Measurement of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p–Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV

The production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) in minimum-bias p–Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC for $0.5 < p_{\rm T} < 12$ GeV/$c$ in the rapidity range $-1.06 < y_{\rm cms} < 0.14$ in the centre-of-mass frame. To estimate the contribution of electrons from background sources an invariant mass approach was used. The nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ was calculated by comparing the $p_{\rm T}$-differential invariant cross section in p–Pb collisions to a pp reference at the same centre-of-mass energy, which was obtained by interpolating measurements at $\sqrt{s}=2.76$ TeV and $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV. The $R_{\rm pPb}$ is consistent with unity within uncertainties of about 25%, which become larger below $p_{\rm T} = 1$ GeV/$c$. The data are also reproduced by model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects.