Measurement of Coherent Exclusive \(J/\psi \) Production in Ultraperipheral Pb+Pb Collisions at \(\sqrt {s_{NN}}=5.36\)~TeV with the ATLAS Detector

Abstract

The ATLAS heavy-ion physics program includes the study of ultraperipheral collisions. In these interactions, the ions serve as a source of high-energy quasi-real photons. These photons can interact with another nucleus, giving rise to a variety of photon-induced processes. One of these is exclusive vector meson production. This process allows for the study of the spatial and momentum structure of the nuclear parton distribution functions and may provide insight into low Bjorken-\(x\) phenomena such as nuclear shadowing and parton saturation. This study shows the first ATLAS measurement of coherent exclusive \(J/\psi \) production in ultraperipheral Pb+Pb collisions at \(\sqrt {s_{NN}} = 5.36\) TeV. The differential cross section for this process is measured as a function of \(J/\psi \) rapidity. Published by the Jagiellonian University 2026 authors