5 Search Results

The intense photon fluxes from relativistic nuclei provide an opportunity to study photonuclear interactions in ultraperipheral collisions. In particular, it allows for the investigations of excited, light-flavour vector mesons. The measurement of coherently photoproduced 𝜋⁺𝜋⁻𝜋⁺𝜋⁻ final states in ultraperipheral Pb–Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 5.02 TeV is presented for the first time. The cross section, d𝜎/d𝑦, times the branching ratio (𝜌 → 𝜋⁺𝜋⁺𝜋⁻𝜋⁻) is found to be 47.8 ± 2.3 (stat.) ± 7.7 (syst.) mb in the rapidity interval |𝑦| < 0.5. The invariant mass distribution is not well described with a single Breit-Wigner resonance without an interference term. Includingmore » in- terference with a non-resonant contribution results in the mass and width values being too far from those reported in PDG, while the production of two interfering resonances, 𝜌(1450) and 𝜌(1700), also provides a good description of the data. The values of the masses (𝑚) and widths (Γ) of the resonances extracted from the fit assuming two interfering resonances are 𝑚₁ = 1385 ± 14 (stat.) ± 3 (syst.) MeV/𝑐², Γ₁ = 431 ± 36 (stat.) ± 82 (syst.) MeV/𝑐², 𝑚₂ = 1663 ± 13 (stat.) ± 22 (syst.) MeV/𝑐² and Γ₂ = 357 ± 31 (stat.) ± 49 (syst.) MeV/𝑐², respectively. The measured cross sections times the branching ratios are compared to recent theoretical predictions.« less

The first measurement of the polarisation of coherently photoproduced J/ψ mesons in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions, using data at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 5.02 TeV, is presented. The J/ψ meson is measured via its dimuon decay channel in the forward rapidity interval –4.0 < y < –2.5 using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. An event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 750 μb^–1 ± 5% (syst) is analysed. Hadronic activity is highly suppressed since the interaction is mediated by a photon. The polar and azimuthal angle distributions of the decay muons are measured, and the polarisation parameters λ_θ, λ_φ, λ_θφ,more » are extracted. The analysis is carried out in the helicity frame. The results are found to be consistent with a transversely polarised J/ψ. These values are compared with previous measurements by the H1 and ZEUS experiments. The polarisation parameters of coherent J/ψ photoproduction in Pb–Pb collisions are found to be consistent with the s-channel helicity conservation hypothesis.« less

The measurement of ϒ(1S), ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S) yields as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity density, dN_ch/dη, using the ALICE experiment at the LHC, is reported in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV. The Υ meson yields are measured at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4) in the dimuon decay channel, whereas the charged-particle multiplicity is defined at central rapidity (|η| <1). Both quantities are divided by their average value in minimum bias events to compute the self-normalized quantities. The increase of the self-normalized ϒ(1S), ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S) yields is found to be compatible with a linearmore » scaling with the self-normalized dN_ch/dη, within the uncertainties. The self-normalized yield ratios of excited-to-ground ϒ states are compatible with unity within uncertainties. Similarly, the measured double ratio of the self-normalized ϒ(1S) to the self-normalized J/ψ yields, both measured at forward rapidity, is compatible with unity for self-normalized charged-particle multiplicities beyond one. The measurements are compared with theoretical predictions incorporating initial or final state effects.« less

Charged-particle jet yields have been measured in semicentral Pb–Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision $$\sqrt{S_{NN}}$$ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. These yields are reported as a function of the jet transverse momentum, and further classified by their angle with respect to the event plane and the event shape, characterized by ellipticity, in an effort to study the path-length dependence of jet quenching. Jets were reconstructed at midrapidity from charged-particle tracks using the anti-k_T algorithm with resolution parameters R = 0.2 and 0.4, with event-plane angle and event-shape values determined using information from forwardmore » scintillating detectors. The results presented in this letter show that, in semicentral Pb–Pb collisions, there is no significant difference between jet yields in predominantly isotropic and elliptical events. However, out-of-plane jets are observed to be more suppressed than in-plane jets. Further, this relative suppression is greater for low transverse momentum (< 50 GeV/c) R = 0.2 jets produced in elliptical events, with out-of-plane to in-plane jet-yield ratios varying up to 5.2σ between different event-shape classes. These results agree with previous studies indicating that jets experience azimuthally anisotropic suppression when traversing the QGP medium, and can provide additional constraints on the path-length dependence of jet energy loss.« less

The pseudorapidity dependence of elliptic (v₂), triangular (v₃), and quadrangular (v₄) flow coefficients of charged particles measured in Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $$\sqrt{S_{NN}}$$ = 5.02 TeV and in Xe–Xe collisions at $$\sqrt{S_{NN}}$$ = 5.44 TeV with ALICE at the LHC are presented. The measurements are performed in the pseudorapidity range − 3.5 < η < 5 for various centrality intervals using two- and multi-particle cumulants with the subevent method. The flow probability density function (p.d.f.) is studied with the ratio of flow coefficient v 2 calculated with four- and two-particle cumulant, and suggests thatmore » the variance of flow p.d.f. is independent of pseudorapidity. The decorrelation of the flow vector in the longitudinal direction is probed using two-particle correlations. The results measured with respect to different reference regions in pseudorapidity exhibit differences, argued to be a result of saturating decorrelation effect above a certain pseudorapidity separation, in contrast to previous publications which assign this observation to non-flow effects. The results are compared to 3 + 1 dimensional hydrodynamic and the AMPT transport model calculations. Neither of the models is able to simultaneously describe the pseudorapidity dependence of measurements of anisotropic flow and its fluctuations. The results presented in this work highlight shortcomings in our current understanding of initial conditions and subsequent system expansion in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, they provide input for its improvement.« less