Rho^{0} production in Pb-Pb and Xe-Xe collisions

The rho meson is produced in ultra-peripheral collisions. The aim of this summer project was to reconstruct the rho^{0} invariant mass and transverse momentum, measure the differential cross-section for the rho^{0} production as a function of transverse momentum and calculate the charged radius of the Pb and Xe nuclei. Using data generated in the large hadron collider, the rho^{0} mass peak and the transverse momentum spectra were isolated. Through comparison with the diffraction pattern of light, the transverse momentum spectra were used to calculate the charge nuclear radius of Pb and Xe. The observed charged nuclear radius of Pb was in agreement with previously published data, while the ratio of the radii for Xe and Pb was in agreement with expectations.