Production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02TeV

Abstract

The production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02TeVwas studied for 2 <pT<16GeV/cwith 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 centre-of-mass system (cms) 2.03 <ycms<3.53and −4.46 <ycms<−2.96, respectively. The production cross sections and nuclear modification factors are presented as a function of transverse momentum (pT). At forward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity while at backward rapidity, in the interval 2.5 <pT<3.5GeV/c, it is above unity by more than 2σ. The ratio of the forward-to-backward production cross sections is also measured in the overlapping interval 2.96 <|ycms| <3.53and is smaller than unity by 3.7σin 2.5 <pT<3.5GeV/c. The data are described by model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects.