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Measu emen o beau y-s ange meson p oduc ion in Pb–Pb collisions a √sNN = 5.02
TeV ia non-p omp Ds+ mesons
© 2022 he Au ho s
Published e sion
ALICE Collabo a ion
ALICE Collabo a ion. (2023). Measu emen o beau y-s ange meson p oduc ion in Pb–Pb
collisions a √sNN = 5.02 TeV ia non-p omp Ds+ mesons. Physics Le e s B, 846, A icle
137561. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.physle b.2022.137561
2023
Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
Physics Le e s B
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/physle b
Measu emen o beau y-s ange meson p oduc ion in Pb–Pb collisions
a √sNN =5.02 TeV ia non-p omp D+
smesons
.ALICE Collabo a ion
a i c l e i n o a b s a c
A icle his o y:
Recei ed 25 May 2022
Recei ed in e ised o m 7 Oc obe 2022
Accep ed 8 No embe 2022
A ailable online 19 Sep embe 2023
Edi o : M. Dose
Da ase link:
h ps://
www.hepda a .ne / eco d /ins2071181
The p oduc ion yields o non-p omp D+
smesons, namely D+
smesons om beau y-had on decays, we e
measu ed o he fi s ime as a unc ion o he ans e se momen um (pT) a mid apidi y (|y| <0.5) in
cen al and semi-cen al Pb–Pb collisions a a cen e-o -mass ene gy pe nucleon pai √sNN =5.02 TeV
wi h he ALICE expe imen a he LHC. The D+
smesons and hei cha ge conjuga es we e econs uc ed
om he had onic decay channel D+
s→φπ+, wi h φ→K−K+, in he 4 <pT<36 GeV/cand 2 <pT<
24 GeV/cin e als o he 0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y classes, espec i ely. The measu ed yields o
non-p omp D+
smesons a e compa ed o hose o p omp D+
sand non-p omp D0mesons by calcula ing
he a ios o he p oduc ion yields in Pb–Pb collisions and he nuclea modifica ion ac o RAA. The a io
be ween he RAA o non-p omp D+
sand p omp D+
smesons, and ha be ween he RAA o non-p omp
D+
sand non-p omp D0mesons in cen al Pb–Pb collisions a e ound o be on a e age highe han uni y
in he 4 <pT<12 GeV/cin e al wi h a s a is ical significance o abou 1.6 σand 1.7 σ, espec i ely. The
measu ed RAA a ios a e compa ed wi h he p edic ions o heo e ical models o hea y-qua k anspo
in a hyd odynamically expanding QGP ha inco po a e had onisa ion ia qua k ecombina ion.
©2022 The Au ho (s). Published by Else ie B.V. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY license
(h p://c ea i ecommons .o g /licenses /by /4 .0/). Funded by SCOAP3.
1. In oduc ion
A ansi ion om o dina y nuclea ma e o a colou -deconfin-
ed medium called qua k–gluon plasma (QGP) is p edic ed o oc-
cu a a e y high empe a u e and ene gy densi y by quan um
ch omodynamics (QCD) calcula ions on he la ice [1–3], and is
suppo ed by se e al measu emen s in ul a ela i is ic hea y-ion
collisions a he SPS, RHIC, and LHC [4–11]. In such collisions,
cha m and beau y qua ks a e mainly p oduced in ha d sca e ing
p ocesses ha occu be o e he o ma ion o he QGP. Hence, hey
a e e ec i e p obes o he en i e sys em e olu ion. While he sys-
em unde goes a hyd odynamic expansion, hey in e ac wi h he
medium cons i uen s ia elas ic [12–14] and inelas ic [15,16]sca -
e ings. These in e ac ions imply ha cha m and beau y qua ks
exchange ene gy and momen um wi h he medium cons i uen s,
causing high-momen um qua ks o lose pa o hei ene gy while
a e sing he QGP. The in-medium ene gy loss is commonly s ud-
ied ia he measu emen o he nuclea modifica ion ac o ,
RAA(pT)=1
TAA×dNAA/dpT
dσpp/dpT,(1)
whe e dNAA/dpTis he ans e se-momen um (pT) di e en ial
p oduc ion yield in nucleus–nucleus collisions, dσpp/dpT he pT-
E-mail add ess: alice -publica ions @ce n .ch.
di e en ial c oss sec ion in p o on–p o on (pp) collisions, and
TAAis he a e age o he nuclea o e lap unc ion [17]. Se e al
measu emen s o cha m and beau y had ons in Pb–Pb [18–30] and
Au–Au [31–33] collisions show a s ong supp ession o he p o-
duc ion yield a in e media e and high pT(pT>4–5 GeV/c) in
hea y-ion collisions compa ed o pp collisions, sugges ing a sub-
s an ial ene gy loss o hea y qua ks in he QGP. The compa ison
o he RAA o ligh , cha m, and beau y had ons indica es ha he
ene gy loss is sensi i e o he colou cha ge and he pa on mass.
In pa icula , he RAA o beau y had ons is obse ed o be la ge
han ha o cha m had ons [21,24]. Fo pT>5–6 GeV/c, whe e
adia i e p ocesses a e expec ed o domina e he ene gy loss, he
smalle supp ession is a ibu ed mainly o he so-called “dead
cone” e ec [34,35], which supp esses he gluon adia ion a an-
gles smalle han θ≈mQ/EQ, whe e mQis he mass o he qua k
and EQi s ene gy.
Ins ead, low-pThea y qua ks expe ience a “B ownian mo ion”,
which consis s o a di usion p ocess occu ing ia mul iple elas-
ic in e ac ions wi h low-momen um ans e [36]. Owing o he
la ge mass, beau y qua ks di use less han cha m qua ks and
ha e a longe elaxa ion ime, which is expec ed o be p opo ional
o he qua k mass. Measu emen s o he hea y-fla ou had on p o-
duc ion and azimu hal aniso opies can be exploi ed o cons ain
he spa ial di usion coefficien Ds ia he compa ison wi h heo-
e ical models based on he hea y-qua k anspo in a hyd ody-
namically expanding QGP [18,37].
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.physle b.2022.137561
0370-2693/©2022 The Au ho (s). Published by Else ie B.V. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY license (h p://c ea i ecommons .o g /licenses /by /4 .0/). Funded by
SCOAP3.
ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
A p ecise desc ip ion o he had onisa ion p ocess in he ho
nuclea ma e is c ucial o unde s and he anspo p ope -
ies o he QGP [38]. The had onisa ion mechanism o low and
in e media e-pThea y qua ks is expec ed o be sensi i e o he
p esence o a colou -deconfined medium, which could enable
had on o ma ion ia qua k ecombina ion in addi ion o he
acuum-like agmen a ion. This leads o an enhancemen o he
p oduc ion yield o hea y-fla ou had ons wi h s ange-qua k con-
en ela i e o hose o non-s ange had ons in Pb–Pb collisions
compa ed o pp collisions, caused by he abundan p oduc ion
o s ange–an is ange qua k pai s in he QGP [11,39,40]. Recen
measu emen s o he p oduc ion o p omp D+
smesons, i.e. D+
s
mesons o igina ing om he cha m-qua k had onisa ion o de-
cays o exci ed cha m-had on s a es, by he STAR [41] and AL-
ICE [19,42] Collabo a ions sugges a ele an ole o he ecombina-
ion mechanism in he cha m-qua k had onisa ion. Simila s udies
in he open-beau y sec o , conduc ed by he CMS Collabo a ion
ia he measu emen o he B0
s-meson p oduc ion ela i e o ha
o B+mesons, show a hin o enhanced p oduc ion o s ange
o e non-s ange mesons [26,43]. Howe e , no fi m conclusions
can be d awn wi hin he cu en unce ain ies. Complemen a y in-
o ma ion abou he hea y-qua k had onisa ion in p esence o he
medium is p o ided by he measu emen s o cha m ba yons and
cha monia in hea y-ion collisions [20,27,44–47]. Recen ly, he p o-
duc ion o hea y-fla ou had ons con aining s ange qua ks was
also in es iga ed in high-mul iplici y pp collisions [48,49], ollow-
ing he obse a ion o an enhanced p oduc ion o s ange and
mul i-s ange had ons wi h inc easing cha ged-pa icle mul iplic-
i y in he ligh -fla ou sec o [50].
In his Le e , he measu emen o he p oduc ion o D+
smesons
o igina ing om beau y-had on decays (non-p omp ) is epo ed
o cen al (0–10%) and semicen al (30–50%) Pb–Pb collisions a
a cen e-o -mass ene gy pe nucleon pai √sNN =5.02 TeV. Non-
p omp D+
smesons p o ide in o ma ion abou he di usion and
he ene gy loss o beau y qua ks in he QGP. In addi ion, oge he
wi h he measu emen o non-p omp D0mesons, hey ha e he
po en ial o e eal he beau y-qua k had onisa ion mechanisms
in he QGP, since in pp collisions abou 50% o non-p omp D+
s
mesons a e p oduced in B0
sdecays [51,52]. The e o e, he non-
p omp D+
spT-di e en ial p oduc ion yield and RAA a e compa ed
wi h hose o p omp D+
sand non-p omp D0mesons, as well as
wi h heo e ical models based on beau y-qua k anspo in he
QGP.
2. Expe imen al appa a us and analysis echnique
The D+
s-mesons we e econs uc ed om hei had onic decays
wi h he ALICE cen al ba el de ec o s, which co e he ull az-
imu h in he pseudo apidi y in e al |η| <0.9 and a e embedded
in a la ge solenoidal magne p o iding a uni o m 0.5Tmagne ic
field pa allel o he beam di ec ion. Cha ged-pa icle ajec o ies
a e econs uc ed om hei hi s in he Inne T acking Sys em
(ITS) [53] and he Time P ojec ion Chambe (TPC) [54]. Pa icle
iden ifica ion (PID) is p o ided ia he measu emen o he specific
ionisa ion ene gy loss dE/dxin he TPC and o he fligh ime o
he pa icles om he in e ac ion poin o he Time-O -Fligh de-
ec o (TOF) [55]. The econs uc ion o he in e ac ion e ex and
o he decay e ices o cha m- and beau y-had on decays elies on
he p ecise de e mina ion o he ack pa ame e s in he icini y o
he in e ac ion poin p o ided by he ITS.
The da a sample o Pb–Pb collisions used in he analysis was
collec ed wi h he ALICE de ec o in 2018, du ing LHC Run 2. Th ee
igge classes we e conside ed: minimum bias, cen al, and semi-
cen al, all based on he signals in he wo scin illa o a ays o he
V0 de ec o [56], which co e s he ull azimu h in he pseudo a-
pidi y in e als −3.7 <η<−1.7(V0C) and 2.8 <η<5.1(V0A).
Backg ound e en s due o he in e ac ion o one o he beams
wi h esidual gas in he acuum ube and o he machine-induced
backg ounds we e ejec ed offline using he iming in o ma ion
p o ided by he V0 and he neu on Ze o Deg ee Calo ime e s
(ZDC) [57]. Only e en s wi h a p ima y e ex econs uc ed wi hin
±10 cm om he cen e o he de ec o along he beam-line di ec-
ion we e conside ed in he analysis. Collisions we e classified in o
cen ali y in e als, defined in e ms o pe cen iles o he had onic
Pb–Pb c oss sec ion, based on he V0 signal ampli ude as desc ibed
in de ail in Re . [58]. The measu emen o non-p omp D+
s-meson
p oduc ion was ca ied ou o cen al (0–10%) and semicen al
(30–50%) collisions. The numbe o e en s conside ed o he anal-
ysis is abou 100 ×106and 85 ×106in he 0–10% and 30–50%
cen ali y in e als, co esponding o in eg a ed luminosi ies Lin
o (130.5 ±0.5)μb−1and (55.5 ±0.2)μb−1, espec i ely [59]. The
a e age alues o he nuclea o e lap unc ion, TAA, o he con-
side ed cen al and semicen al e en in e als we e es ima ed ia
Glaube -model [60] simula ions ancho ed o he V0 signal ampli-
ude dis ibu ion, and a e (23.26 ±0.17)mb−1and (3.92 ±0.06)
mb−1[17,59], espec i ely.
The D+
smesons and hei cha ge conjuga es we e econs uc ed
ia he D+
s→φπ+→K−K+π+decay channel wi h b anching a io
BR =(2.24 ±0.08)%[51]. The analysis was based on he econ-
s uc ion o decay- e ex opologies displaced om he in e ac ion
e ex. Fo p omp mesons, he sepa a ion be ween he in e ac ion
poin and he D+
sdecay e ex is go e ned by he mean p ope
decay leng h cτo D+
smesons, which is abou 151 μm[51]. The
decay e ices o non-p omp D+
smesons on a e age a e mo e dis-
placed han hose o p omp D+
smesons due o he la ge mean
p ope decay leng hs o beau y had ons (cτ≃450 μm[51]). The e-
o e, by exploi ing he selec ion o displaced decay- e ex opolo-
gies, i is possible o sepa a e non-p omp D+
smesons om he
combina o ial backg ound and om p omp D+
smesons.
D+
s-meson candida es we e buil combining iple s o acks
wi h he p ope cha ge signs, each wi h |η| <0.8, a leas 70 (ou
o a maximum o 159) c ossed TPC pad ows, a ack fi quali y
χ2/nd <1.25 in he TPC (whe e nd is he numbe o deg ees
o eedom in ol ed in he ack fi p ocedu e), and a minimum
o wo (ou o a maximum o six) hi s in he ITS, wi h a leas
one in ei he o he wo inne mos laye s, which p o ide he bes
poin ing esolu ion. Mo eo e , a leas 50 clus e s a ailable o pa -
icle iden ifica ion in he TPC we e equi ed, and only acks wi h
pTabo e 0.6(0.4)GeV/cwe e conside ed o cen al (semicen-
al) collisions. These ack selec ion c i e ia limi he D+
s-meson
accep ance in apidi y, which d ops s eeply o ze o o |y| >0.5
a low pTand o |y| >0.8a pT>5GeV/c. Thus, only D+
s-
meson candida es wi hin a pT-dependen fiducial accep ance e-
gion, |y| <yfid(pT), we e selec ed. The yfid(pT) alue was defined
as a second-o de polynomial unc ion, inc easing om 0.5 o 0.8
in he ans e se-momen um ange 0 <pT<5GeV/c, and as a
cons an e m, yfid =0.8, o pT>5GeV/c.
Simila ly o o he ecen D-meson measu emen s by he AL-
ICE Collabo a ion [19,21,52], Boos ed Decision T ees (BDT) algo-
i hms we e employed o educe he la ge combina o ial back-
g ound and o sepa a e he con ibu ion o p omp and non-
p omp D+
smesons h ough a mul iclass classifica ion. In pa ic-
ula , he implemen a ion o he BDT algo i hm p o ided by he
XGBoos [61,62]lib a y was used. Backg ound samples o he BDT
aining we e ex ac ed om he sidebands o he candida e in-
a ian mass dis ibu ions in he da a, namely om he 1.72 <
M(KKπ) <1.83 GeV/c2and 2.01 <M(KKπ) <2.12 GeV/c2 egions.
Applying hese selec ions, candida es belonging o D+→K−K+π+
decays a e ejec ed. Signal samples o p omp and non-p omp D+
s
mesons we e ob ained om Mon e Ca lo (MC) simula ions. The
MC samples we e buil by simula ing Pb–Pb collisions wi h he
HIJING 1.36 [63]e en gene a o in o de o desc ibe he cha ged-
2
ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
pa icle mul iplici y and de ec o occupancy. To en ich he sam-
ple o p omp and non-p omp D-meson signals, addi ional cc-
and bb-qua k pai s we e injec ed in o each HIJING e en using
he PYTHIA 8.243 e en gene a o [64,65]wi h Monash une [66].
The D+
smesons we e o ced o decay in o he had onic chan-
nel o in e es o he analysis. The gene a ed pa icles we e hen
p opaga ed h ough he appa a us using he GEANT3 anspo
code [67]. De ailed desc ip ions o he de ec o esponse, he ge-
ome y o he appa a us and he condi ions o he luminous e-
gion, including hei e olu ion wi h ime du ing he da a aking
pe iod, we e included in he simula ion. Be o e he BDT ain-
ing, loose kinema ic and opological selec ions we e applied o he
D+
s-meson candida es oge he wi h he pa icle iden ifica ion o
decay-p oduc acks. The D+
s-meson candida e in o ma ion p o-
ided o he BDTs, as an inpu o he models o dis inguish among
p omp and non-p omp mesons and backg ound candida es, was
mainly based on he displacemen o he acks om he p ima y
e ex, he dis ance be ween he D+
s-meson decay e ex and he
p ima y e ex, he D+
s-meson impac pa ame e , and he cosine o
he poin ing angle be ween he D+
s-meson candida e line o fligh
( he ec o connec ing he p ima y and seconda y e ices) and
i s econs uc ed momen um ec o . In addi ion, he absolu e di -
e ence be ween he econs uc ed K+K−in a ian mass and he
PDG a e age mass o he φmeson [51] and a iables ela ed o
he PID o decay acks we e also included. Independen BDTs we e
ained in he di e en pTin e als o he analysis and o he
di e en cen ali y in e als. Subsequen ly, hey we e applied o
he eal da a sample in which he ype o candida e is unknown.
The BDT ou pu s a e ela ed o he candida e p obabili y o be a
non-p omp D+
smeson o combina o ial backg ound. Selec ions on
he BDT ou pu s we e op imised o ob ain a high non-p omp D+
s-
meson ac ion while main aining a eliable signal ex ac ion om
he candida e in a ian mass dis ibu ions.
The D+
s-meson candida es we e selec ed by equi ing a high
p obabili y o be non-p omp D+
smesons and a low p obabili y
o be combina o ial backg ound. The aw yield o D+
smesons, in-
cluding bo h pa icles and an ipa icles, was ex ac ed om binned
maximum-likelihood fi s o he in a ian mass (M) dis ibu ions
in ans e se-momen um in e als 4 <pT<36 GeV/cand 2 <
pT<24 GeV/c o he 0–10% and he 30–50% cen ali y in e -
als, espec i ely. The fi unc ion was composed o a Gaussian
o he desc ip ion o he signal and an exponen ial e m o
he backg ound. An addi ional Gaussian was used o desc ibe he
peak due o he decay D+→K−K+π+, wi h a b anching a io o
(9.68 ±0.18) ×10−3[51], p esen a a lowe in a ian mass alue
han he D+
s-meson signal peak. To imp o e he s abili y o he
fi s, he wid h o he D+
s-meson signal peak was fixed o he alue
ex ac ed om a da a sample domina ed by p omp candida es,
which is cha ac e ised by a signal ex ac ion wi h highe s a is i-
cal significance. As an example, he in a ian mass dis ibu ion o
he 4 <pT<6GeV/cin e al in cen al Pb–Pb collisions, oge he
wi h he esul o he fi and he es ima ed non-p omp ac ion
is epo ed in Fig. 1. The measu ed aw yield, al hough domina ed
by non-p omp candida es, s ill con ains a esidual con ibu ion o
p omp D+
smesons which sa is y he BDT-based selec ions. The
p ocedu e used o calcula e he ac ion o non-p omp candida es
p esen in he ex ac ed aw yield is desc ibed below. The s a is i-
cal significance o he obse ed signals a ies om abou 4 o 11
depending upon he pTand cen ali y in e als.
The co ec ed pT-di e en ial yields o non-p omp D+
smesons
we e compu ed o each pTin e al as
Fig. 1. In a ian mass dis ibu ion o non-p omp D+
scandida es and hei cha ge
conjuga es in he 4 <pT<6GeV/cin e al o cen al Pb–Pb collisions. The blue
solid line shows he o al fi unc ion and he ed dashed line he combina o ial-
backg ound con ibu ion. The alues o he mean (μ), wid h (σ), and aw yield (S)
o he signal peak a e epo ed oge he wi h hei s a is ical unce ain ies esul ing
om he fi . The ac ion o non-p omp candida es in he measu ed aw yield is
epo ed wi h i s s a is ical and sys ema ic unce ain ies.
dN
dpT



|y|<0.5=1
2×1
pT
×
non-p omp (pT)×ND+D, aw(pT)

|y|<yfid(pT)
cy(pT)×(Acc ×ε)non-p omp (pT)×BR ×Ne .
(2)
The aw-yield alues ND+D, aw we e di ided by a ac o o wo and
mul iplied by he non-p omp ac ion non-p omp o ob ain he
cha ge-a e aged yields o non-p omp D+
smesons. Fu he mo e,
hey we e di ided by he accep ance- imes-efficiency co ec ion
ac o o non-p omp D+
smesons (Acc ×ε)non-p omp , he BR o he
decay channel, he wid h o he pTin e al pT, he co ec ion
ac o o he apidi y co e age cy, and he numbe o analysed
e en s Ne . The co ec ion ac o o he apidi y accep ance cy
was defined as he a io be ween he gene a ed D-meson yield in
y =2 yfid(pT)and ha in |y| <0.5. I was compu ed wi h FONLL
pe u ba i e QCD calcula ions [68,69]as in Re s. [18,19].
The (Acc ×ε)co ec ion ac o was ob ained om MC sim-
ula ions, using samples no employed in he BDT aining. The
D+
s-meson pTdis ibu ions om simula ions we e eweighed in
o de o mimic he ealis ic shapes in he de e mina ion o he
(Acc ×ε) ac o , which depends on pT. In pa icula , weigh s we e
applied o he pTdis ibu ions o p omp D+
smesons and o
beau y-had on mo he pa icles in case o non-p omp D+
smesons.
These weigh s we e defined o ep oduce he shapes gi en by
FONLL calcula ions mul iplied by he RAA o p omp D+
smesons
and B mesons p edic ed by he TAMU [70,71]model. The TAMU
model implemen s he cha m- and beau y-qua k anspo inside
a s angeness- ich QGP, and i easonably ep oduces he p omp
D-meson measu emen s a low pT[18,19]. The (Acc ×ε) ac o s
as a unc ion o pT o p omp and non-p omp D+
smesons in
he 0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y in e als a e displayed in Fig. 2,
along wi h he a ios o he non-p omp o p omp ac o s. The
p omp D+
s-meson accep ance imes efficiency is smalle han ha
o non-p omp D+
smesons by a ac o a ying om 5 o 20 de-
pending on pTand cen ali y. This is expec ed since he selec ions
3
ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
Fig. 2. Accep ance- imes-efficiency ac o s o p omp and non-p omp D+
smesons
as a unc ion o pTin he 0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y in e als, oge he wi h hei
a ios (bo om panel).
applied o ob ain he non-p omp en iched sample s ongly sup-
p ess he p omp D+
s-meson efficiency. Ins ead, he accep ance is
he same o p omp and non-p omp mesons. In cen al collisions,
he p omp D+
s-meson supp ession inc eases wi h inc easing pT.
The opposi e end is obse ed in semicen al collisions, since less
s ingen selec ions on he BDT ou pu s a e necessa y o ex ac
he non-p omp D+
s-meson signal due o he lowe yield.
