Neutron emission in ultraperipheral Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt {s_{NN}} = 5.02 TeV

In ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic nuclei without overlap of nuclear densities, the two nuclei are excited by the Lorentz-contracted Coulomb fields of their collision partners. In these UPCs, the typical nuclear excitation energy is below a few tens of MeV, and a small number of nucleons are emitted in electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) of primary nuclei, in contrast to complete nuclear fragmentation in hadronic interactions. The cross sections of emission of given numbers of neutrons in UPCs of $^{208}$Pb nuclei at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$~TeV were measured with the neutron zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs) of the ALICE detector at the LHC, exploiting a similar technique to that used in previous studies performed at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76$~TeV. In addition, the cross sections for the exclusive emission of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 forward neutrons in the EMD, not accompanied by the emission of forward protons, and thus mostly corresponding to the production of $^{207,206,205,204,203}$Pb, respectively, were measured for the first time. The predictions from the available models describe the measured cross sections well. These cross sections can be used for evaluating the impact of secondary nuclei on the LHC components, in particular, on superconducting magnets, and also provide useful input for the design of the Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh).In ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic nuclei without overlap of nuclear densities, the two nuclei are excited by the Lorentz-contracted Coulomb fields of their collision partners. In these UPCs, the typical nuclear excitation energy is below a few tens of MeV, and a small number of nucleons are emitted in electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) of primary nuclei, in contrast to complete nuclear fragmentation in hadronic interactions. The cross sections of emission of given numbers of neutrons in UPCs of Pb208 nuclei at sNN=5.02 TeV were measured with the neutron zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs) of the ALICE detector at the LHC, exploiting a similar technique to that used in previous studies performed at sNN=2.76 TeV. In addition, the cross sections for the exclusive emission of one, two, three, four, and five forward neutrons in the EMD, not accompanied by the emission of forward protons, and thus mostly corresponding to the production of Pb207,206,205,204,203, respectively, were measured for the first time. The predictions from the available models describe the measured cross sections well. These cross sections can be used for evaluating the impact of secondary nuclei on the LHC components, in particular, on superconducting magnets, and also provide useful input for the design of the Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh).In ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic nuclei without overlap of nuclear densities, the two nuclei are excited by the Lorentz-contracted Coulomb fields of their collision partners. In these UPCs, the typical nuclear excitation energy is below a few tens of MeV, and a small number of nucleons are emitted in electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) of primary nuclei, in contrast to complete nuclear fragmentation in hadronic interactions. The cross sections of emission of given numbers of neutrons in UPCs of $^{208}$Pb nuclei at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV were measured with the neutron zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs) of the ALICE detector at the LHC, exploiting a similar technique to that used in previous studies performed at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV. In addition, the cross sections for the exclusive emission of one, two, three, four, and five forward neutrons in the EMD, not accompanied by the emission of forward protons, and thus mostly corresponding to the production of $^{207,206,205,204,203}$Pb, respectively, were measured for the first time. The predictions from the available models describe the measured cross sections well. These cross sections can be used for evaluating the impact of secondary nuclei on the LHC components, in particular, on superconducting magnets, and also provide useful input for the design of the Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh)

First measurement of antideuteron number fluctuations at energies available at the Large Hadron Collider

The first measurement of event-by-event antideuteron number fluctuations in high energy heavy-ion collisions is presented. The measurements are carried out at midrapidity (|\eta| |η|<0.8) as a function of collision centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02  TeV using the ALICE detector. A significant negative correlation between the produced antiprotons and antideuterons is observed in all collision centralities. The results are compared with a state-of-the-art coalescence calculation. While it describes the ratio of higher order cumulants of the antideuteron multiplicity distribution, it fails to describe quantitatively the magnitude of the correlation between antiproton and antideuteron production. On the other hand, thermal-statistical model calculations describe all the measured observables within uncertainties only for correlation volumes that are different with respect to those describing proton yields and a similar measurement of net-proton number fluctuations.The first measurement of event-by-event antideuteron number fluctuations in high energy heavy-ion collisions is presented. The measurements are carried out at midrapidity (|\eta| < 0.8$) as a function of collision centrality in Pb$-$Pb collisions at$\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV using the ALICE detector. A significant negative correlation between the produced antiprotons and antideuterons is observed in all collision centralities. The results are compared with a state-of-the-art coalescence calculation. While it describes the ratio of higher order cumulants of the antideuteron multiplicity distribution, it fails to describe quantitatively the magnitude of the correlation between antiproton and antideuteron production. On the other hand, thermal-statistical model calculations describe all the measured observables within uncertainties only for correlation volumes that are different with respect to those describing proton yields and a similar measurement of net-proton number fluctuations

Elliptic flow of charged particles at midrapidity relative to the spectator plane in Pb–Pb and Xe–Xe collisions

International audienceMeasurements of the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the collision plane defined by the spectator neutrons v2{ΨSP} in collisions of Pb ions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair sNN=2.76 TeV and Xe ions at sNN=5.44 TeV are reported. The results are presented for charged particles produced at midrapidity as a function of centrality and transverse momentum for the 5–70% and 0.2–6 GeV/c ranges, respectively. The ratio between v2{ΨSP} and the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the participant plane v2{4}, estimated using four-particle correlations, deviates by up to 20% from unity depending on centrality. This observation differs strongly from the magnitude of the corresponding eccentricity ratios predicted by the TRENTo and the elliptic power models of initial state fluctuations that are tuned to describe the participant plane anisotropies. The differences can be interpreted as a decorrelation of the neutron spectator plane and the reaction plane because of fragmentation of the remnants from the colliding nuclei, which points to an incompleteness of current models describing the initial state fluctuations. A significant transverse momentum dependence of the ratio v2{ΨSP}/v2{4} is observed in all but the most central collisions, which may help to understand whether momentum anisotropies at low and intermediate transverse momentum have a common origin in initial state fluctuations. The ratios of v2{ΨSP} and v2{4} to the corresponding initial state eccentricities for Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions at similar initial entropy density show a difference of (7.0±0.9)% with an additional variation of +1.8% when including RHIC data in the TRENTo parameter extraction. These observations provide new experimental constraints for viscous effects in the hydrodynamic modeling of the expanding quark–gluon plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC

W±^\pm-boson production in p−-Pb collisions at sNN=8.16\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16 TeV and PbPb collisions at sNN=5.02\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02 TeV

The production of the W$^{±}$ bosons measured in p–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision $\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$ = 8.16 TeV and Pb–Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV with ALICE at the LHC is presented. The W$^{±}$ bosons are measured via their muonic decay channel, with the muon reconstructed in the pseudorapidity region −4 10 GeV/c. While in Pb–Pb collisions the measurements are performed in the forward (2.5 10$GeV/$c$. While in Pb$-$Pb collisions the measurements are performed in the forward ($2.5 < y^\mu_{\rm cms} < 4$) rapidity region, in p$-$Pb collisions, where the centre-of-mass frame is boosted with respect to the laboratory frame, the measurements are performed in the backward ($-4.46 < y^\mu_{\rm cms} < -2.96$) and forward ($2.03 < y^\mu_{\rm cms} < 3.53$) rapidity regions. The W$^{-}$and W$^{+}$production cross sections, lepton-charge asymmetry, and nuclear modification factors are evaluated as a function of the muon rapidity. In order to study the production as a function of the p$-$Pb collision centrality, the production cross sections of the W$^{-}$and W$^{+}$bosons are combined and normalised to the average number of binary nucleon$-$nucleon collision$\langle N_\mathrm{coll} \rangle$. In Pb$-$Pb collisions, the same measurements are presented as a function of the collision centrality. Study of the binary scaling of the W$^\pm$-boson cross sections in p$-$Pb and Pb$-$Pb collisions is also reported. The results are compared with perturbative QCD (pQCD) calculations, with and without nuclear modifications of the Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs), as well as with available data at the LHC. Significant deviations from the theory expectations are found in the two collision systems, indicating that the measurements can provide additional constraints for the determination of nuclear PDF (nPDFs) and in particular of the light-quark distributions

Measurement of inclusive and leading subjet fragmentation in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at sNN \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} = 5.02 TeV

This article presents new measurements of the fragmentation properties of jets in both proton--proton (pp) and heavy-ion collisions with the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We report distributions of the fraction $z_r$ of transverse momentum carried by subjets of radius $r$ within jets of radius $R$. Charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-$k_{\rm{T}}$ algorithm with jet radius $R=0.4$, and subjets are reconstructed by reclustering the jet constituents using the anti-$k_{\rm{T}}$ algorithm with radii $r=0.1$ and $r=0.2$. In proton--proton collisions, we measure both the inclusive and leading subjet distributions. We compare these measurements to perturbative calculations at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy, which suggest a large impact of threshold resummation and hadronization effects on the $z_r$ distribution. In heavy-ion collisions, we measure the leading subjet distributions, which allow access to a region of harder jet fragmentation than has been probed by previous measurements of jet quenching via hadron fragmentation distributions. The $z_r$ distributions enable extraction of the parton-to-subjet fragmentation function and allow for tests of the universality of jet fragmentation functions in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). We find indications that there is a turnover in the ratio between the distributions in \mbox{Pb--Pb} and $\mathrm{p\kern-0.05em p}$ collisions as $z_r \rightarrow 1$, exposing qualitatively new possibilities to disentangle competing jet quenching mechanisms. By comparing our results to theoretical calculations based on an independent extraction of the parton-to-jet fragmentation function, we find consistency with the universality of jet fragmentation and no indication of factorization breaking in the QGP.This article presents new measurements of the fragmentation properties of jets in both proton–proton (pp) and heavy-ion collisions with the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We report distributions of the fraction z$_{r}$ of transverse momentum carried by subjets of radius r within jets of radius R. Charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-k$_{T}$ algorithm with jet radius R = 0.4, and subjets are reconstructed by reclustering the jet constituents using the anti-k$_{T}$ algorithm with radii r = 0.1 and r = 0.2. In proton–proton collisions, we measure both the inclusive and leading subjet distributions. We compare these measurements to perturbative calculations at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy, which suggest a large impact of threshold resummation and hadronization effects on the z$_{r}$ distribution. In heavy-ion collisions, we measure the leading subjet distributions, which allow access to a region of harder jet frag- mentation than has been probed by previous measurements of jet quenching via hadron fragmentation distributions. The z$_{r}$ distributions enable extraction of the parton-to-subjet fragmentation function and allow for tests of the universality of jet fragmentation functions in the quark–gluon plasma (QGP). We find no significant modification of z$_{r}$ distributions in Pb–Pb compared to pp collisions. However, the distributions are also consistent with a hardening trend for z$_{r}$< 0.95, as predicted by several jet quenching models. As z$_{r}$ → 1 our results indicate that any such hardening effects cease, exposing qualitatively new possibilities to disentangle competing jet quenching mechanisms. By comparing our results to theoretical calculations based on an independent extraction of the parton-to-jet fragmentation function, we find consistency with the universality of jet fragmentation and no indication of factorization breaking in the QGP.[graphic not available: see fulltext]This article presents new measurements of the fragmentation properties of jets in both proton-proton (pp) and heavy-ion collisions with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. We report distributions of the fraction $z_r$ of transverse momentum carried by subjets of radius $r$ within jets of radius $R$. Charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-$k_{\rm{T}}$ algorithm with jet radius $R=0.4$, and subjets are reconstructed by reclustering the jet constituents using the anti-$k_{\rm{T}}$ algorithm with radii $r=0.1$ and $r=0.2$. In pp collisions, we measure both the inclusive and leading subjet distributions. We compare these measurements to perturbative calculations at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy, which suggest a large impact of threshold resummation and hadronization effects on the $z_r$ distribution. In heavy-ion collisions, we measure the leading subjet distributions, which allow access to a region of harder jet fragmentation than has been probed by previous measurements of jet quenching via hadron fragmentation distributions. The $z_r$ distributions enable extraction of the parton-to-subjet fragmentation function and allow for tests of the universality of jet fragmentation functions in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). We find no significant modification of $z_r$ distributions in Pb-Pb compared to pp collisions. However, the distributions are also consistent with a hardening trend for $z_r<0.95$, as predicted by several jet quenching models. As $z_r \rightarrow 1$ our results indicate that any such hardening effects cease, exposing qualitatively new possibilities to disentangle competing jet quenching mechanisms. By comparing our results to theoretical calculations based on an independent extraction of the parton-to-jet fragmentation function, we find consistency with the universality of jet fragmentation and no indication of factorization breaking in the QGP

Study of charged particle production at high pT using event topology in pp, p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions at <math altimg="si1.svg"><msqrt><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">NN</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></msqrt><mo linebreak="goodbreak" linebreakstyle="after">=</mo><mn>5.02</mn></math>TeV

International audienceThis letter reports measurements which characterize the underlying event associated with hard scatterings at mid-pseudorapidity (|η|&lt;0.8) in pp, p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions at centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair, sNN=5.02TeV. The measurements are performed with ALICE at the LHC. Different multiplicity classes are defined based on the event activity measured at forward rapidities. The hard scatterings are identified by the leading particle defined as the charged particle with the largest transverse momentum (pT) in the collision and having 8 &lt;pT&lt;15GeV/c. The pT spectra of associated particles (0.5 ≤pT&lt;6GeV/c) are measured in different azimuthal regions defined with respect to the leading particle direction: toward, transverse, and away. The associated charged particle yields in the transverse region are subtracted from those of the away and toward regions. The remaining jet-like yields are reported as a function of the multiplicity measured in the transverse region. The measurements show a suppression of the jet-like yield in the away region and an enhancement of high-pT associated particles in the toward region in central Pb–Pb collisions, as compared to minimum-bias pp collisions. These observations are consistent with previous measurements that used two-particle correlations, and with an interpretation in terms of parton energy loss in a high-density quark gluon plasma. These yield modifications vanish in peripheral Pb–Pb collisions and are not observed in either high-multiplicity pp or p–Pb collisions

First measurement of the Λ\Lambda-Ξ\Xi interaction in proton-proton collisions at the LHC

International audienceThe first experimental information on the strong interaction between $\Lambda$ and $\Xi^-$ strange baryons is presented in this Letter. The correlation function of $\Lambda-\Xi^-$ and $\overline{\Lambda}-\overline{\Xi}^{+}$ pairs produced in high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV at the LHC is measured as a function of the relative momentum of the pair. The femtoscopy method is used to calculate the correlation function, which is then compared with theoretical expectations obtained using a meson exchange model, chiral effective field theory, and Lattice QCD calculations close to the physical point. Data support predictions of small scattering parameters while discarding versions with large ones, thus suggesting a weak $\Lambda-\Xi^{-}$ interaction. The limited statistical significance of the data does not yet allow one to constrain the effects of coupled channels like $\Sigma-\Xi$ and N$-\Omega$

Measurement of the lifetime and Λ\Lambda separation energy of Λ3H^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm H

The most precise measurements to date of the $^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm H$ lifetime $\tau$ and $\Lambda$ separation energy ${\rm B}_{\Lambda}$ are obtained using the data sample of Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=$ 5.02 TeV collected by ALICE at the LHC. The $^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm H$ is reconstructed via its charged two-body mesonic decay channel ($^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm{H} \rightarrow$ $^3$He + $\pi^-$ and the charge-conjugate process). The measured values $\tau = [253 \pm 11 \text{ (stat.)} \pm 6 \text{ (syst.)}]$ ps and ${\rm B}_{\Lambda}= [72 \pm 63 \text{ (stat.)} \pm 36 \text{ (syst.)}]$ keV are compatible with predictions from effective field theories and conclusively confirm that the $^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm H$ is a weakly-bound system.The most precise measurements to date of the HΛ3 lifetime τ and Λ separation energy BΛ are obtained using the data sample of Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02  TeV collected by ALICE at the LHC. The HΛ3 is reconstructed via its charged two-body mesonic decay channel (HΛ3→He3+π- and the charge-conjugate process). The measured values τ=[253±11(stat)±6(syst)]  ps and BΛ=[102±63(stat)±67(syst)]  keV are compatible with predictions from effective field theories and confirm that the HΛ3 structure is consistent with a weakly bound system.The most precise measurements to date of the $^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm H$ lifetime $\tau$ and $\Lambda$ separation energy ${\rm B}_{\Lambda}$ are obtained using the data sample of Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=$ 5.02 TeV collected by ALICE at the LHC. The $^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm H$ is reconstructed via its charged two-body mesonic decay channel ($^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm{H} \rightarrow$$^3$He + $\pi^-$ and the charge-conjugate process). The measured values $\tau = [253 \pm 11 \text{ (stat.)} \pm 6 \text{ (syst.)}]$ ps and ${\rm B}_{\Lambda}= [102 \pm 63 \text{ (stat.)} \pm 67 \text{ (syst.)}]$ keV are compatible with predictions from effective field theories and confirm that the $^{3}_{\Lambda}\mathrm H$ structure is consistent with a weakly-bound system

Measurements of the groomed jet radius and momentum splitting fraction with the soft drop and dynamical grooming algorithms in pp collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 5.02 TeV

This article presents measurements of the groomed jet radius and momentum splitting fraction in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Inclusive charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-$k_{\rm{T}}$ algorithm for transverse momentum $60< p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\rm{ch\; jet}}<80$ GeV/$c$. We report results using two different grooming algorithms: soft drop and, for the first time, dynamical grooming. For each grooming algorithm, a variety of grooming settings are used in order to explore the impact of collinear radiation on these jet substructure observables. These results are compared to perturbative calculations that include resummation of large logarithms at all orders in the strong coupling constant. We find good agreement of the theoretical predictions with the data for all grooming settings considered.This article presents measurements of the groomed jet radius and momentum splitting fraction in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Inclusive charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-k$_{T}$ algorithm for transverse momentum $60<{p}_{\textrm{T}}^{\textrm{ch}\;\textrm{jet}}<80$ GeV/c. We report results using two different grooming algorithms: soft drop and, for the first time, dynamical grooming. For each grooming algorithm, a variety of grooming settings are used in order to explore the impact of collinear radiation on these jet substructure observables. These results are compared to perturbative calculations that include resummation of large logarithms at all orders in the strong coupling constant. We find good agreement of the theoretical predictions with the data for all grooming settings considered.[graphic not available: see fulltext]This article presents measurements of the groomed jet radius and momentum splitting fraction in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Inclusive charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-$k_{\rm{T}}$ algorithm for transverse momentum $60< p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\rm{ch\; jet}}<80$ GeV/$c$. We report results using two different grooming algorithms: soft drop and, for the first time, dynamical grooming. For each grooming algorithm, a variety of grooming settings are used in order to explore the impact of collinear radiation on these jet substructure observables. These results are compared to perturbative calculations that include resummation of large logarithms at all orders in the strong coupling constant. We find good agreement of the theoretical predictions with the data for all grooming settings considered

Measurement of beauty-strange meson production in Pb–Pb collisions at <math altimg="si1.svg"><msqrt><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">NN</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></msqrt><mo linebreak="goodbreak" linebreakstyle="after">=</mo><mn>5.02</mn><mspace width="0.25em"/><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">TeV</mi></mrow></math> via non-prompt <math altimg="si2.svg"><msubsup><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">D</mi></mrow><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">s</mi></mrow><mrow><mo linebreak="badbreak" linebreakstyle="after">+</mo></mrow></msubsup></math> mesons

International audienceThe production yields of non-prompt Ds+ mesons, namely Ds+ mesons from beauty-hadron decays, were measured for the first time as a function of the transverse momentum (pT) at midrapidity (|y|&lt;0.5) in central and semi-central Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN=5.02TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The Ds+ mesons and their charge conjugates were reconstructed from the hadronic decay channel Ds+→ϕπ+, with ϕ→K−K+, in the 4&lt;pT&lt;36GeV/c and 2&lt;pT&lt;24GeV/c intervals for the 0–10% and 30–50% centrality classes, respectively. The measured yields of non-prompt Ds+ mesons are compared to those of prompt Ds+ and non-prompt D0 mesons by calculating the ratios of the production yields in Pb–Pb collisions and the nuclear modification factor RAA. The ratio between the RAA of non-prompt Ds+ and prompt Ds+ mesons, and that between the RAA of non-prompt Ds+ and non-prompt D0 mesons in central Pb–Pb collisions are found to be on average higher than unity in the 4&lt;pT&lt;12GeV/c interval with a statistical significance of about 1.6σ and 1.7σ, respectively. The measured RAA ratios are compared with the predictions of theoretical models of heavy-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding QGP that incorporate hadronisation via quark recombination