PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, sa.10, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
ATLAS measured the centrality dependence of the dijet yield using 165 nb-1 of p + Pb data collected at p 1/4 8.16 TeV in 2016. The event centrality, which reflects the p + Pb impact parameter, is ffiffiffiffiffiffiffi sNN characterized by the total transverse energy registered in the Pb-going side of the forward calorimeter. The central-to-peripheral ratio of the scaled dijet yields, RCP, is evaluated, and the results are presented as a function of variables that reflect the kinematics of the initial hard parton scattering process. The RCP shows a scaling with the Bjorken x of the parton originating from the proton, xp, while no such trend is observed as a function of xPb. This analysis provides unique input to understanding the role of small proton spatial configurations in p + Pb collisions by covering parton momentum fractions from the valence region down to xp similar to 10-3 and xPb similar to 4 x 10-4.