The ac ion non-p omp o non-p omp D+
smesons in he ex-
ac ed aw yield was es ima ed wi h a da a-d i en p ocedu e
based on he cons uc ion o da a samples wi h di e en abun-
dances o p omp and non-p omp candida es. These samples we e
buil by a ying he selec ion on he BDT ou pu ela ed o he can-
dida e p obabili y o be a non-p omp D+
smeson. S a ing om he
alues o aw yield and accep ance imes efficiency o p omp and
non-p omp D+
smesons ob ained o each sample, he co ec ed
yield o p omp and non-p omp D+
smesons and he non-p omp
ac ion we e calcula ed. This da a-d i en echnique does no de-
pend on heo e ical calcula ions o hea y-qua k p oduc ion and
in e ac ion wi h he QGP cons i uen s, and i is desc ibed in de ail
in Re . [52]. The non-p omp ac ions ob ained as a unc ion o pT
in cen al and semicen al Pb–Pb collisions a e epo ed in Fig. 3,
oge he wi h hei s a is ical and sys ema ic unce ain ies. The de-
e mina ion o he sys ema ic unce ain y on he non-p omp ac-
ion is desc ibed in Sec ion 3. The non-p omp alues a y be ween
abou 0.72 (0.56) and 0.82 (0.70) in he 0–10% (30–50%) cen al-
i y in e al as a unc ion o ans e se momen um. The non-p omp
is obse ed o be on a e age lowe in semicen al collision wi h
espec o cen al collisions. This di e ence is expec ed as in he
30–50% cen ali y in e al less s ingen BDT selec ions we e ap-
plied compa ed o 0–10% cen ali y in e al.
The non-p omp D+
s-meson nuclea modifica ion ac o , RAA,
was compu ed acco ding o Eq. (1). The measu emen o he pT-
di e en ial c oss sec ion o non-p omp D+
smesons a mid apidi y
(|y| <0.5) in pp collisions a √s=5.02 TeV om Re . [52], which
co e s he ans e se-momen um in e al 2 <pT<12 GeV/c, was
used as he e e ence o he RAA compu a ion. Fo pT>12 GeV/c,
an ex apola ed pp e e ence was ob ained om FONLL calcula-
ions o he beau y-had on c oss sec ion and by using PYTHIA 8
o desc ibe he decay kinema ics o beau y had ons o D+
smesons,
o mo e de ails see Re . [52]. The esul ing p edic ions we e hen
scaled o ma ch he measu ed alues a lowe ans e se momen a.
Fig. 3. F ac ion o non-p omp D+
smesons in he ex ac ed aw yield as a unc ion
o pTin he 0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y in e als. The e ical ba s (boxes) epo
he s a is ical (sys ema ic) unce ain ies.
The o al sys ema ic unce ain y on he pp e e ence is +38
−28% o all
he ex apola ed pTin e als. The p ocedu es o he pTex apola-
ion and he sys ema ic unce ain y es ima ion a e he same as in
Re . [72].
3. Sys ema ic unce ain ies
The ollowing sou ces o sys ema ic unce ain y we e consid-
e ed o he p oduc ion yield and RAA es ima ion: (i) he aw-yield
ex ac ion, (ii) ack econs uc ion efficiency, (iii) non-p omp D+
s-
meson ac ion, (i ) BDT selec ion efficiency, ( ) PID selec ion e -
ficiency, ( i) ela i e abundances o beau y-had on species in he
MC simula ion, and ( ii) shapes o he simula ed pT-di e en ial
dis ibu ions. The esul ing sys ema ic unce ain ies on he non-
p omp D+
s-meson yield and RAA in ep esen a i e pTin e als a e
summa ised in Table 1. In he RAA compu a ion, he sys ema ic un-
ce ain ies on he pp measu emen we e ea ed as unco ela ed
om he ones on he Pb–Pb co ec ed yields, excep o he un-
ce ain y on he BR (3.6%) [51] which cancels in he RAA and was
conside ed only in he pT-di e en ial p oduc ion yield. The no -
malisa ion unce ain y on he RAA includes he unce ain y on he
in eg a ed luminosi y in pp collisions (2.1% [73]), he unce ain y
on he TAAes ima ion, 0.7% (1.5%) o he 0–10% (30–50%) cen-
ali y in e al [17], and he one ela ed o he cen ali y-in e al
defini ion. This las con ibu ion is due o he unce ain y on he
ac ion o he had onic c oss sec ion used in he Glaube fi o de-
e mine he cen ali y. I was es ima ed o be < 0.1% and 2% o he
0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y in e als, espec i ely [72].
The sys ema ic unce ain y on he aw-yield ex ac ion was es-
ima ed by adop ing se e al fi configu a ions changing he back-
g ound fi unc ion (linea and pa abolic), he uppe and lowe fi
limi s, and he bin size o he in a ian mass spec um. The sen-
si i i y o he line shape o he D+
speak was es ed by compa ing
he aw-yield alues om he fi s wi h hose ob ained by coun -
ing he candida es in he in a ian mass egion o he signal a e
sub ac ing he backg ound es ima ed om he side bands.
The sys ema ic unce ain y on he ack econs uc ion effi-
ciency accoun s o possible disc epancies be ween da a and MC in
he ITS–TPC p olonga ion efficiency and in he selec ion efficiency
due o ack-quali y c i e ia in he TPC. The pe - ack sys ema ic
unce ain ies we e es ima ed by a ying he ack-quali y selec-
ion c i e ia and by compa ing he p olonga ion p obabili y o he
4

ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
Table 1
Sys ema ic unce ain ies on he measu emen o he non-p omp D+
s-meson co -
ec ed yield and RAA in he 0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y in e als o ep esen a i e
ans e se-momen um in e als.
Cen ali y in e al 0–10% 30–50%
pT(GeV/c)4–6 12–16 2–4 12–16
Yield ex ac ion 5% 5% 10% 5%
T acking efficiency 13% 13% 11% 12%
Non-p omp ac ion 6% 6% 5% 6%
Selec ion efficiency 8% 5% 10% 5%
PID efficiency negl. negl. negl. negl.
Bhad ochemis y 1% 1% 1% 1%
MC pTshape 10% 8% 15% 2%
Cen ali y limi s < 0.1% 2%
TAA0.7% 1.5%
Lpp
in 2.1%
B anching a io 3.6%
TPC acks o he ITS hi s in da a and simula ions. They we e hen
p opaga ed o he non-p omp D+
smesons ia hei decay kine-
ma ics.
The sys ema ic unce ain ies on he non-p omp D+
s-meson
ac ion and he BDT selec ion efficiency a e due o possible dis-
c epancies be ween da a and MC in he dis ibu ions o he a i-
ables used in he BDT-model aining (i.e. he D+
s-meson decay-
e ex opology, kinema ic, and PID a iables). The o me was
compu ed by a ying he configu a ion and he numbe o BDT se-
lec ions employed in he da a-d i en me hod desc ibed in Sec. 2.
In pa icula , wide and na owe in e als o he p obabili y o be
non-p omp D+
smesons, and smalle and la ge s ep sizes be ween
he chosen BDT selec ions we e conside ed. Fo each configu a ion,
he non-p omp D+
s-meson ac ion was ecompu ed. The sys em-
a ic unce ain y ela ed o he BDT selec ion efficiency was s udied
by epea ing he en i e analysis a ying he selec ion c i e ia based
on he BDT ou pu s. The unce ain y o his sou ce o sys ema ic
unce ain y was assigned conside ing he RMS and he shi o he
co ec ed yield ob ained by a ying he BDT selec ion wi h espec
o he e e ence one.
Analogously, he sys ema ic unce ain y on he PID selec ion e -
ficiency ela i e o he loose selec ion on he PID a iables applied
be o e he BDT ones was also conside ed. This sou ce was e alu-
a ed in he p omp D+
s-meson analysis [19], and i was ound o
be negligible o he adop ed PID s a egy.
The selec ion efficiency o non-p omp D+
smesons o igina -
ing om he decay o di e en beau y-had on species can di e
because o he di e en li e ime o he pa en had on and he di -
e en decay kinema ics. Consequen ly, an impe ec desc ip ion in
he MC simula ion o he beau y-had on composi ion migh e-
sul in a bias in he es ima ion o he D-meson efficiencies. This
is especially impo an o D+
smesons, which ecei e significan
con ibu ions om all he h ee g ound-s a e B-meson species (B+,
B0, and B0
s). The PYTHIA 8 e en gene a o desc ibes he measu e-
men s o di e en B-meson species in pp collisions [52], howe e
in hea y-ion collisions an enhanced p oduc ion o s ange o e
non-s ange B mesons is expec ed compa ed o he one obse ed
in pp collisions. Ne e heless, since no p ecise measu emen o B0
s-
meson p oduc ion down o low momen um is a ailable in Pb–Pb
collisions, he ela i e abundances p esen in PYTHIA 8 we e used
wi hou applying any eweigh ing. The sys ema ic unce ain y in-
oduced by his assump ion was es ima ed by eweigh ing he B0
s
con ibu ion p esen in he MC enhanced by a ac o 2 as p edic ed
by he TAMU model [70]. The sys ema ic unce ain y was assigned
conside ing he a ia ion be ween he p oduc ion yield es ima ed
using he enhanced B0
scon ibu ion and he de aul one.
The sys ema ic unce ain y due o he shape o he pTdis ibu-
ions o D+
smesons and beau y had ons in he MC simula ions was
Fig. 4. P omp and non-p omp D+
smeson p oduc ion yield in cen al and semicen-
al Pb–Pb collisions a √sNN =5.02 TeV. The p omp D+
s esul s a e aken om
Re . [19]and scaled by a ac o 10 o isibili y. The e ical ba s (boxes) epo he
s a is ical (sys ema ic) unce ain ies.
e alua ed by applying di e en weigh s o he pTdis ibu ions o
p omp D+
smesons and o beau y-had on mo he pa icles in case
o non-p omp D+
smesons. As an al e na i e o he TAMU model,
he shape esul ing om he LIDO model [74]was conside ed. The
main di e ence be ween he TAMU and LIDO model de i es om
he ac ha he o me includes he enhanced p oduc ion o he
B0
smesons, unlike he la e . An addi ional a ia ion o he shape
o he pTdis ibu ions o p omp D+
smesons was included con-
side ing he esul s om Re . [19]. The sys ema ic unce ain y was
assigned conside ing he a ia ion o he co ec ed yield compa ed
o he de aul case.
4. Resul s
Fig. 4shows he pT-di e en ial p oduc ion yield o p omp and
non-p omp D+
smesons in cen al and semicen al Pb–Pb colli-
sions a √sNN =5.02 TeV. The measu ed p omp D+
s-meson p o-
duc ion yields we e aken om Re . [19] and scaled by a ac o 10
o isibili y.
Fig. 5 epo s he a ios o he p oduc ion yield o non-p omp
o p omp D+
s(le panel) and non-p omp D+
s o non-p omp
D0[21] ( igh panel) in cen al and semicen al Pb–Pb collisions,
as well as in pp collisions [52]. Compu ing hese a ios helps o
u he in es iga e he e ec s o he QGP medium on he had on
o ma ion mechanism. To ge an indica ion o he B0
s-meson pT
p obed by non-p omp D+
smesons, a simula ion wi h PYTHIA 8
was pe o med. As an example, he mean pTdis ibu ion o B0
s
mesons decaying o D+
smesons wi h 4 <pT<6GeV/chas a
mean o abou 8.8GeV/cand an RMS o abou 3.1GeV/c. The
non-p omp o p omp D+
s-meson a io anges be ween abou 0.05
and 0.20 and inc eases wi h inc easing pTup o pT=10 GeV/c. A
highe momen um he slope o he a ios seems o educe, e en
hough no fi m conclusions can be d awn wi h he cu en unce -
ain ies. On he o he hand, he non-p omp D+
s o non-p omp D0
a io shows an almos fla end a ound 0.2 in he pT ange o he
measu emen . The a ios compu ed in pp and semicen al Pb–Pb
5
ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
Fig. 5. The pT-di e en ial p oduc ion yield o non-p omp D+
smesons di ided by hose o p omp D+
smesons (le panel) and non-p omp D0mesons ( igh panel) o he
0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y in e als in Pb–Pb collisions a √sNN =5.02 TeV om Re s. [19,21]compa ed wi h hose in pp collisions a he same cen e-o -mass ene gy
om Re . [52].
collisions a e compa ible wi hin he unce ain ies. A hin o en-
hancemen compa ed o pp collisions wi h a significance o 1.7σ,
whe e σindica es he sum in quad a u e o s a is ical and sys em-
a ic unce ain ies, is ound by pe o ming a weigh ed a e age o
he non-p omp D+
s/D0 alues in he 4 <pT<12 GeV/cin e al
o he 0–10% cen ali y class. The in e se o he squa ed sum o
he ela i e s a is ical and pT-unco ela ed sys ema ic unce ain ies
was used as weigh in he a e age. All he sys ema ic unce ain-
ies, excep o hose on he aw-yield ex ac ion, we e consid-
e ed as ully co ela ed in pT. This hin o a la ge non-p omp
D+
s/D0yield a io is consis en wi h an enhanced p oduc ion o
s ange-beau y mesons in hea y-ion collisions compa ed o pp col-
lisions, as expec ed in a scena io in which beau y qua ks had onise
ia ecombina ion wi h su ounding qua ks in he s angeness-
en iched QGP medium. In he ans e se-momen um in e al 4 <
pT<12 GeV/c, also he non-p omp o p omp D+
s-meson a io in
he 0–10% cen ali y class shows a mild enhancemen wi h espec
o pp collisions wi h a significance o 1.6σ.
The RAA o non-p omp D+
smesons was compu ed acco ding
o Eq. (1), whe e he pp e e ence was ob ained om he mea-
su emen published in Re . [52]. To s udy he e ec s o he QGP
medium on he esul ing momen um spec a and he had onisa-
ion mechanism o beau y qua ks, he nuclea modifica ion ac-
o measu ed o he non-p omp D+
smesons was compa ed o
ha o p omp D+
s[19] and non-p omp D0[21]mesons mea-
su ed a he same cen e-o -mass ene gy pe nucleon pai . The
p omp and non-p omp D+
sRAA a e compa ed in he op- and
bo om-le panels o Fig. 6 o he 0–10% and 30–50% cen ali y
class, espec i ely. Analogously, he compa ison be ween he nu-
clea modifica ion ac o o non-p omp D+
sand non-p omp D0
mesons is epo ed in he igh panels o he same figu e. The RAA
o p omp and non-p omp D mesons shows a dec easing end
wi h inc easing pTup o a minimum o abou 0.2 (0.4) a ound
10 GeV/cin he 0–10% (30–50%) cen ali y class. In he lowes pT
in e als, he RAA inc eases up o uni y. In pa icula , he cen al
alues o he non-p omp D+
sRAA a e highe wi h espec o hose
o p omp D+
sand non-p omp D0in he 0–10% cen ali y class o
pT<6GeV/c, e en hough hey a e compa ible wi hin unce ain-
ies. This possible di e ence be ween p omp and non-p omp D+
s
RAA would be consis en wi h he di e en loss o ene gy expe i-
enced by cha m and beau y qua ks a e sing he QGP. In ac , he
e ec due o he di e en decay kinema ics o cha m and beau y
had ons is ound o be negligible, as discussed in Re . [21]. Ins ead,
he di e ence be ween non-p omp D+
sand D0mesons could e-
sul om he had onisa ion ia ecombina ion and he p esence
o a s angeness- ich en i onmen . In semicen al collisions, no
sepa a ion among he RAA o p omp D+
s, non-p omp D+
s, and
non-p omp D0is obse ed wi hin he measu emen unce ain-
ies.
The RAA measu emen s we e compa ed wi h he p edic ions
o he TAMU model [70]. In he TAMU model, he hea y-qua k
anspo is desc ibed ia he Lange in equa ion and he had oni-
sa ion can occu bo h ia ecombina ion wi h ligh qua ks om he
medium, which is he dominan mechanism a low pT, o ia ag-
men a ion, which becomes mo e impo an a high pT. The TAMU
p edic ions a e shown in Fig. 6. The unce ain y band o p omp
D+
smesons is due o he modifica ion o he pa on dis ibu ion
unc ions in Pb nuclei, which is neglec ed o he beau y-qua k
p oduc ion. The TAMU model quali a i ely desc ibes he pT end
o he non-p omp D+
s-meson RAA, al hough i o e es ima es he
measu emen s.
In he le and igh panels o Fig. 7, he nuclea modifica ion
ac o s o non-p omp D+
smesons di ided by ha o p omp D+
s
mesons and non-p omp D0mesons a e shown, espec i ely. The
measu emen s in bo h cen ali y in e als a e compa ed wi h he
p edic ions o he TAMU model. In he 0–10% cen ali y class, he
non-p omp D+
s o p omp D+
sRAA a io sugges s a hin o en-
hancemen wi h a s a is ical significance o 1.6σin he 4 <pT<
12 GeV/cin e al, which is by cons uc ion he same o ha e-
po ed o he co esponding yield a io. The RAA a io is consis en
wi h a la ge ene gy loss o he cha m qua k wi h espec o
he beau y qua k due o i s smalle mass, as al eady sugges ed
by he esul s shown in Fig. 6. No hin o a a io o he RAA
la ge han uni y is obse ed in semicen al collisions. Conside -
ing he measu emen unce ain ies, TAMU p edic ions quali a i ely
desc ibe he esul s o cen al collisions. A a iance, o semicen-
al collisions he TAMU model o e es ima es he RAA a io alues.
The measu emen s o he non-p omp D+
s o non-p omp D0RAA
a io sugges a possible enhancemen wi h espec o uni y in he
4 <pT<12 GeV/cin e al o cen al collisions, as epo ed o
he yield a io. In his case, he ise a low pTmigh be a conse-
quence o he abundance o s ange qua ks he mally p oduced in
he QGP and he dominance o he had onisa ion ia ecombina-
ion in his ange o momen um. The TAMU model desc ibes he
da a wi hin he expe imen al unce ain ies.
6
ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
Fig. 6. Le panels: p omp (Re . [19]) and non-p omp D+
s-meson RAA in cen al ( op) and semicen al (bo om) Pb–Pb collisions a √sNN =5.02 TeV. Righ panels: non-
p omp D+
s-and D0-meson (Re . [21]) RAA in cen al ( op) and semicen al (bo om) Pb–Pb collisions a
√sNN =5.02 TeV. The expe imen al esul s a e compa ed wi h he
p edic ions o he TAMU model [70]. S a is ical (ba s), sys ema ic (boxes), and no malisa ion (shaded box a ound uni y) unce ain ies a e shown.
Fig. 7. The RAA o non-p omp D+
smesons di ided by he one o p omp D+
smesons [19](le panel) and non-p omp D0mesons [21]( igh panel) o he 0–10% and
30–50% cen ali y in e als in Pb–Pb collisions a √sNN =5.02 TeV. The measu emen s a e compa ed wi h TAMU model p edic ions [70]. S a is ical (ba s) and sys ema ic
(boxes) unce ain ies a e shown.
5. Conclusions
In his Le e , he fi s measu emen o he non-p omp D+
s-
meson p oduc ion a mid apidi y in Pb–Pb collisions a √sNN =
5.02 TeV was epo ed.
The non-p omp D+
s-meson p oduc ion yield was measu ed be-
ween 4 and 36 (2 and 24) GeV/cin he 0–10% (30–50%) cen-
ali y in e al. These measu emen s we e compa ed o he ones
pe o med o p omp D+
sand non-p omp D0mesons a he
same cen e-o -mass ene gy. The p oduc ion yield was employed
o compu e he non-p omp D+
s-meson RAA, which was compa ed
wi h he RAA o p omp D+
sand non-p omp D0mesons.
The non-p omp D+
sRAA shows a significan pTdependence. A
minimum a in e media e ans e se momen um (pT≈10 GeV/c)
a ound 0.2 (0.4) in cen al (semicen al) collisions, and a mild in-
c ease wi h dec easing pT, wi h RAA eaching (close o) uni y a
7
ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
pT≈4–6 (2–4)GeV/cin he 0–10% (30–50%) cen ali y in e al
a e epo ed. The TAMU model, which implemen s he pa on in-
medium ene gy loss h ough collisional p ocesses as well as he
beau y-qua k had onisa ion bo h ia agmen a ion and ecombi-
na ion, desc ibes he pT end o he RAA. Howe e , i o e es-
ima es he measu emen s. Fu he compa isons we e pe o med
be ween p omp and non-p omp D+
sas well as non-p omp D0
mesons by compu ing he a ios o hei p oduc ion yields and
RAA. These a ios sugges he p esence o an enhancemen o
non-p omp D+
smesons compa ed o p omp D+
s(non-p omp
D0) mesons in cen al collisions in he 4 <pT<12 GeV/cin e -
al, wi h a significance o 1.6σ(1.7σ). The inc ease is consis en
wi h expec a ions o he o e all e ec o he ene gy-loss mech-
anism and he had onisa ion-p ocess modifica ion in p esence o
he colou -deconfined medium.
The ecen upg ade o he ALICE appa a us will g ea ly enhance
he physics po en ial o he expe imen in he LHC Run 3 da a-
aking pe iod, allowing o mo e p ecise measu emen s o he non-
p omp D+
s-meson p oduc ion in hea y–ion collisions.
Decla a ion o compe ing in e es
The au ho s decla e ha hey ha e no known compe ing finan-
cial in e es s o pe sonal ela ionships ha could ha e appea ed o
influence he wo k epo ed in his pape .
Da a a ailabili y
This manusc ip has associa ed da a in a HEPDa a eposi o y a :
h ps://www.hepda a .ne / eco d /ins2071181.
