First measurement of prompt and non-prompt D⁎+ vector meson spin alignment in pp collisions at s=13 TeV

This letter reports the first measurement of spin alignment, with respect to the helicity axis, for D*+ vector mesons and their charge conjugates from charm-quark hadronisation (prompt) and from beauty-meson decays (non-prompt) in hadron collisions. The measurements were performed at midrapidity (|y| D0 (-> K- pi+) pi+ decay products, in the D*+ rest frame, with respect to the D*+ momentum direction in the pp centre of mass frame. The rho_00 value for prompt D*+ mesons is consistent with 1/3, which implies no spin alignment. However, for non-prompt D*+ mesons an evidence of rho_00 larger than 1/3 is found. The measured value of the spin density element is in the interval, which is consistent with a Pythia 8 Monte Carlo simulation coupled with the EvtGen package, which implements the helicity conservation in the decay of D*+ meson from beauty mesons. In non-central heavy-ion collisions, the spin of the D*+ mesons may be globally aligned with the direction of the initial angular momentum and magnetic field. Based on the results for pp collisions reported in this letter it is shown that alignment of non-prompt D*+ mesons due to the helicity conservation coupled to the collective anisotropic expansion may mimic the signal of global spin alignment in heavy-ion collisions

Constraining the K ¯ N coupled channel dynamics using femtoscopic correlations at the LHC

The interaction of K−with protons is characterised by the presence of several coupled channels, systems like K 0 n and π with a similar mass and the same quantum numbers as the K−p state. The strengths of these couplings to the K−p system are of crucial importance for the understanding of the nature of the (1405) resonance and of the attractive K−p strong interaction. In this arti- cle, we present measurements of the K−p correlation func- tions in relative momentum space obtained in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV, in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV, and (semi)peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV. The emitting source size, composed of a core radius anchored to the K+p correlation and of a resonance halo specific to each particle pair, varies between 1 and 2 fm in these collision sys- tems. The strength and the effects of the K 0 n and π inelas- tic channels on the measured K−p correlation function are investigated in the different colliding systems by comparing the data with state-of-the-art models of chiral potentials. A novel approach to determine the conversion weights ω, nec- essary to quantify the amount of produced inelastic channels in the correlation function, is presented. In this method, parti- cle yields are estimated from thermal model predictions, and their kinematic distribution from blast-wave fits to measured data. The comparison of chiral potentials to the measured K−p interaction indicates that, while the π –K−p dynam- ics is well reproduced by the model, the coupling to the K 0 n channel in the model is currently underestimate

Constraining the K‾N{\overline{\textrm{K}}}{\textrm{N}} K ¯ N coupled channel dynamics using femtoscopic correlations at the LHC

Abstract The interaction of $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - with protons is characterised by the presence of several coupled channels, systems like $${\overline{\textrm{K}}}^0$$ K ¯ 0 n and \uppi \Sigma π Σ with a similar mass and the same quantum numbers as the $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - p state. The strengths of these couplings to the $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - p system are of crucial importance for the understanding of the nature of the $$\Lambda (1405)$$ Λ ( 1405 ) resonance and of the attractive $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - p strong interaction. In this article, we present measurements of the $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - p correlation functions in relative momentum space obtained in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s}~=~13$$ s = 13  Te, in p–Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}~=~5.02$$ s NN = 5.02  Te, and (semi)peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}~=~5.02$$ s NN = 5.02  Te. The emitting source size, composed of a core radius anchored to the $$\textrm{K}^{+}$$ K + p correlation and of a resonance halo specific to each particle pair, varies between 1 and 2 fm in these collision systems. The strength and the effects of the $${\overline{\textrm{K}}}^0$$ K ¯ 0 n and \uppi \Sigma π Σ inelastic channels on the measured $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - p correlation function are investigated in the different colliding systems by comparing the data with state-of-the-art models of chiral potentials. A novel approach to determine the conversion weights $$\omega$$ ω , necessary to quantify the amount of produced inelastic channels in the correlation function, is presented. In this method, particle yields are estimated from thermal model predictions, and their kinematic distribution from blast-wave fits to measured data. The comparison of chiral potentials to the measured $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - p interaction indicates that, while the \uppi \Sigma π Σ – $$\textrm{K}^{-}$$ K - p dynamics is well reproduced by the model, the coupling to the $${\overline{\textrm{K}}}^0$$ K ¯ 0 n channel in the model is currently underestimated

Constraining the K‾N{\overline{\textrm{K}}}{\textrm{N}} coupled channel dynamics using femtoscopic correlations at the LHC

International audienceThe interaction of $\textrm{K}^{-}$with protons is characterised by the presence of several coupled channels, systems like ${\overline{\textrm{K}}}^0$n and \uppi \Sigma with a similar mass and the same quantum numbers as the $\textrm{K}^{-}$p state. The strengths of these couplings to the $\textrm{K}^{-}$p system are of crucial importance for the understanding of the nature of the $\Lambda (1405)$ resonance and of the attractive $\textrm{K}^{-}$p strong interaction. In this article, we present measurements of the $\textrm{K}^{-}$p correlation functions in relative momentum space obtained in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}~=~13$ Te, in p–Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}~=~5.02$ Te, and (semi)peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}~=~5.02$ Te. The emitting source size, composed of a core radius anchored to the $\textrm{K}^{+}$p correlation and of a resonance halo specific to each particle pair, varies between 1 and 2 fm in these collision systems. The strength and the effects of the ${\overline{\textrm{K}}}^0$n and \uppi \Sigma inelastic channels on the measured $\textrm{K}^{-}$p correlation function are investigated in the different colliding systems by comparing the data with state-of-the-art models of chiral potentials. A novel approach to determine the conversion weights $\omega$, necessary to quantify the amount of produced inelastic channels in the correlation function, is presented. In this method, particle yields are estimated from thermal model predictions, and their kinematic distribution from blast-wave fits to measured data. The comparison of chiral potentials to the measured $\textrm{K}^{-}$p interaction indicates that, while the \uppi \Sigma –$\textrm{K}^{-}$p dynamics is well reproduced by the model, the coupling to the ${\overline{\textrm{K}}}^0$n channel in the model is currently underestimated

First measurement of prompt and non-prompt D⁎+ vector meson spin alignment in pp collisions at s=13 TeV

This letter reports the first measurement of spin alignment, with respect to the helicity axis, for D⁎+ vector mesons and their charge conjugates from charm-quark hadronisation (prompt) and from beauty-meson decays (non-prompt) in hadron collisions. The measurements were performed at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) as a function of transverse momentum (pT) in proton–proton (pp) collisions collected by ALICE at the centre-of-mass energy s=13TeV. The diagonal spin density matrix element ρ00 of D⁎+ mesons was measured from the angular distribution of the D⁎+→D0(→K−π+)π+ decay products, in the D⁎+ rest frame, with respect to the D⁎+ momentum direction in the pp centre of mass frame. The ρ00 value for prompt D⁎+ mesons is consistent with 1/3, which implies no spin alignment. However, for non-prompt D⁎+ mesons an evidence of ρ00 larger than 1/3 is found. The measured value of the spin density element is ρ00=0.455±0.022(stat.)±0.035(syst.) in the 5<pT<20GeV/c interval, which is consistent with a Pythia 8 Monte Carlo simulation coupled with the EvtGen package, which implements the helicity conservation in the decay of D⁎+ meson from beauty mesons. In non-central heavy-ion collisions, the spin of the D⁎+ mesons may be globally aligned with the direction of the initial angular momentum and magnetic field. Based on the results for pp collisions reported in this letter it is shown that alignment of non-prompt D⁎+ mesons due to the helicity conservation coupled to the collective anisotropic expansion may mimic the signal of global spin alignment in heavy-ion collisions