Multimeson production in pp interactions comprises important background for eta, omega and eta' mesons production experiments and for the studies of their decays planned with WASA detector at COSY. The available information about the reactions is summarized and the need for efforts to describe the processes is stressed.
The total cross section of the pp -> pp eta' reaction has been measured at two energies near threshold by detecting the final protons in a magnetic spectrometer. The values obtained are about a factor of 70 less than for the corresponding eta production, in good agreement with the predictions of a one-pion-exchange model.
Some aspects of the quasi-free production of mesons in the near threshold region are discussed. A method of data analysis used by WASA/PROMICE Collaboration to extract the excitation function for eta production on neutron target is briefly presented. Feasibility of similar study with WASA at COSY is discussed.
We report on the status of the search for eta-mesic nuclei and the studies of the interaction of the eta meson with nucleons. Recently we have completed the analysis of the new WASA-at-COSY data on the production of the eta meson with polarized proton beam. New results on the analyzing power for the pp->ppeta reaction with more than an order of magnitude improved precision shed a new light on the production mechanism of the eta meson in nucleon-nucleon collisions. Also, the latest results of the search for eta-mesic nuclei are discussed.
We report on the exclusive production of omega and eta mesons in p+p reactions at 3.5 GeV beam kinetic energy. Production cross sections, angular distributions and Dalitz plots of both mesons were determined. Moreover, the relative contribution of the N(1535) resonance in eta production at this energy was evaluated. We conclude that eta mesons produced via N(1535) exihibit an isotropic angular distribution, whereas those produced directly show a strong anisotropic distribition. omega mesons show a slightly anisotropic angular distribition.
The total cross section of the p d -> p d eta reaction has been measured at two energies near threshold by detecting the final proton and deuteron in a magneti spectrometer. The values are somewhat larger than expected on the basis of two simple theoretical estimates.
Intensive quest for the eta and eta' bound states is currently ongoing at both theoretical and experimental levels e.g. at COSY, ELSA, GSI, JINR, JPARC, LPI, and MAMI. These studies were already supported by data provided by the COSY-11 collaboration including determination of the total width of the eta' meson. In addition, the first rough estimation of the eta'-N interaction from the excitation function of the cross section for the pp-->pp eta' reaction was also performed. Recent precise measurement in this field from the COSY-11 experiment allows to summarize results on the eta' meson produc…
We describe a new high precision measurement of the production cross-section for the eta' meson in proton-proton collisions for five beam momenta at low access energy region Q conducted at the COSY-11 detection system together with an updated results of all other previous measurements of cross-section for (pp-->pp eta') at COSY-11.
We describe a novel technique for comparing total cross sections for the reactions pp --> pp pi(0), pp --> pp eta, and pp --> pp eta' close to threshold. The initial and final state proton-proton interactions are factored out of the total cross section, and the dependence of this reduced cross section on the volume of phase space is discussed. Different models of the proton-proton interaction are compared. We argue that the scattering length of the S-wave eta'-proton interaction is of the order of 0.1 fm.
Based on recent COSY-11 results of measurements of total cross sections for the quasi-free pn-->pn eta reaction we determine the isospin I=0 component of the total cross section for the NN-->NN eta reaction down to the threshold. We show that the energy dependence of the total cross section ratios {σ_{I=0}(pn-->pn eta)}/{σ(pp-->pp eta)} and σ_{I=0}(pn-->pn eta)}/{σ(pn-->d eta)} can be described using the Faldt and Wilkin analitical parametrization of the nucleon-nucleon final state interaction.
A comparison of the close-to-threshold total cross section for the eta prime production in pp --> pp eta prime and pn --> pn eta prime reactions constitutes a tool to investigate the eta prime meson structure and the reaction mechanism in the channels of isospin I=0 and I=1 and may provide insight into the flavour-singlet (perhaps also into gluonium) content of the eta prime meson. In this contribution we present preliminary results of measurement of the quasi-free production of the eta prime meson in the proton-neutron collisions conducted using the COSY-11 facility.
The upper limit of the total cross section for quasi-free pn -> pn eta-prime reaction has been determined in the excess energy range near the kinematic threshold. The measurement has been carried out at the COSY-11 detection setup using a proton beam and a deuteron cluster target. The identification of the eta-prime meson has been performed using the missing mass technique. The energy dependence of the upper limit of the cross section is extracted with a fixed proton beam momentum of p_beam}=3.35GeV/c and exploiting the Fermi momenta of nucleons inside the deuteron. The data cover a range of c…
A comparison of the close-to-threshold total cross sections for the eta-prime meson production in both the pp --> pp eta-prime and pn --> pn eta-prime reactions should provide insight into the flavour-singlet (perhaps also into gluonium) content of the eta-prime meson and the relevance of quark-gluon or hadronic degrees of freedom in the creation process. The excitation function for the reaction pp --> pp eta-prime has been already established. At present, experimental investigations of the quasi-free pn --> pn X reactions are carried out at the COSY-11 facility using a beam of stochastically …
We performed a search for 4He-eta bound state in dd -> 3Henpi0 and dd -> 3Heppi- reactions with the WASA-at-COSY facility using a ramped beam technique. The measurement was carried out with high statistics and high acceptance. The signature of eta-mesic nuclei was searched for by the measurement of the excitation functions in the vicinity of the eta production threshold for each of the considered channels. We did not observe the narrow structure which could be interpreted as a bound state. The preliminary upper limits of the total cross sections for the bound state production and decay varies …
The d+d->alpha+eta reaction has been investigated near threshold using the ANKE facility at COSY-Juelich. Both total and differential cross sections have been measured at two excess energies, Q=2.6 MeV and 7.7 MeV, with a subthreshold measurement being undertaken at Q=-2.6 MeV to study the physical background. While consistent with isotropy at the lower energy, the angular distribution reveals a pronounced anisotropy at the higher one, indicating the presence of higher partial waves. Options for the decomposition into partial amplitudes and their consequences for determination of the s-wave et…
We report on the COSY-11 measurements of the analysing power for the p(pol)p --> ppeta reaction and interpret the results in the framework of the meson exchange models.
The pp-> pp eta reaction was investigated at excess energies of 15 MeV and 72 MeV using the azimuthally symmetric WASA detector and a polarized proton beam of the Cooler Synchrotron COSY. The aim of the studies is the determination of partial wave contributions to the production process of the eta meson in nucleon-nucleon collisions. Here we present preliminary results of the extraction of the position of the interaction region with respect to the WASA detector and preliminary results on the degree of polarization of the COSY proton beam used in the experiment.
The reaction pp -> pp eta was measured at excess energies of 15 and 41 MeV at an external target of the Juelich Cooler Synchrotron COSY with the Time of Flight Spectrometer. About 25000 events were measured for the excess energy of 15 MeV and about 8000 for 41 MeV. Both protons of the process pp eta were detected with an acceptance of nearly 100% and the eta was reconstructed by the missing mass technique. For both excess energies the angular distributions are found to be nearly isotropic. In the invariant mass distributions strong deviations from the pure phase space distributions are seen.
The production of eta mesons has been measured in the proton-proton interaction close to the reaction threshold using the COSY-11 internal facility at the cooler synchrotron COSY. Total cross sections were determined for eight different excess energies in the range from 0.5 MeV to 5.4 MeV. The energy dependence of the total cross section is well described by the available phase-space volume weighted by FSI factors for the proton-proton and proton-eta pairs.
The analysing power measurements for the p(pol)p -> pp eta reaction studied in this dissertation are used in the determination of the reaction mechanism of the eta meson production in nucleon-nucleon collisions. Measurements have been performed in the close-to-threshold energy region at beam momenta of p(beam)=2.010 and 2.085 GeV/c, corresponding to the excess energies of Q = 10 and 36 MeV, respectively. The experiments were realised by means of a cooler synchrotron and storage ring COSY along with a cluster jet target. For registration of the reaction products the COSY-11 facility has been us…
Measurements of direct photon production in p+Pb and p+C collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 17.4\mathrm{GeV}$ are presented. Upper limits on the direct photon yield as a function of $p_\mathrm{T}$ are derived and compared to the results for Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 17.3$ GeV. The production of the $η$ meson, which is an important input to the direct photon signal extraction, has been determined in the $η\rightarrow 2γ$ channel for p+C collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 17.4\mathrm{GeV}$.
