Journal article

Publication year: 1998

Pages: 231-247

Journal: The European Physical Journal C

Volume number: 4

Issue number: 2

ISSN: 1434-6044

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530050204

Publisher: SpringerOpen

Abstract: 
In a joint effort the CERES/NA45 and TAPS collaborations have measured low-mass electron pairs in p-Be and p-Au collisions at 450 GeV/c at the CERN SPS. In the range covered up to approximate to 1.5 GeV/c(2) the mass spectra from p-Be and p-Au collisions are well explained by electron pairs from decays of neutral mesons. For p-Au our result is new. For p-Be, the simultaneously measured electron pairs and photons served as a direct measure of the eta Dalitz decay contribution to the inclusive pair spectrum in which instrumental uncertainties are highly reduced. We confirm the earlier finding of HELIOS-1 with significantly reduced systematic uncertainties of 23% in the mass:range below 450 MeV/c(2), and of 28% in the mass range above 750 MeV/c(2) at 90% confidence limit. Any unconventional source of electron pairs is limited by these error margins as the percentage fraction of the hadronic contribution.

Harvard Citation style: Agakichiev, G., Appenheimer, M., Averbeck, R., Ballester, F., Baur, R., Brenschede, A., et al. (1998) Systematic study of low-mass electron pair production in p-Be and p-Au collisions at 450 GeV/c, The European Physical Journal C, 4(2), pp. 231-247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530050204

APA Citation style: Agakichiev, G., Appenheimer, M., Averbeck, R., Ballester, F., Baur, R., Brenschede, A., Diaz, J., Drees, A., Faschingbauer, U., Ferrero, J., Fischer, P., Fraenkel, Z., Franke, M., Fuchs, C., Gatti, E., Glassel, P., Gunzel, T., de los Heros, C., Hess, F., ...Wurm, J. (1998). Systematic study of low-mass electron pair production in p-Be and p-Au collisions at 450 GeV/c. The European Physical Journal C. 4(2), 231-247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530050204