Search for: All records

This paper presents the first measurement of the angle between different jet axes (denoted as $\mathrm{\Delta }{R}_{\mathrm{axis}}$ ) in $\text{Pb-Pb}$ collisions. The measurement is carried out in the 0–10 % most-central events at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.02$ TeV. Jets are assembled by clustering charged particles at midrapidity using the $\text{anti-}{k}_{\mathrm{T}}$ algorithm with resolution parameters $R=0.2$ and 0.4 and transverse momenta in the intervals $40<p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\mathrm{ch}\mathrm{jet}}<140\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $80<p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\mathrm{ch}\mathrm{jet}}<140\mathrm{GeV}/c$ , respectively. Measurements at these low transverse momenta enhance the sensitivity to quark-gluon plasma (QGP) effects. A comparison to models implementing various mechanisms of jet energy loss in the QGP suggests that the observed narrowing of the $\text{Pb-Pb}$ distribution relative to $\mathit{pp}$ can be explained if quark-initiated jets are more likely to emerge from the medium than gluon-initiated jets. These new measurements disfavor intrajet $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ broadening as implemented in a simple model calculation with the Baier-Dokshitzer-Mueller-Peigne-Schiff formalism for energy loss in the QGP. The comparison of $\text{Pb-Pb}$ and $\mathit{pp}$ collisions shows sensitivity to the angular scale at which the QGP can resolve two independent splittings, favoring mechanisms that incorporate incoherent energy loss. 

The first measurement of the $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ pair production at midrapidity and low invariant mass in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.02\mathrm{TeV}$ at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. The yield of $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ pairs is compared with a cocktail of expected hadronic decay contributions in the invariant mass ( $m_{ee}$ ) and pair transverse momentum ( $p_{\mathrm{T},ee}$ ) ranges $m_{ee}<3.5\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ and $p_{\mathrm{T},ee}<8\mathrm{GeV}/c$ . For $0.18<m_{ee}<0.5\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ the ratio of data to the cocktail of hadronic contributions amounts to $1.40\pm 0.11\left(\mathrm{stat}.\right)\pm 0.23\left(\mathrm{syst}.\right)\pm 0.16\left(\mathrm{cocktail}\right)$ and $1.42\pm 0.11\left(\mathrm{stat}.\right)\pm 0.23{\left(\mathrm{syst}.\right)}_{-0.29}^{+0.24}\left(\mathrm{cocktail}\right)$ , including or not including medium effects in the estimation of the heavy-flavor background, respectively. It is consistent with predictions from two different models for an additional contribution of thermal $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ pairs from the hadronic and partonic phases. In the intermediate-mass range ( $1.2<m_{ee}<2.6\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ ), the pair transverse impact parameter of the $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ pairs ( ${\mathrm{DCA}}_{ee}$ , where “DCA” denotes “distance of closest approach”) is used for the first time in Pb-Pb collisions to separate displaced dielectrons from heavy-flavor hadron decays from a possible (thermal) contribution produced at the interaction point. The data are consistent with a suppression of $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ pairs from $c\overline{c}$ and an additional prompt component. Finally, the first direct-photon measurement in the 10% most central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.02\mathrm{TeV}$ is reported via the study of virtual direct photons in the transverse momentum range $1<p_{\mathrm{T}}<5\mathrm{GeV}/c$ . A model including prompt photons, as well as photons from the preequilibrium and fluid-dynamic phases, can reproduce the result, while being at the upper edge of the data uncertainties. 

Deuterons are atomic nuclei composed of a neutron and a proton held together by the strong interaction. Unbound ensembles composed of a deuteron and a third nucleon have been investigated in the past using scattering experiments, and they constitute a fundamental reference in nuclear physics to constrain nuclear interactions and the properties of nuclei. In this work, $K^{+}\text{−}d$ and $p\text{−}d$ femtoscopic correlations measured by the ALICE Collaboration in proton-proton ( $pp$ ) collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13\mathrm{TeV}$ at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented. It is demonstrated that correlations in momentum space between deuterons and kaons or protons allow us to study three-hadron systems at distances comparable with the proton radius. The analysis of the $K^{+}\text{−}d$ correlation shows that the relative distances at which deuterons and protons or kaons are produced are around 2 fm. The analysis of the $p\text{−}d$ correlation shows that only a full three-body calculation that accounts for the internal structure of the deuteron can explain the data. In particular, the sensitivity of the observable to the short-range part of the interaction is demonstrated. These results indicate that correlations involving light nuclei in $pp$ collisions at the LHC will also provide access to any three-body system in the strange and charm sectors. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

A<sc>bstract</sc> The angular correlations between charged Ξ baryons and associated identified hadrons (pions, kaons, protons, Λ baryons, and Ξ baryons) are measured in pp collisions at$$ \sqrt{s} $$ $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ALICE detector to give insight into the particle production mechanisms and balancing of quantum numbers on the microscopic level. In particular, the distribution of strangeness is investigated in the correlations between the doubly-strange Ξ baryon and mesons and baryons that contain a single strange quark, K and Λ. As a reference, the results are compared to Ξπand Ξp correlations, where the associated mesons and baryons do not contain a strange valence quark. These measurements are expected to be sensitive to whether strangeness is produced through string breaking or in a thermal production scenario. Furthermore, the multiplicity dependence of the correlation functions is measured to look for the turn-on of additional particle production mechanisms with event activity. The results are compared to predictions from the string-breaking model Pythia8, including tunes with baryon junctions and rope hadronisation enabled, the cluster hadronisation model Herwig7, and the core-corona model Epos-lhc. While some aspects of the experimental data are described quantitatively or qualitatively by the Monte Carlo models, no model can match all features of the data. These results provide stringent constraints on the strangeness and baryon number production mechanisms in pp collisions. 

A<sc>bstract</sc> The azimuthal anisotropy of particles associated with jets (jet particles) at midrapidity is measured for the first time in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at$$ \sqrt{{\textrm{s}}_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV down to transverse momentum (p_T) of 0.5 GeV/cand 2 GeV/c, respectively, with ALICE. The results obtained in p-Pb collisions are based on a novel three-particle correlation technique. The azimuthal anisotropy coefficientv₂in high-multiplicity p-Pb collisions is positive, with a significance reaching 6.8σat lowp_T, and its magnitude is smaller than in semicentral Pb-Pb collisions. In contrast to the measurements in Pb-Pb collisions, thev₂coefficient is also found independent ofp_Twithin uncertainties. Comparisons with the inclusive charged-particlev₂and with AMPT calculations are discussed. The predictions suggest that parton interactions play an important role in generating a non-zero jet-particlev₂in p-Pb collisions, even though they overestimate the reported measurement. These observations shed new insights on the understanding of the origin of the collective behaviour of jet particles in small systems such as p-Pb collisions, and provide significant stringent new constraints to models. 

Abstract The ALICE experiment was proposed in 1993, to study strongly-interacting matter at extreme energy densities and temperatures. This proposal entailed a comprehensive investigation of nuclear collisions at the LHC. Its physics programme initially focused on the determination of the properties of the quark–gluon plasma (QGP), a deconfined state of quarks and gluons, created in such collisions. The ALICE physics programme has been extended to cover a broader ensemble of observables related to Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of strong interactions. The experiment has studied Pb–Pb, Xe–Xe, p–Pb and pp collisions in the multi-TeV centre of mass energy range, during the Run 1–2 data-taking periods at the LHC (2009–2018). The aim of this review is to summarise the key ALICE physics results in this endeavor, and to discuss their implications on the current understanding of the macroscopic and microscopic properties of strongly-interacting matter at the highest temperatures reached in the laboratory. It will review the latest findings on the properties of the QGP created by heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies, and describe the surprising QGP-like effects in pp and p–Pb collisions. Measurements of few-body QCD interactions, and their impact in unraveling the structure of hadrons and hadronic interactions, will be discussed. ALICE results relevant for physics topics outside the realm of QCD will also be touched upon. Finally, prospects for future measurements with the ALICE detector in the context of its planned upgrades will also be briefly described. 

The ALICE Collaboration reports measurements of the semi-inclusive distribution of charged-particle jets recoiling from a high transverse momentum (high $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ ) charged hadron, in $pp$ and central Pb-Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon collision $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV. The large uncorrelated background in central Pb-Pb collisions is corrected using a data-driven statistical approach which enables precise measurement of recoil jet distributions over a broad range in $p_{\mathrm{T},\mathrm{ch}\mathrm{jet}}$ and jet resolution parameter $R$ . Recoil jet yields are reported for $R=0.2$ , 0.4, and 0.5 in the range $7<p_{\mathrm{T},\mathrm{ch}\mathrm{jet}}<140 \mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $\pi /2<\mathrm{\Delta }\phi <\pi$ , where $\mathrm{\Delta }\phi$ is the azimuthal angular separation between hadron trigger and recoil jet. The low- $p_{\mathrm{T},\mathrm{ch}\mathrm{jet}}$ reach of the measurement explores unique phase space for studying jet quenching, the interaction of jets with the quark–gluon plasma generated in high-energy nuclear collisions. Comparison of $p_{\mathrm{T},\mathrm{ch}\mathrm{jet}}$ distributions from $pp$ and central Pb-Pb collisions probes medium-induced jet energy loss and intra-jet broadening, while comparison of their acoplanarity distributions explores in-medium jet scattering and medium response. The measurements are compared to theoretical calculations incorporating jet quenching. ©2024 CERN, for the ALICE Collaboration2024CERN 

The ALICE Collaboration reports the measurement of semi-inclusive distributions of charged-particle jets recoiling from a high transverse momentum (high $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ ) hadron trigger in proton-proton and central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02\mathrm{TeV}$ . A data-driven statistical method is used to mitigate the large uncorrelated background in central Pb-Pb collisions. Recoil jet distributions are reported for jet resolution parameter $R=0.2$ , 0.4, and 0.5 in the range $7<p_{\mathrm{T},\text{jet}}<140\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and trigger-recoil jet azimuthal separation $\pi /2<\mathrm{\Delta }\phi <\pi$ . The measurements exhibit a marked medium-induced jet yield enhancement at low $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ and at large azimuthal deviation from $\mathrm{\Delta }\phi \sim \pi$ . The enhancement is characterized by its dependence on $\mathrm{\Delta }\phi$ , which has a slope that differs from zero by $4.7\sigma$ . Comparisons to model calculations incorporating different formulations of jet quenching are reported. These comparisons indicate that the observed yield enhancement arises from the response of the QGP medium to jet propagation. © 2024 CERN, for the ALICE Collaboration2024CERN 

Recent measurements of charm-baryon production in hadronic collisions have questioned the universality of charm-quark fragmentation across different collision systems. In this work the fragmentation of charm quarks into charm baryons is probed, by presenting the first measurement of the longitudinal jet momentum fraction carried by ${\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}$ baryons, $z_{\parallel }^{\mathrm{ch}}$ , in hadronic collisions. The results are obtained in proton-proton ( $pp$ ) collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13\mathrm{TeV}$ at the LHC, with ${\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}$ baryons and charged (track-based) jets reconstructed in the transverse momentum intervals of $3\le p_T^{{\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}}<15\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $7\le p_T^{\text{jet ch}}<15\mathrm{GeV}/c$ , respectively. The $z_{\parallel }^{\mathrm{ch}}$ distribution is compared to a measurement of ${\mathrm{D}}^0$ -tagged charged jets in $pp$ collisions as well as to 8 simulations. The data hints that the fragmentation of charm quarks into charm baryons is softer with respect to charm mesons, in the measured kinematic interval, as predicted by hadronization models which include color correlations beyond leading-color in the string formation. © 2024 CERN, for the ALICE Collaboration2024CERN 

A<sc>bstract</sc> Results on the transverse spherocity dependence of light-flavor particle production (π, K, p,ϕ, K^*0,$$ {\textrm{K}}_{\textrm{S}}^0 $$ $K_S^0$ , Λ, Ξ) at midrapidity in high-multiplicity pp collisions at$$ \sqrt{s} $$ $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV were obtained with the ALICE apparatus. The transverse spherocity estimator$$ \left({S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1}\right) $$ $\left(S_O^{p_T=1}\right)$ categorizes events by their azimuthal topology. Utilizing narrow selections on$$ {S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1} $$ $S_O^{p_T=1}$ , it is possible to contrast particle production in collisions dominated by many soft initial interactions with that observed in collisions dominated by one or more hard scatterings. Results are reported for two multiplicity estimators covering different pseudorapidity regions. The$$ {S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1} $$ $S_O^{p_T=1}$ estimator is found to effectively constrain the hardness of the events when the midrapidity (|η| < 0.8) estimator is used. The production rates of strange particles are found to be slightly higher for soft isotropic topologies, and severely suppressed in hard jet-like topologies. These effects are more pronounced for hadrons with larger mass and strangeness content, and observed when the topological selection is done within a narrow multiplicity interval. This demonstrates that an important aspect of the universal scaling of strangeness enhancement with final-state multiplicity is that high-multiplicity collisions are dominated by soft, isotropic processes. On the contrary, strangeness production in events with jet-like processes is significantly reduced. The results presented in this article are compared with several QCD-inspired Monte Carlo event generators. Models that incorporate a two-component phenomenology, either through mechanisms accounting for string density, or thermal production, are able to describe the observed strangeness enhancement as a function of$$ {S}_{\textrm{O}}^{p_{\textrm{T}}=1} $$ $S_O^{p_T=1}$ .