Transverse momentum spectra and nuclear modification factors of charged particles in Xe-Xe collisions at root s(NN)=5.44 TeV

Transverse momentum (p(T)) spectra of charged particles at mid-pseudorapidity in Xe-Xe collisions at root s(NN) = 5.44 TeV measured with the ALICE apparatus at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The kinematic range 0.15 < p(T) < 50 GeV/c and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.8 is covered. Results are presented in nine classes of collision centrality in the 0-80\% range. For comparison, a pp reference at the collision energy of root s = 5.44 TeV is obtained by interpolating between existing pp measurements at root s= 5.02 and 7 TeV. The nuclear modification factors in central Xe-Xe collisions and Pb-Pb collisions at a similar center-of-mass energy of root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV, and in addition at 2.76 TeV, at analogous ranges of charged particle multiplicity density < dN(ch)/d eta > show a remarkable similarity at p T > 10 GeV/c. The centrality dependence of the ratio of the average transverse momentum < PT > in Xe-Xe collisions over Pb-Pb collision at root s= 5.02 TeV is compared to hydrodynamical model calculations. (C) 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V.