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| Author(s): |
Henrique José Correia Zanoli
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI) |
| Defense date: | 2019-02-14 |
| Examining board members: |
Alexandre Alarcon do Passo Suaide;
Frederique Marie Brigitte Sylvie Grassi;
Sandra dos Santos Padula;
Rafael Peretti Pezzi;
Edivaldo Moura Santos
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| Advisor: | Alexandre Alarcon do Passo Suaide |
| Abstract | |
A new state of mater, the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), is formed when the ordinary hadronic matter is put under extreme temperature and/or density conditions. This state is believed to be present in the first moments of the universe and it is relevant to understand properties of the quantum chromodynamics. The QGP is created and characterized in particle accelerators by colliding heavy ions. However, a double-ridge long-range structure in the two-particle azimuthal correlation distribution was found in small systems, such as pp and p--Pb. This structure resembles the one observed in heavy-ion collisions, where its interpretation is linked to collective behavior that generates an azimuthal anisotropy in the final products of the collisions. This structure was not expected in small systems and its physical interpretation is still in debate, in particular regarding the role of hydrodynamics and initial conditions. A measurement for this effect with particles coming from heavy quarks was not done by the time this work started and this measurement could shed light into the different interpretations. Heavy quarks are an interesting probe in case the QGP is formed due to their early formation time, experiencing the whole evolution of the medium. In this work, heavy quarks are examined by measuring electrons originating from the semi-leptonic decays of hadrons that contain a heavy quark (charm or beauty) and other light quarks (open heavy flavor). The hadrons are not reconstructed and a signal extraction method is used to remove electrons from other sources. The azimuthal angular correlations of heavy-flavour hadron decay electrons with charged particles in p--Pb collisions at $\\sqrt{s_{m NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV measured with ALICE detector at mid-rapidity ($|\\eta| < 0.8$) are studied. The distributions show signs of azimuthal anisotropies which are quantified by the $v_2$ coefficient. The $v_2$ for heavy-flavor electrons is found to be positive with more than $5\\sigma$ significance, providing very strong indication of long-range azimuthal anisotropies for heavy-flavour particles in high multiplicity p--Pb collisions. This is the first measurement of the $v_2$ for electrons coming from heavy-flavor hadron decays in p--Pb collisions. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 14/11042-9 - Heavy-quarkonia states in the ALICE-LHC experiment |
| Grantee: | Henrique José Correia Zanoli |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct) |