Measurement of prompt D⁰, D⁺, D^*+, and DS+ production in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The measurement of the production of prompt D⁰, D⁺, D^*+, and DS+ mesons in proton–lead (p–Pb) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN = 5.02 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of 292 ± 11 μb⁻¹, are reported. Differential production cross sections are measured at mid-rapidity (−0.96 < y_cms< 0.04) as a function of transverse momentum (p_T) in the intervals 0 < p_T< 36 GeV/c for D⁰, 1 < p_T< 36 GeV/c for D⁺ and D^*+, and 2 < p_T< 24 GeV/c for D⁺ mesons. For each species, the nuclear modification factor R_pPb is calculated as a function of p_T using a proton-proton (pp) ref- erence measured at the same collision energy. The results are compatible with unity in the whole p_T range. The average of the non-strange D mesons R_pPb is compared with theoretical model predictions that include initial-state effects and parton transport model predictions. The p_T dependence of the D⁰, D⁺, and D^*+ nuclear modification factors is also reported in the interval 1 < p_T< 36 GeV/c as a function of the collision centrality, and the central-to-peripheral ratios are computed from the D-meson yields measured in different centrality classes. The results are further compared with charged-particle measurements and a similar trend is observed in all the centrality classes. The ratios of the p_T-differential cross sections of D⁰, D⁺, D^*+, and DS+ mesons are also reported. The DS+ and D⁺ yields are compared as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity for several p_T intervals. No modification in the relative abundances of the four species is observed with respect to pp collisions within the statistical and systematic uncertainties. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].