Measurement of the Isolated Prompt Photon Production Cross Section in $pp$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s}~=~7$~TeV

The differential cross section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons has been measured as a function of the photon transverse energy $E_\mathrm{T}^{\gamma}$ in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$~TeV using data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9~pb$^{-1}$. Photons are required to have a pseudorapidity $\mid\eta^{\gamma}\mid<1.45$ and $E_\mathrm{T}^{\gamma}>21$~GeV, covering the kinematic region $0.006 < x_\mathrm{T} < 0.086$. The measured cross section is found to be in agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations.