PHYSICAL REVIEW C, cilt.95, sa.6, 2017 (SCI-Expanded)
The production of K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) mesons in proton-proton (pp) and lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at root sNN = 2.76 TeV has been analyzed using a high luminosity data sample accumulated in 2011 with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Transverse momentum (p(T)) spectra have been measured for K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) mesons via their hadronic decay channels for p(T) up to 20 GeV/c. The measurements in pp collisions have been compared to model calculations and used to determine the nuclear modification factor and particle ratios. The K*(892)(0)/K ratio exhibits significant reduction from pp to central Pb-Pb collisions, consistent with the suppression of the K*( 892)(0) yield at low pT due to rescattering of its decay products in the hadronic phase. In central Pb-Pb collisions the pT dependent phi(1020)/p and K*(892)0/p ratios show an enhancement over pp collisions for pT approximate to 3 GeV/c, consistent with previous observations of strong radial flow. At high pT, particle ratios in Pb-Pb collisions are similar to those measured in pp collisions. In central Pb-Pb collisions, the production of K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) mesons is suppressed for p(T) > 8 GeV/c. This suppression is similar to that of charged pions, kaons, and protons, indicating that the suppression does not depend on particle mass or flavor in the light quark sector.