The production of eta and eta-prime mesons in elementary nucleon-nucleon collisions has been investigated at the synchrotrons CELSIUS, COSY and SATURNE. The magnitude and energy dependence of the total cross section as well as the occupation distribution of the phase space serve as observables for investigating the mechanisms underlying the production processes and the interaction of mesons with nucleons. The precise data on the eta and eta-prime creation via the pp --> pp eta(eta-prime) reactions allowed to settle the general features of the eta and eta-prime meson production and revealed the…
The azimuthally symmetric WASA detector and the polarised proton beam of COSY, enable investigations of energy and angular dependence of the beam analysing power in the pp --> ppeta reaction. The aim of the studies is the determination of the partial wave contributions via interference terms which are inaccessible from spin averaged observables. The partial wave decomposition is mandatory for the understanding of the reaction dynamics and for the determination of the eta-proton interaction, independently of the theoretical paradigm used.
Information about the production mechanism of the eta meson in proton-proton collisions can be inferred by confronting the experimental studies on the analysing power for the p(pol)p --> pp eta reaction with the theoretical predictions of this observable. Results show that the predictions of pure pseudoscalar- or vector meson exchange model are insufficient to describe the analysing powers.
Polarisation observables constitute a powerful tool for establishing the production mechanism of the eta meson and for infering the presence of higher partial waves in the final system. Measurements of the proton analysing power for the p(pol)p-->ppeta reaction have been performed by the COSY-11 group at three different excess energies: Q=10, 37 and 40 MeV. Data at Q=40 MeV indicate that the eta meson is probably produced in partial waves higher than s wave.
Recent results obtained by the COSY-11 collaboration concerning the production of eta and eta' mesons in the pp --> pp Meson reaction are presented. A comparison of the production amplitude for the pi(0), eta and eta' mesons at the same phase space volume allows to conclude that the proton-eta' interaction is in the order of, or smaller than, the proton-pi(0) one. A total cross section determined in a preliminary analysis of the data of elementary kaon and antikaon production via the pp-->ppK(+)K(-) reaction measured at excess energy of Q = 17 MeV is reported.
The upper limit of the total cross section for the pn --> pn eta' reaction has been determined near the kinematical threshold in the excess energy range from 0 to 24 MeV. The measurement was performed using the COSY-11 detector setup, a deuteron cluster target, and the proton beam of COSY with a momentum of 3.35 GeV/c. The energy dependence of the upper limit of the cross section was extracted exploiting the Fermi momenta of nucleons inside the deuteron. Comparison of the determined upper limit of the ratio R_eta' = sigma(pn --> pn eta') / sigma(pp --> pp eta') with the corresponding ratio for…
We present the results of measurements of the analysing power for the p(pol)p --> pp eta reaction at the excess energies of Q=10 and 36 MeV, and interpret these results within the framework of the meson exchange models. The determined values of the analysing power at both excess energies are consistent with zero implying that the eta meson is produced predominantly in s-wave.
Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of eta mesons in the range p_T~2-12 GeV/c have been measured at mid-rapidity (|η| < 0,35) by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. The eta mesons are reconstructed through their eta--> γγchannel for the three colliding systems as well as through the eta-->pi^0 pi+ pi- decay mode in p+p and d+Au collisions. The nuclear modification factor in d+Au collisions, R_dAu(p_T~1.0-1.1, suggests at most only modest p_T broadening ("Cronin enhancement"). In central Au+Au reactions, the eta yields are significantly sup…
In June 2008 we performed a search for the 4He-eta bound state by measuring the excitation function of the dd to 3He p pi- reaction near the eta production threshold using the WASA-at-COSY detector. During the experimental run the momentum of the deuteron beam was varied continuously within each acceleration cycle from 2.185 GeV/c to 2.400 GeV/c, crossing the kinematic threshold for the eta production in the dd to 4He eta reaction at 2.336 GeV/c. The preliminary excitation function indicates no structure in the angular range close to the 180 degree where the signal is expected. The preliminary…
New experimental data are presented on the energy dependence of the total cross sections for the np -> d eta and quasi-two-body pp -> pp eta reactions, where the final diproton is detected at very low excitation energy. Differential cross sections of pp -> pp eta away from threshold show the influence of higher partial waves and a partial wave decomposition is attempted.
The production of eta' mesons in photon- and hadron-induced reactions has been revisited in view of the recent additions of high-precision data to the world data base. Based on an effective Lagrangian approach, we have performed a combined analysis of the free and quasi-free gamma N -> eta' N, N N -> N N eta', and pi N -> eta' N reactions. Considering spin-1/2 and -3/2 resonances, we found that a set of above-threshold resonances {S_{11}, P_{11}, P_{13}}, with fitted mass values of about M_R=1925, 2130, and 2050 MeV, respectively, and the four-star sub-threshold P_{13}(1720) resonance reproduc…
The cross sections of the pd -> 3He eta, pd -> 3He pi0 pi0 pi0 and pd -> 3He pi+ pi- pi0 reactions have been measured at beam kinetic energies T_p= 1360 MeV and T_p= 1450 MeV using the CELSIUS/WASA detector setup. At both energies, the differential cross section dsigma/dOmega of the eta meson in the pd -> 3He eta reaction shows a strong forward-backward asymmetry in the CMS. The ratio between the pd -> 3He pi+ pi- pi0 and the pd -> 3He pi0 pi0 pi0 cross sections has been analysed in terms of isospin amplitudes. The reconstructed invariant mass distributions of the pi-pi, 3He-pi and 3He-2pi sys…
The Crystal Ball Spectrometer is being used at Brookhaven National Laboratory in a series of experiments which study all neutral final states of pi-p and K-p induced reactions. We report about the experimental setup and progress in obtaining new results for the radiative capture reactions pi-p-->gn and K-p-->gL,charge exchange pi-p-->pi0n,two pi0 production pi-p-->pi0pi0n, and eta production pi-p-->eta n reactions. Data have also been obtained on the decays of N*, Delta, Lambda, and Sigma resonances. Threshold eta production has been studied in detail for both pi-p and K-p. Sequential resonanc…
For the very first time, the correlation femtoscopy method is applied to a kinematically complete measurement of meson production in the collisions of hadrons. A two-proton correlation function was derived from the data for the pp -> ppX reaction, measured near the threshold of eta meson production. A technique developed for the purpose of this analysis permitted to establish the correlation function separately for the production of the pp+eta and of the pp+pions systems. The shape of the two-proton correlation function for the ppeta differs from that for the pp(pions) and both do not show a p…
We propose to extend the investigations of the eta meson production in nucleon-nucleon collisions by studying single and double polarization observables. Over the last years, the eta meson has been studied at several different experiments mainly by measurements of unpolarized total and differential cross sections. To reveal the production mechanism, polarization observables help to disentangle the amplitudes of the partial waves and therefore to understand the underlying exchange processes. Analyzing powers have been measured enabling to separate the contributing amount of some of these amplit…
We have measured excitation function for dp -> ppp_pi- reaction near the eta production threshold. We observe an enhancement of the counting rate above the threshold which can originate from the production of the eta meson in the reaction dp -> 3He eta and its subsequent absorption on neutron in the 3He nucleus leading to creation of the p_pi- pair.
The dependence of transverse momentum spectra of neutral pions and eta mesons with p_T <16 GeV/c and p_T < 12 GeV/c, respectively, on the centrality of the collision has been measured at mid-rapidity by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC in d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_(NN)) = 200 GeV. The measured yields are compared to those in p + p collisions at the same sqrt(s_(NN)) scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions in d+Au. At all centralities the yield ratios show no suppression, in contrast to the strong suppression seen for central Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Only a weak p_T and cent…
Invariant cross sections for neutral pions and eta mesons in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 0.9, 2.76, and 7 TeV were measured by the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD calculations describe the pi0 and eta spectra at 0.9 TeV, but overestimate the measured cross sections at 2.76 TeV and 7 TeV. The measured eta/pi0 ratio is consistent with mT scaling at 2.76 TeV. At 7 TeV indications for a violation of mT scaling were found.
The COSY-11 collaboration has measured the total cross section for the pp --> pp eta-prime and pp --> pp eta reactions in the excess energy range from Q = 1.5 MeV to Q = 23.6 MeV and from Q = 0.5 MeV to Q = 5.4 MeV, respectively. Measurements have been performed with the total luminosity of 73 nb^(-1) for the pp --> pp eta reaction and 1360 nb^(-1) for the pp --> pp eta-prime one. Recent results are presented and discussed.
Data on inclusive pion and eta production measured with the dielectron spectrometer HADES in the reaction p+93Nb at a kinetic beam energy of 3.5 GeV are presented. Our results, obtained with the photon conversion method, supplement the rather sparse information on neutral meson production in proton-nucleus reactions existing for this bombarding energy regime. The reconstructed e+e-e+e- transverse-momentum and rapidity distributions are confronted with transport model calculations, which account fairly well for both pi0 and eta production.
Measurements of the eta meson production with a polarised proton beam in the reaction p(pol) p --> p p eta have been carried out at an excess energy of Q = 40 MeV. The dependence of the analysing power A_y on the polar angle theta^*_q of the eta meson in the center of mass system (CMS) has been studied. The data indicate the possibility of an influence of p- and d-waves to the close to threshold eta production.
The high statistics data from the pp -> ppeta reaction measurement, delivered by the COSY-11 collaboration, are now being evaluated using the correlation femtoscopy technique. This method is based on the relative momentum correlations of two emitted protons and may permit determination of the size of the reaction volume. For the very first time, we apply an intensity interferometry technique to study the mechanism of the meson production via the nucleon-nucleon interaction close to the kinematical threshold. We invented a method to determine correlation function for the ppeta system free from …
The reaction pp -> dpi+eta has been measured at a beam energy of T=2.65 GeV (p=3.46 GeV/c) using the ANKE spectrometer at COSY-Juelich. The missing mass distribution of the detected dpi+ pairs exhibits a peak around the eta mass on top of a strong background of multi-pion pp -> dpi+(n(pi)) events. The differential cross section d^4(sigma)/d(Omega_d)d(Omega_pi+)d(p_d)d(p_pi+) for the reaction pp -> dpi+eta has been determined model independently for two regions of phase space. Employing a dynamical model for the a0+ production allows one then to deduce a total cross section of sigma(pp -> da0+ …
Due to their short life-time, flavour-neutral mesons cannot be utilized as free secondary beams or targets, and therefore a study of their interaction with nucleons is not possible via direct scattering experiments. This interaction is, however, accessible via its influence on the energy dependence - and on the phase space distributions of the cross sections for reactions in which these mesons are produced. In case of the p p --> p p eta reaction the experimentally determined distributions of the differential cross sections close to the production threshold cannot be described by taking into a…
Using a relativistic transport model ART1.0, we explore effects of nuclear symmetry energy on eta meson production and its rare decay to the dark U-boson in heavy-ion reactions from 0.2 to 10 GeV/nucleon available at several current and future facilities. The yield of eta mesons at sub-threshold energies is found to be very sensitive to the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy. Above a beam energy of about 5 GeV/nucleon in Au+Au reactions, the sensitivity to symmetry energy disappears. Using the branching ratio of the rare eta decay (eta->gamma U) available in the literature, we estim…
Dilepton production has been measured with HADES, the "High Acceptance DiElectron Spectrometer". In pp collisions at 2.2GeV kinetic beam energy, exclusive eta production and the Dalitz decay eta -> gamma e+e- has been reconstructed. The electromagnetic form factor is well in agreement with existing data. In addition, an inclusive e+e- spectrum from the C+C reaction at 2AGeV is presented and compared with a thermal model.
The eta-prime meson production in the reaction pp-->pp eta-prime has been studied at excess energies of Q = 26.5, 32.5 and 46.6 MeV using the internal beam facility COSY-11 at the cooler synchrotron COSY. The total cross sections as well as one angular distribution for the highest Q-value are presented. The excitation function of the near threshold data can be described by a pure s-wave phase space distribution with the inclusion of the proton-proton final state interaction and Coulomb effects. The obtained angular distribution of the eta-prime mesons is also consistent with pure s-wave produc…
We investigate the pp --> pp eta and pn --> pn eta reactions within an effective Lagrangian model for laboratory kinetic energies ranging from very close to eta meson production threshold to about 10 GeV. Production amplitudes include contributions from the mechanism of excitation, propagation and decay of N*(1535), N*(1650), and N*(1710) baryonic resonances. The initial interaction between two incoming nucleons is modeled by the exchange of pi, rho, omega and sigma mesons where the vertex parameters are taken to be the same as those used in the previous applications of this model. Parameters …
We present STAR measurements of charged hadron production as a function of centrality in Au + Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV. The measurements cover a phase space region of 0.2 < p_T < 6.0 GeV/c in transverse momentum and -1 < eta < 1 in pseudorapidity. Inclusive transverse momentum distributions of charged hadrons in the pseudorapidity region 0.5 < |eta| < 1 are reported and compared to our previously published results for |eta| < 0.5. No significant difference is seen for inclusive p_T distributions of charged hadrons in these two pseudorapidity bins. We measured dN/deta distributions…
We present results on the isospin dependence of the eta-prime production cross section in nucleon-nucleon collisions, as well as the results of comparative analysis of the invariant mass distributions for the pp-->pp eta-prime and pp-->pp eta reactions in the context of the proton-eta and proton-eta-prime interaction. Additionally, the value of the total width of the eta-prime is reported as derived directly from the measurement of the mass distribution and an explanation of the experimental technique used in order to achieve a precision about an order of magnitude better then former experimen…
We perform an updated coupled-channel analysis of eta-meson production including all recent photoproduction data on the proton. The dip observed in the differential cross sections at c.m. energies W=1.68 GeV is explained by destructive interference between the $S_{11}(1535)$ and $S_{11}(1560)$ states. The effect from $P_{11}(1710)$ is found to be small but still important to reproduce the correct shape of the differential cross section. For the $π^- N \to ηN$ scattering we suggest a reaction mechanism in terms of the $S_{11}(1535)$, $S_{11}(1560)$, and $P_{11}(1710)$ states. Our conclusion on …
We consider the reaction g+d -> pi+d in a wide energy range around and above the eta-meson photoproduction threshold at backward CM angles of the outgoing pion. Our theoretical analysis is essentially motivated by the recent measurements of the CLAS Collaboration at Jefferson Lab, where this kinematical region of the reaction has been thoroughly studied for the first time and a cusps in the energy dependence of the differential cross section in the region of Eg = 600-800 MeV has been observed. Our preliminary and qualitative analysis, based on single- and double-scattering diagrams, shows that…
In this work, the different exchange freedom, one gluon, one pion or Goldstone boson, in constituent quark model is investigated, which is responsible to the hyperfine interaction between constituent quarks, via the combined analysis of the eta production processes, $π^{-}p\rightarrowηn$ and $γp\rightarrowηp$. With the Goldstone-boson exchange, as well as the one-gluon or one-pion exchange, both the spectrum and observables, such as, the differential cross section and polarized beam asymmetry, are fitted to the suggested values of Particle Data Group and the experimental data. The first two ty…
In view of the good agreement between the LHCb prompt-eta(c) data at sqrt(s)=7 and 8 TeV and the NLO colour-singlet model predictions --i.e. the leading v^2 NRQCD contribution--, we provide predictions in the LHCb acceptance for the forthcoming 13 TeV analysis bearing on data taken during the LHC Run2. We also provide predictions for sqrt(s)=115 GeV for proton-hydrogen collisions in the fixed-target mode which could be studied during the LHC Run3. Our predictions are complemented by a full theoretical uncertainty analysis. In addition to cross section predictions, we elaborate on the uncertain…
In case of chiral U_A(1) symmetry restoration the mass of the eta' boson (the ninth, would-be Goldstone boson) is decreased, thus its production cross section is heavily enhanced. The eta' decays (through one of its decay channels) into five pions. These pions will not be correlated in terms of Bose-Einsten correlations, thus the production enhancement changes the strength of two-pion correlation functions at low momentum. Preliminary results strongly support the mass decrease of the eta' boson. In this paper we propose a method to select pions coming from eta' decays. We investigate the effic…
Measurements of the production of forward pi0 mesons from p+p and d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV are reported. The p+p yield generally agrees with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The d+Au yield per binary collision is suppressed as eta increases, decreasing to ~30% of the p+p yield at <eta>=4.00, well below shadowing expectations. Exploratory measurements of azimuthal correlations of the forward pi0 with charged hadrons at eta~0 show a recoil peak in p+p that is suppressed in d+Au at low pion energy. These observations are qualitatively consistent with a saturation …
In case of chiral U_A(1) symmetry restoration the mass of the eta' boson (the ninth, would-be Goldstone boson) is decreased, thus its production cross section is heavily enhanced. The eta' decays (through one of its decay channels) into five pions. These pions will not be correlated in terms of Bose-Einsten correlations, thus the production enhancement changes the strength of two-pion correlation functions at low momentum. Preliminary results strongly support the mass decrease of the eta' boson. In this paper we propose a method to select pions coming from eta' decays. We investigate the effic…