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1. Measurement of the axial vector form factor from antineutrino–proton scattering

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05478-3  

   Cai, T.; Moore, M. L.; Olivier, A.; Akhter, S.; Dar, Z. Ahmad; Ansari, V.; Ascencio, M. V.; Bashyal, A.; Bercellie, A.; Betancourt, M.; et al (February 2023, Nature)

   Abstract Scattering of high energy particles from nucleons probes their structure, as was done in the experiments that established the non-zero size of the proton using electron beams 1 . The use of charged leptons as scattering probes enables measuring the distribution of electric charges, which is encoded in the vector form factors of the nucleon 2 . Scattering weakly interacting neutrinos gives the opportunity to measure both vector and axial vector form factors of the nucleon, providing an additional, complementary probe of their structure. The nucleon transition axial form factor, F A , can be measured from neutrino scattering from free nucleons, ν μ n  →  μ − p and $${\bar{\nu }}_{\mu }p\to {\mu }^{+}n$$ ν ¯ μ p → μ + n , as a function of the negative four-momentum transfer squared ( Q 2 ). Up to now, F A ( Q 2 ) has been extracted from the bound nucleons in neutrino–deuterium scattering 3–9 , which requires uncertain nuclear corrections 10 . Here we report the first high-statistics measurement, to our knowledge, of the $${\bar{\nu }}_{\mu }\,p\to {\mu }^{+}n$$ ν ¯ μ p → μ + n cross-section from the hydrogen atom, using the plastic scintillator target of the MINERvA 11 experiment, extracting F A from free proton targets and measuring the nucleon axial charge radius, r A , to be 0.73 ± 0.17 fm. The antineutrino–hydrogen scattering presented here can access the axial form factor without the need for nuclear theory corrections, and enables direct comparisons with the increasingly precise lattice quantum chromodynamics computations 12–15 . Finally, the tools developed for this analysis and the result presented are substantial advancements in our capabilities to understand the nucleon structure in the weak sector, and also help the current and future neutrino oscillation experiments 16–20 to better constrain neutrino interaction models. 

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2. Inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/ψ production at midrapidity in p-Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} $$ = 5.02 TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2022)011  

   Acharya, S.; Adamová, D.; Adler, A.; Adolfsson, J.; Aglieri Rinella, G.; Agnello, M.; Agrawal, N.; Ahammed, Z.; Ahmad, S.; Ahn, S. U.; et al (June 2022, Journal of High Energy Physics)

   A bstract A measurement of inclusive, prompt, and non-prompt J/ ψ production in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} $$ s NN = 5 . 02 TeV is presented. The inclusive J/ ψ mesons are reconstructed in the dielectron decay channel at midrapidity down to a transverse momentum p T = 0. The inclusive J/ ψ nuclear modification factor R pPb is calculated by comparing the new results in p-Pb collisions to a recently measured proton-proton reference at the same centre-of-mass energy. Non-prompt J/ ψ mesons, which originate from the decay of beauty hadrons, are separated from promptly produced J/ ψ on a statistical basis for p T larger than 1.0 GeV/ c . These results are based on the data sample collected by the ALICE detector during the 2016 LHC p-Pb run, corresponding to an integrated luminosity $$ \mathcal{L} $$ L int = 292 ± 11 μ b − 1 , which is six times larger than the previous publications. The total uncertainty on the p T -integrated inclusive J/ ψ and non-prompt J/ ψ cross section are reduced by a factor 1.7 and 2.2, respectively. The measured cross sections and R pPb are compared with theoretical models that include various combinations of cold nuclear matter effects. From the non-prompt J/ ψ production cross section, the $$ \mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}} $$ b b ¯ production cross section at midrapidity, $$ {\mathrm{d}\sigma}_{\mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}}} $$ d σ b b ¯ / d y , and the total cross section extrapolated over full phase space, $$ {\sigma}_{\mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}}} $$ σ b b ¯ , are derived. 

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3. Measurement of exclusive $$\mathrm {\Upsilon }$$ photoproduction from protons in $$\mathrm {p}$$Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{\smash [b]{s_{_{\mathrm {NN}}}}} = 5.02\,\text {TeV} $$

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-019-6774-8  

   Sirunyan, A. M.; Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.; Ambrogi, F.; Asilar, E.; Bergauer, T.; Brandstetter, J.; Brondolin, E.; Dragicevic, M.; Erö, J.; et al (March 2019, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract The exclusive photoproduction of $$\mathrm {\Upsilon }\mathrm {(nS)} $$ Υ ( nS ) meson states from protons, $$\gamma \mathrm {p} \rightarrow \mathrm {\Upsilon }\mathrm {(nS)} \,\mathrm {p}$$ γ p → Υ ( nS ) p (with $$\mathrm {n}=1,2,3$$ n = 1 , 2 , 3 ), is studied in ultraperipheral $$\mathrm {p}$$ p Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $$\sqrt{\smash [b]{s_{_{\mathrm {NN}}}}} = 5.02\,\text {TeV} $$ s NN = 5.02 TeV . The measurement is performed using the $$\mathrm {\Upsilon }\mathrm {(nS)} \rightarrow \mu ^+\mu ^-$$ Υ ( nS ) → μ + μ - decay mode, with data collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 32.6 $$\,\text {nb}^{-1}$$ nb - 1 . Differential cross sections as functions of the $$\mathrm {\Upsilon }\mathrm {(nS)} $$ Υ ( nS ) transverse momentum squared $$p_{\mathrm {T}} ^2$$ p T 2 , and rapidity y , are presented. The $$\mathrm {\Upsilon (1S)}$$ Υ ( 1 S ) photoproduction cross section is extracted in the rapidity range $$|y |< 2.2$$ | y | < 2.2 , which corresponds to photon–proton centre-of-mass energies in the range $$91 

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4. W±-boson production in p–Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ = 8.16 TeV and Pb–Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ = 5.02 TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP05(2023)036  

   Acharya, S.; Adamová, D.; Adler, A.; Aglieri Rinella, G.; Agnello, M.; Agrawal, N.; Ahammed, Z.; Ahmad, S.; Ahn, S. U.; Ahuja, I.; et al (May 2023, Journal of High Energy Physics)

   A bstract The production of the W ± bosons measured in p–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ s NN = 8 . 16 TeV and Pb–Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ s 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 < $$ {\eta}_{\textrm{lab}}^{\mu } $$ η lab μ < − 2 . 5 with transverse momentum $$ {p}_{\textrm{T}}^{\mu } $$ p T μ > 10 GeV /c . While in Pb–Pb collisions the measurements are performed in the forward (2 . 5 < $$ {y}_{\textrm{cms}}^{\mu } $$ y cms μ < 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 < $$ {y}_{\textrm{cms}}^{\mu } $$ y cms μ < − 2 . 96) and forward (2 . 03 < $$ {y}_{\textrm{cms}}^{\mu } $$ y cms μ < 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 〈 N coll 〉. In Pb–Pb collisions, the same measurements are presented as a function of the collision centrality. Study of the binary scaling of the W ± -boson cross sections in p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions is also reported. The results are compared with perturbative QCD 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 PDFs and in particular of the light-quark distributions. 

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5. Inclusive $$\text {J}/\psi $$ production at midrapidity in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s} = 13$$ TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09873-4  

   Acharya, S.; Adamová, D.; Adler, A.; Aglieri Rinella, G.; Agnello, M.; Agrawal, N.; Ahammed, Z.; Ahmad, S.; Ahn, S. U.; Ahuja, I.; et al (December 2021, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract We report on the inclusive $$\text {J}/\psi $$ J / ψ production cross section measured at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy $$\sqrt{s}~=~13$$ s = 13  TeV. The $$\text {J}/\psi $$ J / ψ mesons are reconstructed in the $$\text {e}^{+}\text {e}^{-}$$ e + e - decay channel and the measurements are performed at midrapidity ( $$|y|<0.9$$ | y | < 0.9 ) in the transverse-momentum interval $$0<40$$ 0 < p T < 40  GeV/ $$c$$ c , using a minimum-bias data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity $$L_{\text {int}} = 32.2~\text {nb}^{-1}$$ L int = 32.2 nb - 1 and an Electromagnetic Calorimeter triggered data sample with $$L_{\text {int}} = 8.3~\mathrm {pb}^{-1}$$ L int = 8.3 pb - 1 . The $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T -integrated $$\text {J}/\psi $$ J / ψ production cross section at midrapidity, computed using the minimum-bias data sample, is $$\text {d}\sigma /\text {d}y|_{y=0} = 8.97\pm 0.24~(\text {stat})\pm 0.48~(\text {syst})\pm 0.15~(\text {lumi})~\mu \text {b}$$ d σ / d y | y = 0 = 8.97 ± 0.24 ( stat ) ± 0.48 ( syst ) ± 0.15 ( lumi ) μ b . An approximate logarithmic dependence with the collision energy is suggested by these results and available world data, in agreement with model predictions. The integrated and $$p_{\mathrm{T}}$$ p T -differential measurements are compared with measurements in pp collisions at lower energies and with several recent phenomenological calculations based on the non-relativistic QCD and Color Evaporation models. 

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