Nuclear modification factor of light neutral-meson spectra up to high transverse momentum in p–Pb collisions at sNN=8.16 TeV

• Published in: Physics letters. B Vol. 827; p. 136943
• Main Authors: Acharya, S., Antinori, F., Aphecetche, L., Arcelli, S., Basu, S., Beole, S., Biernat, J., Bombara, M., Bond, P.M., Bugnon, O., Carnesecchi, F., Cheynis, B., Chujo, T., Colella, D., Cortese, P., Danisch, M.C., De, S., De Martin, C., Dietel, T., Ding, Y., Dudi, S., Dzalaiova, N., Espagnon, B., Foertsch, S., Funicello, N., Galvan, C.D., Graczykowski, L.K., Grigoryan, S., Grosse-Oetringhaus, J.F., Guilbaud, M., Heckel, S.T., Honermann, J., Hughes, C., Husova, L.A., Isakov, A., Jacak, B., Jusko, A., Khabanova, Z., Kirsch, S., Klein-Bösing, C., Koska, L., Kumaoka, T., Kumar, L., Li, X., Lindenstruth, V., Lindner, A., Luparello, G., Maire, A., Margotti, A., Mayer, C., Meddi, F., Meninno, E., Mhlanga, S., Miake, Y., Nania, R., Ohlson, A., Osako, T., Park, J., Pereira Da Costa, H., Pliquett, F., Poljak, N., Qiu, S., Rakotozafindrabe, A., Rami, F., Redlich, K., Reme-ness, H.A., Reygers, K., Richter, M., Rogochaya, E., Rojas, P.F., Rueda, O.V., Sahoo, S., Sahu, P.K., Sarma, P., Schambach, J., Shaba, T.J., Shigaki, K., Shimomura, M., Siemiarczuk, T., Singh, B., Singh, R., Soramel, F., Sultanov, R., Tauro, A., Tersimonov, G., Tikhonov, A., Topilskaya, N., Trubnikov, V., Tumkin, A., Varga, D., Vermunt, L., Vickovic, L., Vilakazi, Z., Wagner, B., Wang, C., Xu, R., Yoon, J.H., Zanoli, H.J.C., Zhalov, M., Zhang, Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Norwegian
• Published: United States Elsevier B.V 10.04.2022; North-Holland; Elsevier
• Subjects: Fysik; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; Physical Sciences; PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; Subatomic Physics; Subatomär fysik
• ISSN: 0370-2693; 1873-2445
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2022.136943

Neutral pion (π0) and η meson production cross sections were measured up to unprecedentedly high transverse momenta (pT) in p–Pb collisions at sNN=8.16TeV. The mesons were reconstructed via their two-photon decay channel in the rapidity interval −1.3<y<0.3 in the ranges of 0.4<pT<200 GeV/c and 1.0<pT<50 GeV/c, respectively. The respective nuclear modification factor (RpPb) is presented for pT up to of 200 and 30 GeV/c, where the former was achieved by extending the π0 measurement in pp collisions at s=8TeV using the merged cluster technique. The values of RpPb are below unity for pT<10 GeV/c, while they are consistent with unity for pT>10 GeV/c, leaving essentially no room for final state energy loss. The new data provide strong constraints for nuclear parton distribution and fragmentation functions over a broad kinematic range and are compared to model predictions as well as previous results at sNN=5.02TeV.