The study of the production of nuclei and antinuclei in pp collisions has proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the formation mechanism of loosely bound states in high-energy hadronic collisions. In this paper, the production of protons, deuterons and $^3$He and their charge conjugates at midrapidity is studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity in inelastic pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV using the ALICE detector. Within the uncertainties, the yields of nuclei in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV are compatible with those in pp collisions at different energies and to those in p-Pb collisions when compared at similar multiplicities. The measurements are compared with the expectations of coalescence and Statistical Hadronisation Models. The results suggest a common formation mechanism behind the production of light nuclei in hadronic interactions and confirm that they do not depend on the collision energy but on the number of produced particles.
(Anti)proton spectrum in V0M multiplicity class I
(Anti)proton spectrum in V0M multiplicity class II
(Anti)proton spectrum in V0M multiplicity class III
The inclusive J/$\psi$ elliptic ($v_2$) and triangular ($v_3$) flow coefficients measured at forward rapidity (2.5 $<y<$ 4) and the $v_2$ measured at midrapidity ($|y|<$ 0.9) in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC are reported. The entire Pb-Pb data sample collected during Run 2 is employed, amounting to an integrated luminosity of 750 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ at forward rapidity and 93 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ at midrapidity. The results are obtained using the scalar product method and are reported as a function of transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and collision centrality. At midrapidity, the J/$\psi$ $v_2$ is in agreement with the forward rapidity measurement. The centrality averaged results indicate a positive J/$\psi$ $v_3$ with a significance of more than 5$\sigma$ at forward rapidity in the $p_{\rm T}$ range $2<p_{\rm T}<5$ GeV/$c$. The forward rapidity $v_2$, $v_3$, and $v_3$/$v_2$ results at low and intermediate $p_{\rm T}$ ($p_{\rm T} \lesssim 8$ GeV/$c$) exhibit a mass hierarchy when compared to pions and D mesons, while converging into a species-independent curve at higher $p_{\rm T}$. At low and intermediate $p_{\rm T}$, the results could be interpreted in terms of a later thermalization of charm quarks compared to light quarks, while at high $p_{\rm T}$, path-length dependent effects seem to dominate. The J/$\psi$ $v_2$ measurements are further compared to a microscopic transport model calculation. Using a simplified extension of the quark scaling approach involving both light and charm quark flow components, it is shown that the D-meson $v_{\rm n}$ measurements can be described based on those for charged pions and J/$\psi$ flow.
Inclusive J/$\psi$ $v_2$ as a function of $p_{T}$ in the centrality interval 0$-$10.0 %
Inclusive J/$\psi$ $v_2$ as a function of $p_{T}$ in the centrality interval 10$-$30 %
Inclusive J/$\psi$ $v_2$ as a function of $p_{T}$ in the centrality interval 30$-$50 %
We present the charged-particle multiplicity distributions over a wide pseudorapidity range ($-3.4<\eta<5.0$) for pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 0.9, 7, and 8 TeV at the LHC. Results are based on information from the Silicon Pixel Detector and the Forward Multiplicity Detector of ALICE, extending the pseudorapidity coverage of the earlier publications and the high-multiplicity reach. The measurements are compared to results from the CMS experiment and to PYTHIA, PHOJET and EPOS LHC event generators, as well as IP-Glasma calculations.
Multiplicity distribution in the pseudorapidity region -2.0 to 2.0 for NSD collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 900 GeV.
Multiplicity distribution in the pseudorapidity region -2.4 to 2.4 for NSD collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 900 GeV.
Multiplicity distribution in the pseudorapidity region -3.0 to 3.0 for NSD collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 900 GeV.
One of the key challenges for nuclear physics today is to understand from first principles the effective interaction between hadrons with different quark content. First successes have been achieved using techniques that solve the dynamics of quarks and gluons on discrete space-time lattices. Experimentally, the dynamics of the strong interaction have been studied by scattering hadrons off each other. Such scattering experiments are difficult or impossible for unstable hadrons and so high-quality measurements exist only for hadrons containing up and down quarks. Here we demonstrate that measuring correlations in the momentum space between hadron pairs produced in ultrarelativistic proton-proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) provides a precise method with which to obtain the missing information on the interaction dynamics between any pair of unstable hadrons. Specifically, we discuss the case of the interaction of baryons containing strange quarks (hyperons). We demonstrate how, using precision measurements of p-omega baryon correlations, the effect of the strong interaction for this hadron-hadron pair can be studied with precision similar to, and compared with, predictions from lattice calculations. The large number of hyperons identified in proton-proton collisions at the LHC, together with an accurate modelling of the small (approximately one femtometre) inter-particle distance and exact predictions for the correlation functions, enables a detailed determination of the short-range part of the nucleon-hyperon interaction.
The p--$\Xi^{-}$ $\oplus$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$--$\overline{\Xi}^{+}$ correlation function.
The p--$\Xi^{-}$ $\oplus$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$--$\overline{\Xi}^{+}$ correlation function.
The p--$\Omega^{-}$ $\oplus$ $\overline{\mathrm{p}}$--$\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ correlation function.
The first measurement of the cross section for coherent J/$\psi$ photoproduction as a function of $|t|$, the square of the momentum transferred between the incoming and outgoing target nucleus, is presented. The data were measured with the ALICE detector in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the J/$\psi$ produced in the central rapidity region $|y|<0.8$, which corresponds to the small Bjorken-$x$ range $(0.3-1.4) \times 10^{-3}$. The measured $|t|$-dependence is not described by computations based only on the Pb nuclear form factor, while the photonuclear cross section is better reproduced by models including shadowing according to the leading-twist approximation, or gluon-saturation effects from the impact-parameter dependent Balitsky-Kovchegov equation. These new results are therefore a valid tool to constrain the relevant model parameters and to investigate the transverse gluonic structure at very low Bjorken-$x$.
t-dependence of coherent J/psi photonuclear production cross section in Pb-Pb UPC.
pT**2-dependence of coherent J/psi photoproduction cross section in Pb-Pb UPC.
The first measurement at the LHC of charge-dependent directed flow ($v_{1}$) relative to the spectator plane is presented for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. Results are reported for charged hadrons and $\rm D^{0}$ mesons for the transverse momentum intervals $p_{\rm T}>0.2$ GeV/$c$ and $3<p_{\rm T}<$ 6 GeV/$c$ in the 5-40% and 10-40% centrality classes, respectively. The difference between the positively and negatively charged hadron $v_{1}$ has a positive slope as a function of pseudorapidity $\eta$, ${\rm d}\Delta{v_1}/{\rm d}\eta=$[1.68 $\pm$ 0.49 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.41 (syst.)] $\times 10^{-4}$. The same measurement for $\rm D^{0}$ and $\rm\bar{D}{}^0$ mesons yields a positive value ${\rm d}\Delta{v_1}/{\rm d}\eta$= [4.9 $\pm$ 1.7 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.6 (syst.)]$\times 10^{-1}$, which is about three orders of magnitude larger than the one of the charged hadrons. These measurements can provide new insights into the effects of the strong electromagnetic field and the initial tilt of matter created in non-central heavy-ion collisions on the dynamics of light (u, d, and s) and heavy (c) quarks. The large difference between the observed $\Delta{v_1}$ of charged hadrons and $\rm D^{0}$ mesons may reflect different sensitivity of the charm and light quarks to the early time dynamics of a heavy-ion collision. These observations challenge some of the recent theoretical calculations, which predicted a negative and an order of magnitude smaller value of ${\rm d}\Delta{v_1}/{\rm d}\eta$ for both light-flavour and charmed hadrons.
Directed flow positive hadrons 5-40%
Directed flow negative hadrons 5-40%
Delta Directed flow hadrons
The differential invariant yield as a function of transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured at midrapidity in central (0-10%), semi-central (30-50%) and peripheral (60-80%) lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02\text{ TeV}$ in the $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ intervals 0.5-26 GeV/$c$ (0-10% and 30-50%) and 0.5-10 GeV/$c$ (60-80%). The production cross section in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV was measured as well in $0.5<p_\mathrm{T}<10$ GeV/$c$ and it lies close to the upper band of perturbative QCD calculation uncertainties up to $p_\mathrm{T}=5$ GeV/$c$ and close to the mean value for larger $p_\mathrm{T}$. The modification of the electron yield with respect to what is expected for an incoherent superposition of nucleon-nucleon collisions is evaluated by measuring the nuclear modification factor $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$. The measurement of the $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$ in different centrality classes allows in-medium energy loss of charm and beauty quarks to be investigated. The $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$ shows a suppression with respect to unity at intermediate $p_\mathrm{T}$, which increases while moving towards more central collisions. Moreover, the measured $R_{\mathrm{AA}}$ is sensitive to the modification of the parton distribution functions (PDF) in nuclei, like nuclear shadowing, which causes a suppression of the heavy-quark production at low $p_\mathrm{T}$ in heavy-ion collisions at LHC.
