Event-by-event mean p_T fluctuations in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC

Abstract: The ALICE detector at the LHC is used to study the properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions. As a reference measurement, also the analysis of proton-proton (pp) collisions is very important. In the study presented here, event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum are analysed in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV, and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 2.76 TeV as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity. In both systems, dynamical fluctuations beyond the statistical expectation are observed. In pp collisions, no significant dependence on collision energy is found, even in comparison to inclusive results at much lower collision energies. Likewise, central A-A collisions show only little dependence on collision energy. The multiplicity dependence observed in peripheral Pb-Pb data is in agreement with that in pp collisions. Going to more central Pb-Pb collisions, a clear deviation from this trend is found, reaching a significant reduction of the fluctuations in most central collisions. Comparisons to Monte Carlo event generators show good agreement in pp, but rather large differences in Pb-Pb collisions.