# Production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV

## TL;DR

This study measures muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV, revealing rapidity-dependent nuclear modification effects and comparing results with theoretical models including cold nuclear matter effects.

## Contribution

First measurement of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at this energy, analyzing rapidity dependence of nuclear modification factors.

## Key findings

- Nuclear modification factor at forward rapidity is compatible with unity.
- At backward rapidity, the factor exceeds unity in a specific pT range.
- The forward-to-backward cross section ratio is less than one in the overlapping rapidity interval.

## Abstract

The production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{{\textit s}_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV was studied for $2 < p_{\rm T} < 16$ GeV/$c$ with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The measurement was performed at forward (p-going direction) and backward (Pb-going direction) rapidity, in the ranges of rapidity in the center-of-mass system (cms) $2.03<y_{\rm cms}<3.53$ and $-4.46<y_{\rm cms}<-2.96$, respectively. The production cross sections and nuclear modification factors are presented as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$). At forward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity while at backward rapidity, in the interval $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$, it is above unity by more than 2$\sigma$. The ratio of the forward-to-backward production cross sections is also measured in the overlapping interval $2.96 < \vert y_{\rm cms} \vert < 3.53$ and is smaller than unity by 3.7$\sigma$ in $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$. The data are described by model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects.