First measurement of Ωc 0 production in pp collisions at s=13 TeV

The inclusive production of the charm–strange baryon Omega_c^0 is measured for the first time via its hadronic decay into Omega-pi+ at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) in proton–proton (pp) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 13 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The transverse momentum (pT) differential cross section multiplied by the branching ratio is presented in the interval 2 < pT < 12 GeV/c . The pT dependence of the Omega_C^0-baryon production relative to the prompt D^0-meson and to the prompt Csi_C^0-baryon production is compared to various models that take different hadronisation mechanisms into consideration. In the measured pT interval, the ratio of the pT-integrated cross sections of Omega_c^0 and prompt Lambda_c^+ baryons multiplied by the Omega- pi+ branching ratio is found to be larger by a factor of about 20 with a significance of about 4σ when compared to e+e- collisions

Charged-particle multiplicity fluctuations in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV

Measurements of event-by-event fluctuations of charged-particle multiplicities in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV using the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented in the pseudorapidity range |η|<0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2<pT<2.0 GeV/c. The amplitude of the fluctuations is expressed in terms of the variance normalized by the mean of the multiplicity distribution. The η and pT dependences of the fluctuations and their evolution with respect to collision centrality are investigated. The multiplicity fluctuations tend to decrease from peripheral to central collisions. The results are compared to those obtained from HIJING and AMPT Monte Carlo event generators as well as to experimental data at lower collision energies. Additionally, the measured multiplicity fluctuations are discussed in the context of the isothermal compressibility of the high-density strongly-interacting system formed in central Pb–Pb collisions.publishedVersio

Study of very forward energy and its correlation with particle production at midrapidity in pp and p-Pb collisions at the LHC

The energy deposited at very forward rapidities (very forward energy) is a powerful tool for characterising proton fragmentation in pp and p-Pb collisions. The correlation of very forward energy with particle production at midrapidity provides direct insights into the initial stages and the subsequent evolution of the collision. Furthermore, the correlation with the production of particles with large transverse momenta at midrapidity provides information complementary to the measurements of the underlying event, which are usually interpreted in the framework of models implementing centrality-dependent multiple parton interactions. Results about very forward energy, measured by the ALICE zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs), and its dependence on the activity measured at midrapidity in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV and in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 8.16 TeV are discussed. The measurements performed in pp collisions are compared with the expectations of three hadronic interaction event generators: PYTHIA 6 (Perugia 2011 tune), PYTHIA 8 (Monash tune), and EPOS LHC. These results provide new constraints on the validity of models in describing the beam remnants at very forward rapidities, where perturbative QCD cannot be used

Measurement of the production of (anti)nuclei in p–Pb collisions at sNN=8.16TeV

Measurements of (anti)proton, (anti)deuteron, and (anti)3He production in the rapidity range -1 > y > 0 as a function of the transverse momentum and event multiplicity in p–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair sqrt(sNN) = 8.16 TeV are presented. The coalescence parameters B2 and B3, measured as a function of the transverse momentum per nucleon and of the mean charged-particle multiplicity density, confirm a smooth evolution from low to high multiplicity across different collision systems and energies. The ratios between (anti)deuteron and (anti)3He yields and those of (anti)protons are also reported as a function of the mean charged-particle multiplicity density. A comparison with the predictions of the statistical hadronization and coalescence models for different collision systems and center-of-mass energies favors the coalescence description for the deuteron-to-proton yield ratio with respect to the canonical statistical model

Observation of flow angle and flow magnitude fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

This Letter reports on the first measurements of transverse momentum dependent flow angle n and flow magnitude vn fluctuations determined using new four-particle correlators. The measurements are performed for various centralities in Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √s NN = 5.02 TeV with ALICE at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Both flow angle and flow magnitude fluctuations are observed in the presented centrality ranges and are strongest in the most central collisions and for a transverse momentum pT > 2 GeV/c. Comparison with theoretical models, including iEBE-VISHNU, MUSIC, and AMPT, show that the measurements exhibit unique sensitivities to the initial state of heavy-ion collisions

