Heavy Flavour decay muon production at forward rapidity in pp collisions at \sqrt{s}= 7 TeV and in Pb-Pb collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}}=2.76 TeV with the ALICE experiment

TL;DR

This paper measures heavy flavour decay muon production at forward rapidity in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at the LHC, comparing results to theoretical predictions and analyzing collision centrality effects.

Contribution

It provides the first differential cross section measurements of muons from heavy flavour decays at forward rapidity in pp collisions and studies the nuclear modification factor in Pb-Pb collisions.

Findings

Muon production cross sections agree with pQCD predictions in pp collisions.

Significant suppression of muon yield observed in central Pb-Pb collisions.

The RCP ratio varies with collision centrality, indicating medium effects.

Abstract

The production of muons from heavy flavour decays is measured at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4) with the muon spectrometer of the ALICE experiment at the LHC. In pp collisions at \sqrt{s} = 7 TeV, the measurement of the transverse momentum and rapidity differential production cross section of muons from heavy flavour decays is carried out from a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of Lint = 16.5 nb^-1 and results are compared to predictions based on perturbative QCD calculations. In Pb-Pb collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}}= 2.76 TeV, the analysis of a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of Lint = 2.48 \mub^-1 provides a measurement of the ratio of inclusive muon yield in central to peripheral collisions (RCP) as a function of the collision centrality.