Light vector meson production at forward rapidity in pp collisions at √s = 5.02 TeV with ALICE

Among the four fundamental forces, three of them occur at low scale. These three forces are all described in the so-called Standard Model of particles. Among them the force keeping the protons and neutrons bound together, the strong force, is of special interest in this presentation. This force is described by the Quantum Chromo-Dynamics (QCD) theory. Hadrons, such as protons and neutrons, are composed of gluons and quarks. Quarks are kept bound, at least by pairs by the strong force mediated via the gluons and cannot be dissociated. Only in the case of a high energy density (equivalent to high temperature) or at high baryon chemical potential, quarks and gluons can propagate freely, forming a Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). This state is expected to have existed during the first micro- seconds of the Universe. These extreme conditions can actually be reproduced using heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The QGP is expected to be created in the most central heavy ion collisions such as in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02~TeV. Used as a reference, pp collisions where the QGP is not expected to be created are also performed. The QGP can be studied, and its equation of state evaluated investigating the particle yields resulting from these collisions. Different probes of existence of the QGP are studied, in this thesis we investigate the low mass vector mesons with the dimuon decay channel at low mass ($m_{\mu\mu}<$2~GeV/$c^{2}$) measured in A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE). Only interacting electroweakly within the medium, the dimuon decay channel is considered as a clean probe and allows the reconstruction of various mesons among which the $\omega$ and the $\phi$ meson. Due to its $s\bar{s}$ content, the $\phi$ meson has the particularity of having strange content, but a null net strangeness content. For this reason, the $\phi$ meson is a particular probe to study the so-called strangeness enhancement, an effect proposed as a signature of the QGP. However, the $\omega$ meson is composed of light flavour quarks and can be used as a reference for a strange hadron production. Recently observed in small collision systems (such as pp), the strangeness enhancement is benefiting of a regain of interest. In this thesis the results on the $\omega$ and $\phi$ mesons production in pp collision at $\sqrt{s}~=~$5.02~TeV at forward rapidity with ALICE is presented. This thesis present the production of these mesons as a function of their transverse momentum, rapidity and multiplicity and the comparison to various model predictions

Upgrading the high contrast imaging facility SPHERE: science drivers and instrument choices

International audienceSPHERE+ is a proposed upgrade of the SPHERE instrument at the VLT, which is intended to boost the current performances of detection and characterization for exoplanets and disks. SPHERE+ will also serve as a demonstrator for the future planet finder (PCS) of the European ELT. The main science drivers for SPHERE+ are 1/ to access the bulk of the young giant planet population down to the snow line (3 − 10 au), to bridge the gap with complementary techniques (radial

The ExoGRAVITY project: using single mode interferometry to characterize exoplanets

International audienc

Multiplicity dependence of light (anti-)nuclei production in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV

The measurement of the deuteron and anti-deuteron production in the rapidity range −1 < y < 0 as a function of transverse momentum and event multiplicity in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV is presented. (Anti-)deuterons are identified via their specific energy loss dE/dx and via their time-of- flight. Their production in p–Pb collisions is compared to pp and Pb–Pb collisions and is discussed within the context of thermal and coalescence models. The ratio of integrated yields of deuterons to protons (d/p) shows a significant increase as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity of the event starting from values similar to those observed in pp collisions at low multiplicities and approaching those observed in Pb–Pb collisions at high multiplicities. The mean transverse particle momenta are extracted from the deuteron spectra and the values are similar to those obtained for p and particles. Thus, deuteron spectra do not follow mass ordering. This behaviour is in contrast to the trend observed for non-composite particles in p–Pb collisions. In addition, the production of the rare 3He and 3He nuclei has been studied. The spectrum corresponding to all non-single diffractive p-Pb collisions is obtained in the rapidity window −1 < y < 0 and the pT-integrated yield dN/dy is extracted. It is found that the yields of protons, deuterons, and 3He, normalised by the spin degeneracy factor, follow an exponential decrease with mass number

Centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The pseudorapidity density of charged particles (dNch/dη) at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions has been measured at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. It increases with centrality and reaches a value of 1943±54 in |η|<0.5 for the 5% most central collisions. A rise in dNch/dη as a function of sNN−−−√ for the most central collisions is observed, steeper than that observed in proton-proton collisions and following the trend established by measurements at lower energy. The centrality dependence of dNch/dη as a function of the average number of participant nucleons, ⟨Npart⟩, calculated in a Glauber model, is compared with the previous measurement at lower energy. A constant factor of about 1.2 describes the increase in 2⟨Npart⟩⟨dNch/dη⟩ from sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV to sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV for all centrality intervals, within the measured range of 0-80% centrality. The results are also compared to models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions

Charge-dependent flow and the search for the Chiral Magnetic Wave in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV

We report on measurements of a charge-dependent flow using a novel three-particle correlator with ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC, and discuss the implications for observation of local parity violation and the Chiral Magnetic Wave (CMW) in heavy-ion collisions. Charge-dependent flow is reported for different collision centralities as a function of the event charge asymmetry. While our results are in qualitative agreement with expectations based on the CMW, the nonzero signal observed in higher harmonics correlations indicates a possible significant background contribution. We also present results on a differential correlator, where the flow of positive and negative charges is reported as a function of the mean charge of the particles and their pseudorapidity separation. We argue that this differential correlator is better suited to distinguish the differences in positive and negative charges expected due to the CMW and the background effects, such as local charge conservation coupled with strong radial and anisotropic flow

