Suppression of High-pT Neutral Pion Production in Central Pb+Pb Collisions at sqrtsNN = 17.3 GeV Relative to p+C and p+Pb Collisions
Abstract
Neutral pion transverse momentum spectra were measured in p+C and p+Pb collisions at sqrtsNN = 17.4 GeV at mid-rapidity 2.3 < etalab < 3.0 over the range 0.7< pT < 3.5 GeV/c. The spectra are compared to pi0 spectra measured in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrtsNN = 17.3 GeV in the same experiment. For a wide range of Pb+Pb centralities (Npart < 300) the yield of pi0's with pT > 2 GeV/c is larger than or consistent with the p+C or p+Pb yields scaled with the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions (Ncoll), while for central Pb+Pb collisions with Npart > 350 the pi0 yield is suppressed.
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