Acknowledgemen s
The ALICE Collabo a ion would like o hank all i s enginee s
and echnicians o hei in aluable con ibu ions o he cons uc-
ion o he expe imen and he CERN accele a o eams o he
ou s anding pe o mance o he LHC complex. The ALICE Collab-
o a ion g a e ully acknowledges he esou ces and suppo p o-
ided by all G id cen es and he Wo ldwide LHC Compu ing G id
(WLCG) collabo a ion. The ALICE Collabo a ion acknowledges he
ollowing unding agencies o hei suppo in building and un-
ning he ALICE de ec o : A. I. Alikhanyan Na ional Science Labo a-
o y (Ye e an Physics Ins i u e) Founda ion (ANSL), S a e Commi -
ee o Science and Wo ld Fede a ion o Scien is s (WFS), A menia;
Aus ian Academy o Sciences, Aus ian Science Fund (FWF): [M
2467-N36] and Na ionals i ung ü Fo schung, Technologie und
En wicklung, Aus ia; Minis y o Communica ions and High Tech-
nologies, Na ional Nuclea Resea ch Cen e , Aze baijan; Conselho
Nacional de Desen ol imen o Cien ífico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fi-
nanciado a de Es udos e P oje os (Finep), Fundac¸ão de Ampa o à
Pesquisa do Es ado de São Paulo (FAPESP) and Uni e sidade Fed-
e al do Rio G ande do Sul (UFRGS), B azil; Bulga ian Minis y o
Educa ion and Science, wi hin he Na ional Roadmap o Resea ch
In as uc u es 2020-2027 (objec CERN), Bulga ia; Minis y o Edu-
ca ion o China (MOEC), Minis y o Science & Technology o China
(MSTC) and Na ional Na u al Science Founda ion o China (NSFC),
China; Minis y o Science and Educa ion and C oa ian Science
Founda ion, C oa ia; Cen o de Aplicaciones Tecnológicas y Desa -
ollo Nuclea (CEADEN), Cubaene gía, Cuba; The Minis y o Educa-
ion, You h and Spo s o he Czech Republic, Czech Republic; The
Danish Council o Independen Resea ch | Na u al Sciences, he
Villum Fonden and Danish Na ional Resea ch Founda ion (DNRF),
Denma k; Helsinki Ins i u e o Physics (HIP), Finland; Commis-
sa ia à l’Ene gie A omique (CEA) and Ins i u Na ional de Physique
Nucléai e e de Physique des Pa icules (IN2P3) and Cen e Na-
ional de la Reche che Scien ifique (CNRS), F ance; Bundesminis-
e ium ü Bildung und Fo schung (BMBF) and GSI Helmhol zzen-
um ü Schwe ionen o schung GmbH, Ge many; Gene al Sec e-
a ia o Resea ch and Technology, Minis y o Educa ion, Resea ch
and Religions, G eece; Na ional Resea ch, De elopmen and Inno a-
ion Office, Hunga y; Depa men o A omic Ene gy Go e nmen o
India (DAE), Depa men o Science and Technology, Go e nmen
o India (DST), Uni e si y G an s Commission, Go e nmen o In-
dia (UGC) and Council o Scien ific and Indus ial Resea ch (CSIR),
India; Na ional Resea ch and Inno a ion Agency -BRIN, Indone-
sia; Is i u o Nazionale di Fisica Nuclea e (INFN), I aly; Japanese
Minis y o Educa ion, Cul u e, Spo s, Science and Technology
(MEXT) and Japan Socie y o he P omo ion o Science (JSPS) KAK-
ENHI, Japan; Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT),
h ough Fondo de Coope ación In e nacional en Ciencia y Tec-
nología (FONCICYT) and Di ección Gene al de Asun os del Pe sonal
Académico (DGAPA), Mexico; Nede landse O ganisa ie oo We en-
schappelijk Onde zoek (NWO), Ne he lands; The Resea ch Council
o No way, No way; Commission on Science and Technology o
Sus ainable De elopmen in he Sou h (COMSATS), Pakis an; Pon-
ificia Uni e sidad Ca ólica del Pe ú, Pe u; Minis y o Educa ion
and Science, Na ional Science Cen e and WUT ID-UB, Poland; Ko-
ea Ins i u e o Science and Technology In o ma ion and Na ional
Resea ch Founda ion o Ko ea (NRF), Republic o Ko ea; Minis y o
Educa ion and Scien ific Resea ch, Ins i u e o A omic Physics, Min-
is y o Resea ch and Inno a ion and Ins i u e o A omic Physics
and Uni e si y Poli ehnica o Bucha es , Romania; Minis y o Ed-
uca ion, Science, Resea ch and Spo o he Slo ak Republic, Slo-
akia; Na ional Resea ch Founda ion o Sou h A ica, Sou h A ica;
Swedish Resea ch Council (VR) and Knu & Alice Wallenbe g Foun-
da ion (KAW), Sweden; Eu opean O ganiza ion o Nuclea Re-
sea ch, Swi ze land; Su ana ee Uni e si y o Technology (SUT), Na-
ional Science and Technology De elopmen Agency (NSTDA) and
Na ional Science, Resea ch and Inno a ion Fund (NSRF ia PMU-B
B05F650021), Thailand; Tu kish Ene gy, Nuclea and Mine al Re-
sea ch Agency (TENMAK), Tu key; Na ional Academy o Sciences o
Uk aine, Uk aine; Science and Technology Facili ies Council (STFC),
Uni ed Kingdom; Na ional Science Founda ion o he Uni ed S a es
o Ame ica (NSF) and Uni ed S a es Depa men o Ene gy, Office
o Nuclea Physics (DOE NP), Uni ed S a es o Ame ica. In addi-
ion, indi idual g oups o membe s ha e ecei ed suppo om:
Ma ie Skłodowska Cu ie, S ong 2020 - Ho izon 2020, Eu opean
Resea ch Council (g an nos. 824093, 896850, 950692), Eu opean
Union; Academy o Finland (Cen e o Excellence in Qua k Ma e )
(g an nos. 346327, 346328), Finland; P og ama de Apoyos pa a la
Supe ación del Pe sonal Académico, UNAM, Mexico.
Re e ences
[1] F. Ka sch, La ice simula ions o he he modynamics o s ongly in e ac ing
elemen a y pa icles and he explo a ion o new phases o ma e in el-
a i is ic hea y ion collisions, J. Phys. Con . Se . 46 (2006) 122–131, a Xi :
hep -la /0608003.
[2] S. Bo sanyi, Z. Fodo , J.N. Guen he , R. Ka a, S.D. Ka z, P. Pa o o, A. Pasz o , C.
Ra i, K.K. Szabo, QCD c osso e a fini e chemical po en ial om la ice simu-
la ions, Phys. Re . Le . 125 (5) (2020) 052001, a Xi :2002 .02821 [hep -la ].
[3] Ho QCD Collabo a ion, A. Baza o , e al., Chi al c osso e in QCD a ze o and
non-ze o chemical po en ials, Phys. Le . B 795 (2019) 15–21, a Xi :1812 .08235
[hep -la ].
[4] U.W. Heinz, M. Jacob, E idence o a new s a e o ma e : an assessmen o he
esul s om he CERN lead beam p og am, a Xi :nucl - h /0002042.
[5] BRAHMS Collabo a ion, I. A sene, e al., Qua k gluon plasma and colo glass
condensa e a RHIC? The pe spec i e om he BRAHMS expe imen , Nucl. Phys.
A 757 (2005) 1–27, a Xi :nucl -ex /0410020.
[6] PHOBOS Collabo a ion, B.B. Back, e al., The PHOBOS pe spec i e on disco e ies
a RHIC, Nucl. Phys. A 757 (2005) 28–101, a Xi :nucl -ex /0410022.
[7] STAR Collabo a ion, J. Adams, e al., Expe imen al and heo e ical challenges in
he sea ch o he qua k gluon plasma: he STAR Collabo a ion’s c i ical assess-
men o he e idence om RHIC collisions, Nucl. Phys. A 757 (2005) 102–183,
a Xi :nucl -ex /0501009.
8
ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
44 High Ene gy Physics G oup, Uni e sidad Au ónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
45 Ho ia Hulubei Na ional Ins i u e o Physics and Nuclea Enginee ing, Bucha es , Romania
46 Indian Ins i u e o Technology Bombay (IIT), Mumbai, India
47 Indian Ins i u e o Technology Indo e, Indo e, India
48 INFN, Labo a o i Nazionali di F asca i, F asca i, I aly
49 INFN, Sezione di Ba i, Ba i, I aly
50 INFN, Sezione di Bologna, Bologna, I aly
51 INFN, Sezione di Caglia i, Caglia i, I aly
52 INFN, Sezione di Ca ania, Ca ania, I aly
53 INFN, Sezione di Pado a, Pado a, I aly
54 INFN, Sezione di Pa ia, Pa ia, I aly
55 INFN, Sezione di To ino, Tu in, I aly
56 INFN, Sezione di T ies e, T ies e, I aly
57 Inha Uni e si y, Incheon, Republic o Ko ea
58 Ins i u e o G a i a ional and Suba omic Physics (GRASP), U ech Uni e si y/Nikhe , U ech , Ne he lands
59 Ins i u e o Expe imen al Physics, Slo ak Academy o Sciences, Košice, Slo ak Republic
60 Ins i u e o Physics, Homi Bhabha Na ional Ins i u e, Bhubaneswa , India
61 Ins i u e o Physics o he Czech Academy o Sciences, P ague, Czech Republic
62 Ins i u e o Space Science (ISS), Bucha es , Romania
63 Ins i u ü Ke nphysik, Johann Wol gang Goe he-Uni e si ä F ank u , F ank u , Ge many
64 Ins i u o de Ciencias Nuclea es, Uni e sidad Nacional Au ónoma de México, Mexico Ci y, Mexico
65 Ins i u o de Física, Uni e sidade Fede al do Rio G ande do Sul (UFRGS), Po o Aleg e, B azil
66 Ins i u o de Física, Uni e sidad Nacional Au ónoma de México, Mexico Ci y, Mexico
67 iThemba LABS, Na ional Resea ch Founda ion, Some se Wes , Sou h A ica
68 Jeonbuk Na ional Uni e si y, Jeonju, Republic o Ko ea
69 Johann-Wol gang-Goe he Uni e si ä F ank u Ins i u ü In o ma ik, Fachbe eich In o ma ik und Ma hema ik, F ank u , Ge many
70 Ko ea Ins i u e o Science and Technology In o ma ion, Daejeon, Republic o Ko ea
71 KTO Ka a ay Uni e si y, Konya, Tu key
72 Labo a oi e de Physique Suba omique e de Cosmologie, Uni e si é G enoble-Alpes, CNRS-IN2P3, G enoble, F ance
73 Law ence Be keley Na ional Labo a o y, Be keley, CA, Uni ed S a es
74 Lund Uni e si y Depa men o Physics, Di ision o Pa icle Physics, Lund, Sweden
75 Nagasaki Ins i u e o Applied Science, Nagasaki, Japan
76 Na a Women’s Uni e si y (NWU), Na a, Japan
77 Na ional and Kapodis ian Uni e si y o A hens, School o Science, Depa men o Physics, A hens, G eece
78 Na ional Cen e o Nuclea Resea ch, Wa saw, Poland
79 Na ional Ins i u e o Science Educa ion and Resea ch, Homi Bhabha Na ional Ins i u e, Ja ni, India
80 Na ional Nuclea Resea ch Cen e , Baku, Aze baijan
81 Na ional Resea ch and Inno a ion Agency -BRIN, Jaka a, Indonesia
82 Niels Boh Ins i u e, Uni e si y o Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denma k
83 Nikhe , Na ional ins i u e o suba omic physics, Ams e dam, Ne he lands
84 Nuclea Physics G oup, STFC Da esbu y Labo a o y, Da esbu y, Uni ed Kingdom
85 Nuclea Physics Ins i u e o he Czech Academy o Sciences, Husinec-ˇ
Rež, Czech Republic
86 Oak Ridge Na ional Labo a o y, Oak Ridge, TN, Uni ed S a es
87 Ohio S a e Uni e si y, Columbus, OH, Uni ed S a es
88 Physics depa men , Facul y o science, Uni e si y o Zag eb, Zag eb, C oa ia
89 Physics Depa men , Panjab Uni e si y, Chandiga h, India
90 Physics Depa men , Uni e si y o Jammu, Jammu, India
91 Physics Depa men , Uni e si y o Rajas han, Jaipu , India
92 Physics P og am and In e na ional Ins i u e o Sus ainabili y wi h Kno ed Chi al Me a Ma e (SKCM2), Hi oshima Uni e si y, Hi oshima, Japan
93 Physikalisches Ins i u , Ebe ha d-Ka ls-Uni e si ä Tübingen, Tübingen, Ge many
94 Physikalisches Ins i u , Rup ech -Ka ls-Uni e si ä Heidelbe g, Heidelbe g, Ge many
95 Physik Depa men , Technische Uni e si ä München, Munich, Ge many
96 Poli ecnico di Ba i and Sezione INFN, Ba i, I aly
97 Resea ch Di ision and Ex eMe Ma e Ins i u e EMMI, GSI Helmhol zzen um ü Schwe ionen o schung GmbH, Da ms ad , Ge many
98 Saha Ins i u e o Nuclea Physics, Homi Bhabha Na ional Ins i u e, Kolka a, India
99 School o Physics and As onomy, Uni e si y o Bi mingham, Bi mingham, Uni ed Kingdom
100 Sección Física, Depa amen o de Ciencias, Pon ificia Uni e sidad Ca ólica del Pe ú, Lima, Pe u
101 S e an Meye Ins i u ü Suba oma e Physik (SMI), Vienna, Aus ia
102 SUBATECH, IMT A lan ique, Nan es Uni e si é, CNRS-IN2P3, Nan es, F ance
103 Su ana ee Uni e si y o Technology, Nakhon Ra chasima, Thailand
104 Technical Uni e si y o Košice, Košice, Slo ak Republic
105 The Hen yk Niewodniczanski Ins i u e o Nuclea Physics, Polish Academy o Sciences, C acow, Poland
106 The Uni e si y o Texas a Aus in, Aus in, TX, Uni ed S a es
107 Uni e sidad Au ónoma de Sinaloa, Culiacán, Mexico
108 Uni e sidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, B azil
109 Uni e sidade Es adual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, B azil
110 Uni e sidade Fede al do ABC, San o And e, B azil
111 Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape Town, Sou h A ica
112 Uni e si y o Hous on, Hous on, TX, Uni ed S a es
113 Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Jy äskylä, Finland
114 Uni e si y o Kansas, Law ence, KS, Uni ed S a es
115 Uni e si y o Li e pool, Li e pool, Uni ed Kingdom
116 Uni e si y o Science and Technology o China, He ei, China
117 Uni e si y o Sou h-Eas e n No way, Kongsbe g, No way
118 Uni e si y o Tennessee, Knox ille, TN, Uni ed S a es
119 Uni e si y o he Wi wa e s and, Johannesbu g, Sou h A ica
120 Uni e si y o Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
121 Uni e si y o Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
122 Uni e si y Poli ehnica o Bucha es , Bucha es , Romania
123 Uni e si é Cle mon Au e gne, CNRS/IN2P3, LPC, Cle mon -Fe and, F ance
15

ALICE Collabo a ion Physics Le e s B 846 (2023) 137561
124 Uni e si é de Lyon, CNRS/IN2P3, Ins i u de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon, Lyon, F ance
125 Uni e si é de S asbou g, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000, S asbou g, F ance
126 Uni e si é Pa is-Saclay, Cen e d’E udes de Saclay (CEA), IRFU, Dépa men de Physique Nucléai e (DPhN), Saclay, F ance
127 Uni e si é Pa is-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, O say, F ance
128 Uni e si à degli S udi di Foggia, Foggia, I aly
129 Uni e si à del Piemon e O ien ale, Ve celli, I aly
130 Uni e si à di B escia, B escia, I aly
131 Va iable Ene gy Cyclo on Cen e, Homi Bhabha Na ional Ins i u e, Kolka a, India
132 Wa saw Uni e si y o Technology, Wa saw, Poland
133 Wayne S a e Uni e si y, De oi , MI, Uni ed S a es
134 Wes älische Wilhelms-Uni e si ä Müns e , Ins i u ü Ke nphysik, Müns e , Ge many
135 Wigne Resea ch Cen e o Physics, Budapes , Hunga y
136 Yale Uni e si y, New Ha en, CT, Uni ed S a es
137 Yonsei Uni e si y, Seoul, Republic o Ko ea
138 Zen um ü Technologie und T ans e (ZTT), Wo ms, Ge many
139 Affilia ed wi h an ins i u e co e ed by a coope a ion ag eemen wi h CERN
140 Affilia ed wi h an in e na ional labo a o y co e ed by a coope a ion ag eemen wi h CERN
IDeceased.
II Also a : Max-Planck-Ins i u ü Physik, Munich, Ge many.
III Also a : I alian Na ional Agency o New Technologies, Ene gy and Sus ainable Economic De elopmen (ENEA), Bologna, I aly.
IV Also a : Dipa imen o DET del Poli ecnico di To ino, Tu in, I aly.
VAlso a : Depa men o Applied Physics, Aliga h Muslim Uni e si y, Aliga h, India.
VI Also a : Ins i u e o Theo e ical Physics, Uni e si y o W oclaw, Poland.
VII Also a : An ins i u ion co e ed by a coope a ion ag eemen wi h CERN.
16