Abstract
Invariant differential yields of deuterons and anti-deuterons in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV and the yields of tritons, $^{3}$He nuclei and their anti-nuclei at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV have been measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurements cover a wide transverse momentum ($p_{\text{T}}$) range in the rapidity interval $|y|<0.5$, extending both the energy and the $p_{\text{T}}$ reach of previous measurements up to 3 GeV/$c$ for $A=2$ and 6 GeV/$c$ for $A=3$. The coalescence parameters of (anti-)deuterons and $^{3}\overline{\text{He}}$ nuclei exhibit an increasing trend with $p_{\text{T}}$ and are found to be compatible with measurements in pA collisions at low $p_{\text{T}}$ and lower energies. The integrated yields decrease by a factor of about 1000 for each increase of the mass number with one (anti-)nucleon. Furthermore, the deuteron-to-proton ratio is reported as a function of the average charged particle multiplicity at different center-of-mass energies.
Highlights
The production of light nuclei and antinuclei has been measured in many experiments at energies lower than those of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
The high luminosity provided by the LHC allows these measurements to be extended to higher energies and transverse momenta than in previous experiments, and provides in addition the possibility to detect for the first time antinuclei heavier than antideuterons in pp collisions
√the yields of tritons, 3He nuclei, and their antinuclei at s = 7 TeV have been measured in the rapidity range
Summary
The production of light nuclei and antinuclei has been measured in many experiments at energies lower than those of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The high luminosity provided by the LHC allows these measurements to be extended to higher energies and transverse momenta (pT) than in previous experiments, and provides in addition the possibility to detect for the first time antinuclei heavier than antideuterons in pp collisions. Statistical hadronization models [11,26] have been successful in describing particle yields over a wide range of energies in AA collisions, with the chemical freeze-out temperature and baryochemical potential being constrained by measurements of particle ratios In this sense, the deuteron-to-proton ratio could serve as a test for possible thermal-statistical behavior in pp collisions at LHC energies
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