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

Abstract

The production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at \(\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02\) TeV was studied for \(2<p_{\rm T}<16\) GeV/\).\) 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/\).\). 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 \(2.96<|y_{\rm cms}|<3.53\) and is smaller than unity by 3.7\).sigma\) in \(2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5\) GeV/\).\). The data are described by model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects.