Bottom quark energy loss and hadronization with B+ and B0s nuclear modification factors using pp and PbPb collisions at V¯sNN = 5.02 TeV

Abstract

The production cross sections of B0s and B+ mesons are reported in proton-proton (pp) collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC with a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 302 pb-1. The cross sections are based on measurements of the B0s-J/y(u+u¯)Ø(1020)(K+K¯) and B+-J/y(u+u¯)K+ decay channels. Results are presented in the transverse momentum (pT) range 7-50 GeV/c and the rapidity interval |y| < 2.4 for the B mesons. The measured pT-differential cross sections of B+ and B0s in pp collisions are well described by fixed-order plus next-to-leading logarithm perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations. Using previous PbPb collision measurements at the same nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy, the nuclear modification factors, RAA, of the B mesons are determined. For pT > 10 GeV/c, both mesons are found to be suppressed in PbPb collisions (with RAA values significantly below unity), with less suppression observed for the B0s mesons. In this pT range, the RAA values for the B+ mesons are consistent with those for inclusive charged hadrons and D0 mesons. Below 10 GeV/c, both B+ and B0s are found to be less suppressed than either inclusive charged hadrons or D0 mesons, with the B0s RAA value consistent with unity. The RAA values found for the B+ and B0s are compared to theoretical calculations, providing constraints on the mechanism of bottom quark energy loss and hadronization in the quark-gluon plasma, the hot and dense matter created in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions.