# Z boson production in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 5.02 TeV

Submission Date:
29/11/2017
Article Information
Submission Form
System:
Pb-Pb
Energy:
5.02 TeV
Abstract Plain Text:
The production of Z bosons at large rapidities in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV is reported. Z candidates are reconstructed in the muonic decay channel ($Z \rightarrow \mu^+ \, \mu^-$), based on muons selected with pseudo-rapidity $-4.0<\eta<-2.5$ and $p_{\rm T} >20$ GeV/$c$. The invariant yield and the nuclear modification factor, $R_{\rm AA}$, are presented as a function of rapidity and collision centrality. The value of $R_{\rm AA}$ for the 0--20\% most central collisions is $0.67 \pm 0.11 \, \mbox{(stat.)} \, \pm 0.03 \, \mbox{(syst.)} \, \pm 0.06 \, \mbox{(corr. syst.)}$, exhibiting a deviation of $2.6\sigma$ from unity. The results are well-described by calculations that include nuclear modifications of the parton distribution functions, while the predictions using vacuum PDFs deviate from data by $2.3\sigma$ in the 0--90\% centrality class and by $3\sigma$ in the 0--20\% central collisions.