Multi-strange baryon production in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02

The multi-strange baryon yields in Pb--Pb collisions have been shown to exhibit an enhancement relative to pp reactions. In this work, Ξ and Ω production rates have been measured with the ALICE experiment as a function of transverse momentum, pT, in p-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. The results cover the kinematic ranges 0.6 GeV/c<pT<7.2 GeV/c and 0.8 GeV/c<pT< 5 GeV/c, for Ξ and Ω respectively, in the common rapidity interval -0.5 <yCMS< 0. Multi-strange baryons have been identified by reconstructing their weak decays into charged particles. The pT spectra are analysed as a function of event charged-particle multiplicity, which in p-Pb collisions ranges over one order of magnitude and lies between those observed in pp and Pb-Pb collisions. The measured pT distributions are compared to the expectations from a Blast-Wave model. The parameters which describe the production of lighter hadron species also describe the hyperon spectra in high multiplicity p-Pb. The yield of hyperons relative to charged pions is studied and compared with results from pp and Pb-Pb collisions. A statistical model is employed, which describes the change in the ratios with volume using a canonical suppression mechanism, in which the small volume causes a species-dependent relative reduction of hadron production. The calculations, in which the magnitude of the effect depends on the strangeness content, show good qualitative agreement with the data

Measurement of D-meson production versus multiplicity in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The measurement of prompt D-meson production as a function of multiplicity in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC is reported. D0, D+ and D∗+ mesons are reconstructed via their hadronic decay channels in the centre-of-mass rapidity range −0.96<ycms<0.04 and transverse momentum interval 1<pT<24 GeV/c. The multiplicity dependence of D-meson production is examined by either comparing yields in p-Pb collisions in different event classes, selected based on the multiplicity of produced particles or zero-degree energy, with those in pp collisions, scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions (nuclear modification factor); as well as by evaluating the per-event yields in p-Pb collisions in different multiplicity intervals normalised to the multiplicity-integrated ones (relative yields). The nuclear modification factors for D0, D+ and D∗+ are consistent with one another. The D-meson nuclear modification factors as a function of the zero-degree energy are consistent with unity within uncertainties in the measured pT regions and event classes. The relative D-meson yields, calculated in various pT intervals, increase as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity. The results are compared with the equivalent pp measurements at s√=7 TeV as well as with EPOS~3 calculations

Production of Λ\Lambda and KS0{\rm K}^{0}_{\rm S} in jets in p-Pb collisions at sNN=5\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5 TeV and pp collisions at s=7\sqrt{s} = 7 TeV

The production of $\Lambda$ baryons and ${\rm K}^{0}_{\rm S}$ mesons (${\rm V}^{0}$ particles) was measured in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5$ TeV and pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The production of these strange particles is studied separately for particles associated with hard scatterings and the underlying event to shed light on the baryon-to-meson ratio enhancement observed at intermediate transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) in high multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions. Hard scatterings are selected on an event-by-event basis with jets reconstructed with the anti-$k_{\rm T}$ algorithm using charged particles. The production of strange particles associated with jets $p_{\rm T,\;jet}^{\rm ch}>10$ GeV/$c$ is reported as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ in both systems; and its dependence on $p_{\rm T}$ with jets $p_{\rm T,\;jet}^{\rm ch}>20$ GeV/$c$ and on angular distance from the jet axis, $R({\rm V}^{0},\;{\rm jet})$, for jets with $p_{\rm T,\;jet}^{\rm ch} > 10$ GeV/$c$ are reported in p-Pb collisions. The results are compared with the strange particle production in the underlying event. The $\Lambda/{\rm K}^{0}_{\rm S}$ ratio associated with jets in p-Pb collisions for $R({\rm V}^{0},\;{\rm jet})<0.4$ is consistent with the ratio measured in pp collisions and with the expectation of jets fragmenting in vacuum given by the PYTHIA event generator

Measurement of Prompt D0^{0}, Λc+\Lambda_{c}^{+}, and Σc0,++\Sigma_{c}^{0,++}(2455) Production in Proton–Proton Collisions at s\sqrt s = 13 TeV

International audienceThe pT-differential production cross sections of prompt D0, Λc+, and Σc0,++(2455) charmed hadrons are measured at midrapidity (|y|&lt;0.5) in pp collisions at s=13  TeV. This is the first measurement of Σc0,++ production in hadronic collisions. Assuming the same production yield for the three Σc0,+,++ isospin states, the baryon-to-meson cross section ratios Σc0,+,++/D0 and Λc+/D0 are calculated in the transverse momentum (pT) intervals 2&lt;pT&lt;12 and 1&lt;pT&lt;24  GeV/c. Values significantly larger than in e+e- collisions are observed, indicating for the first time that baryon enhancement in hadronic collisions also extends to the Σc. The feed-down contribution to Λc+ production from Σc0,+,++ is also reported and is found to be larger than in e+e- collisions. The data are compared with predictions from event generators and other phenomenological models, providing a sensitive test of the different charm-hadronization mechanisms implemented in the models