Probing $Υ({1S})$, $η_b$ and $h_b$ resonances in proton-lead collisions at the LHCb

Abstract

We explore the production of bottomonium states in proton--lead (pPb) collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) within the frameworks of Non-Relativistic Quantum Chromodynamics (NRQCD) and modified NRQCD (MNRQCD). In this work, we present theoretical predictions for the production cross-section, the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ and the forward-to-backward production ratio $R_{\rm FB}$ of $Υ(1S)$ as functions of transverse momentum and rapidity in the LHCb kinematic region. The MNRQCD framework, which incorporates perturbative soft-gluon emissions from color-octet states, provides description of quarkonium production in heavy-ion collision. Furthermore, using heavy-quark spin symmetry, we estimate the production cross-sections and expected event yields of the spin-singlet bottomonium states $η_b$ and $h_b$ within both NRQCD and MNRQCD. The predictions show significant differences between the two approaches in the integrated cross-sections and transverse momentum distributions of these resonances. Therefore, these results could provide important benchmarks for future experimental measurements at LHCb and contribute to a deeper understanding of bottomonia production and nuclear modifications in proton--lead collisions.