$ϕ$ meson production at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}=2.76$ TeV

Abstract

$ϕ$ meson measurements provide insight into strangeness production, which is one of the key observables for the hot medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. ALICE measured $ϕ$ production through its decay in muon pairs in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV in the intermediate transverse momentum range $2 < p_{\rm T} < 5$ GeV/$c$ and in the rapidity interval $2.5<y<4$. The $ϕ$ yield was measured as a function of the transverse momentum and collision centrality. The nuclear modification factor was obtained as a function of the average number of participating nucleons. Results were compared with the ones obtained via the kaon decay channel in the same $p_{\rm T}$ range at midrapidity. The values of the nuclear modification factor in the two rapidity regions are in agreement within uncertainties.

26 pages, 8 captioned figures, 5 tables, authors from page 21, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/4250