Identified hadron spectra and ratios provide a unique tool to study the bulk particle production in heavy-ion collisions and explore the QCD phase diagram. In these proceedings we present the analysis of charged pion, kaon and (anti)proton distributions from sqrt(s_NN)=200 and 62.4 GeV Cu+Cu collisions, collected by the STAR experiment. New measurements extend the systematic studies of bulk properties, addressing the energy and the system size dependence of freeze-out parameters at RHIC. The available centrality selection of Cu+Cu data bridge the gap between the smaller d+Au and larger Au+Au systems, allowing a detailed study of baryon relative to meson and strangeness production as function of system size.
The latest results for open charm and $J/ψ$ production in p-p, d-Au and Au-Au from the PHENIX and STAR experiments at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV at RHIC are presented. The preliminary data show open charm production follows binary scaling in d-Au and Au-Au collisions at RHIC. In d-Au collisions, a suppression in $J/ψ$ production has been observed at the forward rapidity (d direction), at the backward rapidity (Au direction), $J/ψ$ production seems strongly dependent on collisions centrality. The implications of heavy flavor production in cold (d-Au) and hot (Au-Au) nuclear media at RHIC are discu…
This paper presents recent results from the BRAHMS experiment at RHIC; including results on particle production in rapidity space extending from y=0 to y ~ 3 and on the transverse momentum distribution of fully identified charged particles. These results were obtained from the 5% most central Au-Au collisions recorded during RHIC Run-2 at sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV.
Experimental results on heavy-quark production in proton-proton, deuteron-gold, and gold-gold collisions at sqrt(s_(NN)) = 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are reviewed.
Recent experimental measurements on open charm production in proton-proton, proton (deuteron)-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC are reviewed. A comparison with theoretical predictions is made. Some unsettled issues in open charm production call for precise measurements on directly reconstructed open charm hadrons.
An overview of the experimental results on high-pt light hadron production and open charm production is presented. Data on particle production in elementary collisions are compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. Particle production in Au+Au collisions is then compared to this baseline.
We review the production and flow of identified hadrons at RHIC with a main emphasis on the intermediate transverse momentum region ($2< p_{T} <5$ GeV/$c$). The goal is to unravel the dynamics of baryon production and resolve the anomalously large baryon yields and elliptic flow observed in the experiments.
Measuring the single transverse spin asymmetry $A_N$ for large $x_F$ Drell-Yan production provides the most robust test of our current theoretical understanding of transverse proton spin structure. This includes a measurement of the predicted sign change of the Sivers function in comparison to that found in SIDIS data. The first year of a feasibility test has been completed to define the requirements for measuring large $x_F$ Drell-Yan production at RHIC. The impact of colliding beams at a third IR at RHIC was found to be negligible and a rich jet-triggered data sample was acquired by AnDY in …
We will present a review of selected results on strange baryon production from nucleus-nucleus collisions at the AGS, SPS and RHIC. From the AGS and SPS heavy ion physics program several intriguing aspects: centrality dependence of strangeness production, anti-hyperon yield, hyperon production enhancement and baryon number transport will be highlighted. Our discussion on RHIC results will focus on experimental probes of partonic degree of freedom. Measurements of the elliptic flow v2 and the nuclear modification factor and their distinctive particle dependence are presented as a function of tr…
Strangeness measurement at RHIC energies constitutes one of the favorite theme of the STAR Collaboration. Besides the fact that strangeness enhancement has been proposed as a quark gluon plasma signature, its production provides various and relevant information about the collision evolution and especially on the hadronization process. The investigation of short-lived strange particles as well as their anti-particles and resonances allows an attempt of characterization of the matter created in RHIC heavy ion collisions.
Open heavy flavor and quarkonium are unique probes of the hot-dense medium produced in heavy-ion collisions. Their production in p+p collisions also provide important test of QCD. In this paper, we review the selected results on open heavy flavor and quarkonium in p+p and heavy-ion collisions achieved at RHIC. Physics implications are also discussed.
This report describes the recent analysis of identified charged particle production at high rapidity performed on data collected from p+p collisions at RHIC (sqrt{s}=200 GeV). The extracted invariant cross-sections compare well to NLO pQCD calculations. However, a puzzling high yield of protons at high rapidity and p_T has been found.
We present an overview of the recent abundant measurements for charm production at RHIC. The significant information of charm cross sections in different collision system at 200 GeV and charmed hadron freeze-out and flow properties extracted from these measurements are presented. The heavy flavor energy loss in the medium and heavy flavor related azimuthal correlations in heavy ion collisions are also discussed.
A review on experimental results for direct photon production in heavy ion reactions is given. A brief survey of early direct photon limits from SPS experiments is presented. The first measurement of direct photons in heavy ion reactions from the WA98 collaboration is discussed and compared to theoretical calculations. An outlook on the perspective of photon measurements at RHIC is given.
