Measurement of the inclusive phi cross-section in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

The cross-section for inclusive phi meson production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 7 TeV has been measured with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The differential cross-section is measured as a function of the phi transverse momentum p(T) and rapidity y in the region 0.6 < p(T) < 5.0 GeV/c and 2.44 < y < 4.06. The cross-section for inclusive phi production in this kinematic range is sigma (pp -> phi X) = 1758 +/- 19(stat)(-14)(+14)(syst) +/- 182(scale) mu b, where the first systematic uncertainty depends on the p(T) and y region and the second is related to the overall scale. Predictions based on the PYTHIA 6.4 generator underestimate the cross-section. (C) 2011 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.