2026/07/31 by LHCb collaboration, R. Aaij, M. Abdelfatah +1161
Physics and Astronomy · #nucl-ex #hep-ex
All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcb-glance.cern.ch/alcm/public/analysis/full-details/6994/ (LHCb public pages)
arxiv created 2026/07/31 · arxiv updated 2026/08/04
The production rates of \mathitΥ(2S) and \mathitΥ(3S) mesons relative to that of the \mathitΥ(1S) state are measured in pp, pO, and OO collisions by the LHCb collaboration. The ratios measured in pp data are consistent with previous LHCb measurements at different center-of-mass energies. Only slight relative suppression of the \mathitΥ(2S) and \mathitΥ(3S) states is found in pO collisions, while in OO collisions the \mathitΥ(2S) is suppressed by a factor of ∼2, with evidence for suppression of the \mathitΥ(3S). The significant suppression in OO data, compared to the small effect in pO data, shows the emergence of additional suppression mechanisms in the relatively small OO collision system. Models incorporating quark-gluon plasma formation in OO collisions successfully describe the data. Implications for the interplay between cold nuclear matter effects and color screening in a deconfined quark-gluon plasma are discussed.