Speaker
Description
Measurements of open heavy flavour production in p-A collisions allow us to investigate Cold Nuclear Matter (CNM) effects, like gluon shadowing, gluon saturation, $k_{\rm T}$ broadening, and energy loss in CNM, that can affect the production rate and the kinematic properties of charm and beauty hadrons in nuclear collisions. In recent years, also the formation of a small-size Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) in p-Pb collisions was advanced as a possible explanation of effects like long-range $v_{2}$-like angular correlations in high-multiplicity events or the enhancement of baryon production, typically observed in nucleus-nucleus collisions and ascribed to the collective expansion of the QGP. The measurement of angular correlations of heavy-flavour particles with charged particles, at central and forward rapidities, provide an important extension of studies performed with light-flavoured hadrons to further characterise the $v_{\rm 2}$-like behavior, understand its initial- or final-state nature, constrain its development in the partonic and/or hadronic stages, and better investigate its mass dependence. The study of open heavy flavour production in high-multiplicity p--Pb collisions can also add important information to address the expected connection between collective-like and energy-loss-like effects. Moreover, production studies as a function of the multiplicity of charged particles produced in the collision can give insight into mutiple parton interactions and into the interplay between hard and soft processes
In this talk, we will present production measurements of D$^{0}$, D$^{+}$, D$^{*+}$ and D$_{s}^{+}$ mesons reconstructed with the ALICE detector via their hadronic decays at mid-rapidity in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV, collected during LHC Run-2. In particular, we will report cross sections, down to $p_{\rm T}$ = 0 for D0 mesons, nuclear-modification factors as well as multiplicity- and centrality-dependent studies. The measurement of the production of heavy-flavour hadron decay electrons at central rapidity at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 and 8.16 TeV will be also presented. We will discuss the measurement of $v_{\rm 2}$ of heavy-flavour hadron decay electrons in high-multiplicity p-Pb collisions at
$\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02. The data will be compared to light flavour ones and theoretical calculations. Results will be shown also for the production of heavy-flavour hadron decay muons at forward and backward rapidity at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The status of the analysis of muon correlation with charged particles in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 8.16 TeV will be discussed. The production results will be compared with predictions from theoretical models including CNM effects, as well as assuming the formation of a QGP in p-Pb collisions.
| Content type | Experiment |
|---|---|
| Collaboration | ALICE |
| Centralised submission by Collaboration | Presenter name already specified |
