Global baryon number conservation encoded in net-proton fluctuations measured in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV

Understand

Experimental results are presented on event-by-event net-proton fluctuation measurements in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV, recorded by the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC.

• These measurements have as their ultimate goal an experimental test of Lattice QCD (LQCD) predictions on second and higher order cumulants of net-baryon distributions to search for critical behavior near the QCD phase boundary.
• Before confronting them with LQCD predictions, account has to be taken of correlations stemming from baryon number conservation as well as fluctuations of participating nucleons.
• Both effects influence the experimental measurements and are usually not considered in theoretical calculations.