Direct photon yield in pp and in Pb–Pb collisions measured with the ALICE experiment

Abstract

The measurement of direct photon production in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV and in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ALICE experiment is presented. In Pb-Pb collisions a clear direct photon signal below 3 GeV/c is observed only for the 0–20 % most central collisions. No excess is observed for semi-central and peripheral Pb-Pb collisions and in pp collisions. Furthermore, in pp collision the measurement of direct photon production in the range 10 ≤ pT ≤ 60 GeV/c is reported. The analysis is performed on the EMCal-triggered data taken in 2011. The two main sources of background, namely photons from fragmentation processes and decay photons, have been subtracted from the inclusive photon spectrum by means of an isolation technique combined with the study of the transverse dispersion of electromagnetic showers. The measurement is in agreement both with NLO pQCD calculations and with those performed by the ATLAS and the CMS collaborations, extending the isolated photon spectrum investigated at LHC towards lower values of pT.