First measurement of coherent σ;0 photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Xe-Xe collisions at √sNN=5.44 TeV



Acharya, S, Adamova, D, Adler, A, Adolfsson, J, Rinella, G Aglieri, Agnello, M, Agrawal, N, Ahammed, Z, Ahmad, S, Ahn, SU
et al (show 998 more authors) (2021) First measurement of coherent σ;0 photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Xe-Xe collisions at √sNN=5.44 TeV PHYSICS LETTERS B, 820. 136481-. ISSN 0370-2693, 1873-2445

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Abstract

The first measurement of the coherent photoproduction of ρ0 vector mesons in ultra-peripheral Xe–Xe collisions at s<inf>NN</inf>=5.44 TeV is presented. This result, together with previous HERA γp data and γ–Pb measurements from ALICE, describes the atomic number (A) dependence of this process, which is particularly sensitive to nuclear shadowing effects and to the approach to the black-disc limit of QCD at a semi-hard scale. The cross section of the Xe+Xe→ρ0+Xe+Xe process, measured at midrapidity through the decay channel ρ0→π+π, is found to be dσ/dy=131.5±5.6(stat.)<inf>−16.9</inf>+17.5(syst.) mb. The ratio of the continuum to resonant contributions for the production of pion pairs is also measured. In addition, the fraction of events accompanied by electromagnetic dissociation of either one or both colliding nuclei is reported. The dependence on A of cross section for the coherent ρ0 photoproduction at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon of the γA system of W<inf>γA,n</inf>=65 GeV is found to be consistent with a power-law behaviour σ(γA→ρ0A)∝Aα with a slope α=0.96±0.02(syst.). This slope signals important shadowing effects, but it is still far from the behaviour expected in the black-disc limit.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 5106 Nuclear and Plasma Physics, 5107 Particle and High Energy Physics, 51 Physical Sciences
Divisions: Faculty of Science & Engineering > School of Physical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 14 Dec 2021 16:53
Last Modified: 16 Jun 2026 14:53
DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2021.136481
Open Access URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3145363
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