Evidence of b-Jet Quenching in PbPb Collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV

Abstract

The production of jets associated to bottom quarks is measured for the first time in PbPb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV per nucleon pair. Jet spectra are reported in the transverse momentum (pT) range of 80-250GeV/c, and within pseudorapidity |η|<2. The nuclear modification factor (RAA) calculated from these spectra shows a strong suppression in the b-jet yield in PbPb collisions relative to the yield observed in pp collisions at the same energy. The suppression persists to the largest values of pT studied, and is centrality dependent. The RAA is about 0.4 in the most central events, similar to previous observations for inclusive jets. This implies that jet quenching does not have a strong dependence on parton mass and flavor in the jet pT range studied.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)National Science and Technology Development AgencyCenters for Medicare and Medicaid ServicesScience and Technology Facilities CouncilNational Science Council TaiwanNational Stroke FoundationU.S. Department of EnergyAustrian Science Fund