Neutral pion and η meson production in proton–proton collisions at s=0.9TeV and s=7TeV

Abstract The first measurements of the invariant differential cross sections of inclusive π 0 and η meson production at mid-rapidity in proton–proton collisions at s = 0.9 TeV and s = 7 TeV are reported. The π 0 measurement covers the ranges 0.4 p T 7 GeV / c and 0.3 p T 25 GeV / c for these two energies, respectively. The production of η mesons was measured at s = 7 TeV in the range 0.4 p T 15 GeV / c . Next-to-Leading Order perturbative QCD calculations, which are consistent with the π 0 spectrum at s = 0.9 TeV , overestimate those of π 0 and η mesons at s = 7 TeV , but agree with the measured η / π 0 ratio at s = 7 TeV .