Polarization of Λ and Λ¯ Hyperons along the Beam Direction in Pb-Pb Collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The polarization of the Lambda and (Lambda) over bar hyperons along the beam (z) direction, P-z, has been measured in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV recorded with ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The main contribution to P-z comes from elliptic flow-induced vorticity and can be characterized by the second Fourier sine coefficient P-z,P-s2 = &lt; P-z sin(2 phi - 2 Psi(2))&gt;, where phi is the hyperon azimuthal emission angle and Psi(2) is the elliptic flow plane angle. We report the measurement of P-z,P-s2 for different collision centralities and in the 30%-50% centrality interval as a function of the hyperon transverse momentum and rapidity. The P-z,P-s2 is positive similarly as measured by the STAR Collaboration in Au-Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV, with somewhat smaller amplitude in the semicentral collisions. This is the first experimental evidence of a nonzero hyperon P-z in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The comparison of the measured P-z,P-s2 with the hydrodynamic model calculations shows sensitivity to the competing contributions from thermal and the recently found shear-induced vorticity, as well as to whether the polarization is acquired at the quark-gluon plasma or the hadronic phase

Photoproduction of low-pT J/ψ from peripheral to central Pb–Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV

An excess of J/ψ yield at very low transverse momentum (pT < 0.3 GeV/c), originating from coherent photoproduction, is observed in peripheral and semicentral hadronic Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sqrt(sNN) = 5.02 TeV. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector via the dimuon decay channel at forward rapidity (2.5 < y <4). The nuclear modification factor at very low pT and the coherent photoproduction cross section are measured as a function of centrality down to the 10% most central collisions. These results extend the previous study at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV, confirming the clear excess over hadronic production in the pT range 0-0.3 GeV/c and the centrality range 70–90%, and establishing an excess with a significance greater than 5σ also in the 50–70% and 30–50% centrality ranges. The results are compared with earlier measurements at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV and with different theoretical predictions aiming at describing how coherent photoproduction occurs in hadronic interactions with nuclear overlap

Measurement of the Lifetime and Λ Separation Energy of _{Λ}^{3}H

The most precise measurements to date of the _{Λ}^{3}H lifetime τ and Λ separation energy B_{Λ} are obtained using the data sample of Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV collected by ALICE at the LHC. The _{Λ}^{3}H is reconstructed via its charged two-body mesonic decay channel (_{Λ}^{3}H→^{3}He+π^{-} and the charge-conjugate process). The measured values τ=[253±11(stat)±6(syst)]  ps and B_{Λ}=[102±63(stat)±67(syst)]  keV are compatible with predictions from effective field theories and confirm that the _{Λ}^{3}H structure is consistent with a weakly bound system

Forward rapidity J/ψ production as a function of charged-particle multiplicity in pp collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 5.02 and 13 TeV

The production of J/ψ is measured as a function of charged-particle multiplicity at forward rapidity in proton-proton (pp) collisions at center-of-mass energies √s = 5.02 and 13 TeV. The J/ψ mesons are reconstructed via their decay into dimuons in the rapidity interval (2.5 < y < 4.0), whereas the charged-particle multiplicity density (dNch/dη) is measured at midrapidity (|η| < 1). The production rate as a function of multiplicity is reported as the ratio of the yield in a given multiplicity interval to the multiplicity-integrated one. This observable shows a linear increase with charged-particle multiplicity normalized to the corresponding average value for inelastic events (dNch/dη/〈dNch/dη〉), at both the colliding energies. Measurements are compared with available ALICE results at midrapidity and theoretical model calculations. First measurement of the mean transverse momentum (〈pT〉) of J/ψ in pp collisions exhibits an increasing trend as a function of dNch/dη/〈dNch/dη〉 showing a saturation towards high charged-particle multiplicities

Hypertriton Production in p-Pb Collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The study of nuclei and antinuclei production has proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the formation mechanism of loosely bound states in high-energy hadronic collisions. The first measurement of the production of ${\rm ^{3}_{\Lambda}\rm H}$ in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV is presented in this Letter. Its production yield measured in the rapidity interval -1 < y < 0 for the 40% highest multiplicity p-Pb collisions is ${\rm d} N /{\rm d} y =[\mathrm{6.3 \pm 1.8 (stat.) \pm 1.2 (syst.) ] \times 10^{-7}}$. The measurement is compared with the expectations of statistical hadronisation and coalescence models, which describe the nucleosynthesis in hadronic collisions. These two models predict very different yields of the hypertriton in small collision systems such as p-Pb and therefore the measurement of ${\rm d} N /{\rm d} y$ is crucial to distinguish between them. The precision of this measurement leads to the exclusion with a significance larger than 6$\sigma$ of some configurations of the statistical hadronisation, thus constraining the production mechanism of loosely bound states