Jet-associated deuteron production in pp collisions at s=13 TeV

Physics letters / B 819, 136440 (2021). doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2021.136440
Deuteron production in high-energy collisions is sensitive to the space���time evolution of the collision system, and is typically described by a coalescence mechanism. For the first time, we present results on jet-associated deuteron production in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, providing an opportunity to test the established picture for deuteron production in events with a hard scattering. Using a trigger particle with high transverse-momentum ($p_T$ > 5 GeV/c) as a proxy for the presence of a jet at midrapidity, we observe a measurable population of deuterons being produced around the jet proxy. The associated deuteron yield measured in a narrow angular range around the trigger particle differs by 2.4 ��� 4.8 standard deviations from the uncorrelated background. The data are described by PYTHIA model calculations featuring baryon coalescence.
Published by North-Holland Publ., Amsterdam