Measurement of η mesons produced in p-p collisions at √(s_NN)=13 TeV with ALICE

Studying proton-proton collisions with ALICE at the LHC can not only be used to test predictions from Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), but is also an important step towards the analysis of Pb-Pb collisions. Comparing the results of both analyses, one can study the hot and dense state of matter which is produced in heavy ion collisions. Neutral mesons can, for example, provide information on the energy loss of partons traversing the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Furthermore, they constitute the largest background contribution for direct photons, which are also a very important tool to study the properties of the QGP. In the ALICE experiment, neutral mesons can be measured via their decay to two photons. Apart from the two calorimeters EMCAL and PHOS, photons can be reconstructed also via the so-called Photon Conversion Method (PCM). The latter exploits the fact that a photon can convert to an electron-positron-pair. These charged particles can be detected via their tracks in the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and the Inner Tracking System (ITS). The PCM allows for the precise measurement of both photons and neutral mesons, especially at low transverse momenta. Apart from shortly introducing the photon conversion method, first results of the η meson analysis, using data from p-p collisions at the world's highest center-of-mass collision energy of 13 TeV per nucleon, are shown.