https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-008-0604-8
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
A systematic study of J/ψ suppression in cold nuclear matter
1
PH Department, TH Division, CERN, 1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland
2
Laboratoire d’Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique Théorique (LAPTH), UMR 5108 du CNRS associée à l’Université de Savoie, B.P. 110, 74941, Annecy-le-Vieux Cedex, France
3
Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128, Palaiseau Cedex, France
4
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
* e-mail: arleo@cern.ch
Received:
19
February
2007
Revised:
29
February
2008
Published online:
14
May
2008
Understanding the effects of cold nuclear matter on J/ψ production is a key requirement for interpreting the J/ψ suppression reported in heavy-ion collisions. Based on a Glauber model, the J/ψ–nucleon inelastic cross section is determined from a statistical analysis of the J/ψ world data on nuclear targets. The global fit of all data gives σJ/ψN = 3.4 ± 0.2 mb, significantly smaller than previous estimates, yet the χ2 of the fit is pretty large, χ2/ndf=1.5. A similar value, σJ/ψN = 3.5 ± 0.2 ± 1.7 mb, is obtained when the De Florian–Sassot modifications of the nuclear parton densities are included in the analysis, although we emphasise that the present uncertainties on gluon (anti-) shadowing do not allow for a precise determination of σJ/ψN. Finally, the possible energy dependence of the J/ψ–nucleon inelastic cross section is investigated within this framework. No significant energy dependence of the J/ψ–N interaction is observed.
© Springer-Verlag , 2008