Tumasyan, A.Adam, W.Andrejkovic, J. W.Bergauer, T.Chatterjee, S.Damanakis, K.Dragicevic, M.2025-03-232025-03-2320240031-90071079-7114https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.022302https://hdl.handle.net/11486/5461The production of gamma(2S) and gamma(3S) mesons in lead-lead (Pb-Pb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions is studied in their dimuon decay channel using the CMS detector at the LHC. The gamma(3S) meson is observed for the first time in Pb-Pb collisions, with a significance above 5 standard deviations. The ratios of yields measured in Pb-Pb and pp collisions are reported for both the gamma(2S) and gamma(3S) mesons, as functions of transverse momentum and Pb-Pb collision centrality. These ratios, when appropriately scaled, are significantly less than unity, indicating a suppression of gamma yields in Pb-Pb collisions. This suppression increases from peripheral to central Pb-Pb collisions. Furthermore, the suppression is stronger for gamma(3S) mesons compared to gamma(2S) mesons, extending the pattern of sequential suppression of quarkonium states in nuclear collisions previously seen for the J/psi, psi(2S), gamma(1S), and gamma(2S) mesons.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessJ/Psi SuppressionBound-StatesDeconfinementQuarkoniumArticle133210.1103/PhysRevLett.133.022302390739412-s2.0-85199540386Q1WOS:001290703500001Q1