Description
The ALICE experiment at the CERN-LHC has accumulated data on pp and Pb--Pb collisions in the past two years. Designed for exploring the properties of hot and dense matter formed in heavy-ion collisions, the ALICE Time Projection Chamber (TPC) has the capability to measure the transverse momentum ($p_T$) of charged particles in a broad $p_T$ range for $p_T > $ 150 MeV/c. \\
The transverse momentum spectra of unidentified charged particles for pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV are presented. The extraction of a pp baseline for the calculation of the nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$ at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=$ 2.76 TeV is discussed and compared to alternative approaches to construct a baseline. In addition, the dependence of the average transverse momentum of these spectra on center-of-mass energy is reviewed and compared to measurements by other experiments.
Primary author
Dr
Luettig Philipp
(Institut fuer Kernphysik Goethe-Universitaet)
