Measurement of the Isolated Prompt Photon Production Cross Section in pp Collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

TL;DR

This paper reports the measurement of the isolated prompt photon production cross section in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV, using CMS data, and compares it with theoretical QCD predictions.

Contribution

First measurement of isolated prompt photon cross section at 7 TeV with CMS, providing data for testing perturbative QCD models.

Findings

Measured cross section agrees with NLO QCD calculations.

Data covers photon transverse energy above 21 GeV.

Results validate theoretical predictions within uncertainties.

Abstract

The differential cross section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons has been measured as a function of the photon transverse energy E_T-gamma in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV using data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 inverse picobarns. Photons are required to have a pseudorapidity |eta_gamma|<1.45 and E_T-gamma > 21 GeV, covering the kinematic region 0.006 < x_T < 0.086. The measured cross section is found to be in agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations.