapidity in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 2.76 TeV have been measured using the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The proton-to-pion and the kaon-to-pion ratios both show a distinct peak at $p_{\rm T} \approx 3 GeV/c$ in central Pb-Pb collisions. Below the peak, $p_{\rm T}$ < 3 GeV/$c$, both ratios are in good agreement with hydrodynamical calculations, suggesting that the peak itself is dominantly the result of radial flow rather than anomalous hadronization processes. For $p_{\rm T}$ > 10 GeV/$c$ particle ratios in pp and Pb-Pb collisions are in agreement and the nuclear modification factors for $\pi^{\pm}$, $\rm K^{\pm}$ and $\rm p$($\bar{\rm p}$) indicate that, within the systematic and statistical uncertainties, the suppression is the same. This suggests that the chemical composition of leading particles from jets in the medium is similar to that of vacuum jets.
We have studied the transverse-momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) dependence of the inclusive J/$\psi$ production in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV, in three center-of-mass rapidity ($y_{\rm cms}$) regions, down to zero $p_{\rm T}$. Results in the forward and backward rapidity ranges ($2.03 < y_{\rm cms} < 3.53$ and $-4.46 <y_{\rm cms}< -2.96$) are obtained by studying the J/$\psi$ decay to $\mu^+\mu^-$, while the mid-rapidity region ($-1.37 < y_{\rm cms} < 0.43$) is investigated by measuring the ${\rm e}^+{\rm e}^-$ decay channel. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the J/$\psi$ production cross section and nuclear modification factor are presented for each of the rapidity intervals, as well as the J/$\psi$ mean $p_{\rm T}$ values. Forward and mid-rapidity results show a suppression of the J/$\psi$ yield, with respect to pp collisions, which decreases with increasing $p_{\rm T}$. At backward rapidity no significant J/$\psi$ suppression is observed. Theoretical models including a combination of cold nuclear matter effects such as shadowing and partonic energy loss, are in fair agreement with the data, except at forward rapidity and low transverse momentum. The implications of the p-Pb results for the evaluation of cold nuclear matter effects on J/$\psi$ production in Pb-Pb collisions are also discussed.
The production of J/$\psi$ and $\psi(2S)$ was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The measurement was performed at forward rapidity ($2.5 < y < 4 $) down to zero transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) in the dimuon decay channel. Inclusive J/$\psi$ yields were extracted in different centrality classes and the centrality dependence of the average $p_{\rm T}$ is presented. The J/$\psi$ suppression, quantified with the nuclear modification factor ($R_{\rm AA}$), was studied as a function of centrality, transverse momentum and rapidity. Comparisons with similar measurements at lower collision energy and theoretical models indicate that the J/$\psi$ production is the result of an interplay between color screening and recombination mechanisms in a deconfined partonic medium, or at its hadronization. Results on the $\psi(2S)$ suppression are provided via the ratio of $\psi(2S)$ over J/$\psi$ measured in pp and Pb-Pb collisions.
The dependence of $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980) production on the final-state charged-particle multiplicity in p$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV is reported. The production of $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980) is measured with the ALICE detector via the $\mathrm{f}_0 (980) \rightarrow \pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ decay channel in a midrapidity region of $-0.5<y<0$. Particle yield ratios of $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980) to $\pi$ and $\mathrm{K}^{*}$(892)$^{0}$ are found to be decreasing with increasing charged-particle multiplicity. The magnitude of the suppression of the $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980)/$\pi$ and $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980)/$\mathrm{K}^{*}$(892)$^{0}$ yield ratios is found to be dependent on the transverse momentum $p_{\mathrm{T}}$, suggesting different mechanisms responsible for the measured effects. Furthermore, the nuclear modification factor $Q_{\mathrm{pPb}}$ of $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980) is measured in various multiplicity ranges. The $Q_{\mathrm{pPb}}$ shows a strong suppression of the $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980) production in the $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ region up to about 4 GeV/$c$. The results on the particle yield ratios and $Q_{\mathrm{pPb}}$ for $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980) may help to understand the late hadronic phase in p$-$Pb collisions and the nature of the internal structure of $\mathrm{f}_{0}$(980) particle.
Transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) spectra of pions, kaons, and protons up to $p_{\rm{T}} = 20$ GeV/$c$ have been measured in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV using the ALICE detector for six different centrality classes covering 0-80%. The proton-to-pion and the kaon-to-pion ratios both show a distinct peak at $p_{\rm{T}} \approx 3$ GeV/$c$ in central Pb-Pb collisions that decreases towards more peripheral collisions. For $p_{\rm{T}} > 10$ GeV/$c$, the nuclear modification factor is found to be the same for all three particle species in each centrality interval within systematic uncertainties of 10-20%. This suggests there is no direct interplay between the energy loss in the medium and the particle species composition in the hard core of the quenched jet. For $p_{\rm{T}} < 10$ GeV/$c$, the data provide important constraints for models aimed at describing the transition from soft to hard physics.
The transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm T}$) distribution of primary charged particles is measured at midrapidity in minimum-bias p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the range $0.15<p_{\mathrm T}<50$ GeV/$c$. The spectra are compared to the expectation based on binary collision scaling of particle production in pp collisions, leading to a nuclear modification factor consistent with unity for $p_{\mathrm T}$ larger than 2 GeV/$c$, with a weak indication of a Cronin-like enhancement for $p_{\rm T}$ around 4 GeV/$c$. The measurement is compared to theoretical calculations and to data in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV.
The production cross sections of ${\rm D^0}$ and $\Lambda^+_{\rm c}$ hadrons originating from beauty-hadron decays (i.e. non-prompt) were measured for the first time at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) by the ALICE Collaboration in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. They are described within uncertainties by perturbative QCD calculations employing the fragmentation fractions of beauty quarks to baryons measured at forward rapidity by the LHCb Collaboration. The ${\rm b\overline{b}}$ production cross section per unit of rapidity at midrapidity, estimated from these measurements, is ${\rm d}\sigma_{\rm b\overline{b}}/{\rm d}y|_{|y|<0.5} = 83.1 \pm 3.5 (\mathrm{stat.}) \pm 5.4(\mathrm{syst.}) ^{+12.3}_{-3.2} (\mathrm{extrap.})\,\mu$b. The baryon-to-meson ratios are computed to investigate the hadronization mechanism of beauty quarks. The non-prompt $\Lambda^+_{\rm c}/{\rm D^0}$ production ratio has a similar trend to the one measured for the promptly produced charmed particles and to the p$/\pi^+$ and $\Lambda/{\rm K^0_S}$ ratios, suggesting a similar baryon-formation mechanism among light, strange, charm, and beauty hadrons. The $p_{\rm T}$-integrated non-prompt $\Lambda_{\rm c}/{\rm D^0}$ ratio is found to be significantly higher than the one measured in e$^+$e$^-$ collisions.
We report on results obtained with the Event Shape Engineering technique applied to Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\rm{NN}}=2.76$ TeV. By selecting events in the same centrality interval, but with very different average flow, different initial state conditions can be studied. We find the effect of the event-shape selection on the elliptic flow coefficient $v_2$ to be almost independent of transverse momentum $p_\rm{T}$, as expected if this effect is due to fluctuations in the initial geometry of the system. Charged hadron, pion, kaon, and proton transverse momentum distributions are found to be harder in events with higher-than-average elliptic flow, indicating an interplay between radial and elliptic flow.
The production of K$^*$(892)$^\pm$ meson resonance is measured at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The resonance is reconstructed via its hadronic decay channel K$^*$(892)$^\pm \rightarrow \rm{K^0_S \pi^\pm}$. The transverse momentum distributions are obtained for various centrality intervals in the $p_{\rm T}$ range of 0.4-16 GeV/$c$. The reported measurements of integrated yields, mean transverse momenta, and particle yield ratios are consistent with previous ALICE measurements for K$^*$(892)$^0$. The $p_{\rm T}$-integrated yield ratio 2K$^*$(892)$^\pm$/($\rm{K^+ + K^-}$) in central Pb-Pb collisions shows a significant suppression (9.3$\sigma$) relative to pp collisions. Thermal model calculations overpredict the particle yield ratio. Although both simulations consider the hadronic phase, only HRG-PCE accurately represents the measurements, whereas MUSIC+SMASH tends to overpredict them. These observations, along with the kinetic freeze-out temperatures extracted from the yields of light-flavored hadrons using the HRG-PCE model, indicate a finite hadronic phase lifetime, which increases towards central collisions. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential yield ratios 2K$^*$(892)$^\pm$/($\rm{K^+ + K^-}$) and 2K$^*$(892)$^\pm$/($\rm{\pi^+ + \pi^-}$) are suppressed by up to a factor of five at $p_{\rm T}<2$ GeV/$c$ in central Pb-Pb collisions compared to pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 5.02 TeV. Both particle ratios and are qualitatively consistent with expectations for rescattering effects in the hadronic phase. The nuclear modification factor shows a smooth evolution with centrality and is below unity at $p_{\rm T}>8$ GeV/$c$, consistent with measurements for other light-flavored hadrons. The smallest values are observed in most central collisions, indicating larger energy loss of partons traversing the dense medium.
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