Studies of isolated photon production in simulated proton-proton collisions with ALICE-EMCal

TL;DR

This paper presents a simulation-based study on identifying prompt photons in proton-proton collisions at 14 TeV using the ALICE-EMCal detector, focusing on separation techniques from decay photons and cross-section extraction.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive simulation and reconstruction method for prompt photon identification in p-p collisions, including new separation techniques and correction procedures.

Findings

Effective shower-shape and isolation cuts improve photon identification.

Monte Carlo predictions provide estimates of signal and background.

Methodology enables accurate cross-section measurement in high-energy collisions.

Abstract

The production of prompt photons at high transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions (p-p) is a useful tool to study perturbative Quantum-Chromo-Dynamics (pQCD). In particular, they yield valuable information about parton distribution functions in the proton. The experimental measurement of prompt photons is a difficult task due to the large background of decay photons from neutral mesons, mainly pi0. We present a full simulation and reconstruction study of prompt photons identification in p-p at sqrt(s) = 14 TeV in the ALICE electromagnetic calorimeter EMCal, giving details on the methods developed to separate them from decay photons with the help of shower-shape and isolation cuts. We present Monte Carlo predictions for signal and background. The method used to extract the final isolated corrected cross-section is presented and the calculation of various experimental corrections is outlined.