https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13278-4
Letter
B-meson production at forward rapidities in pp collisions at the LHC: estimating the intrinsic bottom contribution
1
Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Federal Postal Code 354, 96010-900, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
2
Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD), Caixa Postal 364, CEP 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil
3
Departamento de Física, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, 89219-710, Joinville, SC, Brazil
4
Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000, Lanzhou, China
Received:
14
June
2024
Accepted:
20
August
2024
Published online:
2
September
2024
The production of B mesons at forward rapidities is strongly sensitive to the behavior of the gluon and bottom distribution functions for small and large values of the Bjorken-x variable. In this exploratory study, we estimate the cross-section for the 
meson production in the kinematic range probed by the LHCb detector and that will be analyzed by the future Forward Physics Facility (FPF) considering the hybrid formalism, the solution of the running coupling Balitsky–Kovchegov equation and distinct descriptions for the bottom distribution function. We assume an ansatz for the intrinsic bottom component in the proton wave function, and estimate its impact on the transverse momentum, rapidity and Feynman-x distributions. Our results indicate that the presence of an intrinsic bottom strongly modifies the magnitude of the cross-section at ultra-forward rapidities (
), which implies an enhancement of the production at the FPF. Possible implications on the prompt neutrino flux at ultra-high energies are also briefly discussed.
© The Author(s) 2024
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