HFe cross section in pp
HFe cross section in Pb-Pb, 0-10 centrality
HFe cross section in Pb-Pb, 30-50 centrality
Measurements of identified hadrons as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity in pp collisions enable a search for the onset of collective effects in small collision systems. With such measurements, it is possible to study the mechanisms that determine the shapes of hadron transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) spectra, to search for possible modifications of the yields of short-lived hadronic resonances due to scattering effects in the hadron-gas phase, and to investigate different explanations for the multiplicity evolution of strangeness production provided by phenomenological models. In this paper, these topics are addressed through measurements of the $\rm{K}^{*}(892)^{0}$ and $\phi(1020)$ mesons at midrapidity in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity. The results include the $p_{\rm{T}}$ spectra, $p_{\rm{T}}$-integrated yields, mean transverse momenta, and the ratios of the yields of these resonances to those of longer-lived hadrons. Comparisons with results from other collision systems and energies, as well as predictions from phenomenological models, are also discussed.
K$^{*0}$ transverse momentum spectrum - V0M multiplicity class I, average of particle and antiparticle
K$^{*0}$ transverse momentum spectrum - V0M multiplicity class II, average of particle and antiparticle
K$^{*0}$ transverse momentum spectrum - V0M multiplicity class III, average of particle and antiparticle
The production cross section of inclusive isolated photons has been measured by the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC in pp collisions at a centre-of-momentum energy of $\sqrt{s}=$ 7 TeV. The measurement is performed with the electromagnetic calorimeter EMCal and the central tracking detectors, covering a range of $|\eta|<0.27$ in pseudorapidity and a transverse momentum range of $ 10 < p_{\rm T}^{\gamma} < $ 60 GeV/$c$. The result extends the $p_{\rm T}$ coverage of previously published results of the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the same collision energy to smaller $p_{\rm T}$. The measurement is compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations and to the results from the ATLAS and CMS experiments. All measurements and theory predictions are in agreement with each other.
Double $p_{T}$-differential production cross section of isolated photons in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=7 TeV in the rapidity interval -0.27<$\eta$<0.27.
We present a study of the inclusive charged-particle transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra as a function of charged-particle multiplicity density at mid-pseudorapidity, ${\rm d}N_{\rm ch}/{\rm d}\eta$, in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 and 13 TeV covering the kinematic range $|\eta|<0.8$ and $0.15<p_{\rm{T}}<20$ GeV/$c$. The results are presented for events with at least one charged particle in $|\eta|<1$ (INEL$ >0$). The $p_{\rm T}$ spectra are reported for two multiplicity estimators covering different pseudorapidity regions. The $p_{\rm T}$ spectra normalized to that for INEL $>0$ show little energy dependence. Moreover, the high-$p_{\rm T}$ yields of charged particles increase faster than the charged-particle multiplicity density. The average $\it{p}_{\rm T}$ as a function of multiplicity and transverse spherocity is reported for pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. For low- (high-) spherocity events, corresponding to jet-like (isotropic) events, the average $p_{\rm T}$ is higher (smaller) than that measured in INEL $>0$ pp collisions. Within uncertainties, the functional form of $\langle p_{\rm T} \rangle(N_{\rm ch})$ is not affected by the spherocity selection. While EPOS LHC gives a good description of many features of data, PYTHIA overestimates the average $p_{\rm T}$ in jet-like events.
Transverse momentum spectra as a function of the event multiplicity for pp collisions at 13 TeV. Event multiplicity is estimated with the number of SPD tracklets. Uncorrelated systematic uncertainties are the multiplicity dependent systematic uncertainties.
Transverse momentum spectra as a function of the event multiplicity for pp collisions at 13 TeV. Event multiplicity is estimated with the number of SPD tracklets. Uncorrelated systematic uncertainties are the multiplicity dependent systematic uncertainties.
Transverse momentum spectra as a function of the event multiplicity for pp collisions at 5.02 TeV. Event multiplicity is estimated with the number of SPD tracklets. Uncorrelated systematic uncertainties are the multiplicity dependent systematic uncertainties.
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