The study of heavy flavor production in relativistic heavy ion collisions is an extreme experimental challenge but provides important information on the properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) created in Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Heavy-quarks are believed to be produced in the initial stages of the collision, and are essential on the understanding of parton energy loss in the dense medium created in such environment. Moreover, heavy-quarks can help to investigate fundamental properties of QCD in elementary p+p collisions. In this work we review recent results on heavy flavor production and …
This contribution presents the latest results on heavy quarkonia (j/psi and upsilon) production in d+A and A+A collisions at RHIC at a center of mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV, measured by the PHENIX experiment, as well as their implications in terms of understanding cold nuclear matter effects and the possible formation of a quark gluon plasma in central $\auau$ collisions.}
PHENIX has measured high transverse momentum (pT) identified hadrons in different collision species and energies in the last five RHIC runs. The systematic study of the high pT hadron production provides an idea on interaction of hard scattered partons and the matter created in relativistic heavy ion collision. The eta/pi0 ratio is measured in Au+Au collisions, which gives a hint on the system thermalization and particle production. A future measurement of hadron and photon measurement is discussed.
Recent results on jet production in heavy ion collisions at RHIC and the LHC are discussed, with emphasis on inclusive jet yields and semi-inclusive hadron-triggered and vector boson-triggered recoil jet yields as well as their azimuthal angular correlations. I will also discuss the constraints that these observables impose on the opacity of the medium, the flavour dependence of energy loss, the interplay of perturbative and non perturbative effects and the change of the degrees of freedom of the medium with the resolution of the probe.
We present data on strange particle production in elementary proton-proton collisions at RHIC energies. Comparison to leading order and next-to-leading order (NLO) calculations shows that the fragmentation process is flavor dependent and that higherorder corrections are needed to describe all spectra, in particular at these collision energies, which are modest compared to the Tevatron energies. A model (EPOS) which takes into account multiple scattering between projectile constituents seems to describe the data best.
Ultra-relativistic Au+Au collisions at RHIC ($\sqrt{s}$=130, 200 GeV) are used to study production of rare anti-nuclei. These clusters of anti-nucleons are formed by coalescence, i.e. overlapping wave functions of anti-nucleons. The coalescence coefficients $B_2$ for Anti-$d$ and $B_3$ for Anti-$^3He$ are determined, and used to derive the fireball radius.
The measurement of quarkonia production in relativistic heavy ion collisions provides a powerful tool for studying the properties of the hot and dense matter created in these collisions. To be really useful, however, such measurements must cover a wide range of quarkonia states and colliding species. The PHENIX experiment at RHIC has successfully measured J/psi, psi-prime, chi_c and Upsilon production in different colliding systems at various energies. In this talk I will present recent results from the PHENIX collaboration on charmonium production in d+Au, Cu+Au and U+U collisions at 200 GeV/…
We study charm production through dimuon and single muon measurements at forward and backward rapidities in p+p and d+Au collisions with the PHENIX muon detectors. We also compare open charm to $J/ψ$ yields in the forward and backward rapidities in d+Au collisions and study the origin of the large forward and backward asymmetry in open charm production observed by the PHENIX experiment.
We present a system size and energy dependence of $ϕ$ meson production in Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=62.4 GeV and 200 GeV measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. We find that the number of participant scaled $ϕ$ meson yields in heavy ion collisions over that of p+p collisions are larger than 1 and increase with collision energy. We compare the results with those of open-strange particles and discuss the physics implication.
PHENIX preliminary results on the $J/Ψ$ production in $Cu+Cu$ and $Au+Au$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV are presented. They are compared to results from lower energy experiments NA50 and NA60 at CERN SPS and to expectations from various theoretical models.
We describe a setup which will allow extend the physics reach of the STAR detector at RHIC to include the measurement of very forward protons. Tagging on very forward protons, detected by the Roman Pots at RHIC energies, selects processes, in which the proton stays intact and the exchange is dominated by one with the quantum numbers of the vacuum, thus enhancing the probability of measuring reactions where colorless gluonic matter dominates the exchange. The processes include both elastic and inelastic diffraction. The capabilities of the STAR detector to detect Gleuballs and Exotics in centra…
We present STAR measurements of K^{0}_{S}, ϕ, Λ, Ξ, and Ωat mid-rapidity from Au+Au collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}} = 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, and 39 GeV from the Beam Energy Scan (BES) program at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Nuclear modification factors and baryon-to-meson ratios are measured to understand recombination and parton energy loss mechanisms. Implications on partonic versus hadronic dynamics at low beam energies are discussed.
Strangeness study is one of the major goal of the STAR experiment at RHIC. Results presented here have been obtained from analyses restricted to the mid-rapidity region of Au-Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 130 GeV. An onset of the understanding of the quark matter behavior produced at this relativistic energy can be stressed from the investigation of the relative and absolute yields of strange particle production, their transverse mass distributions and from comparisons with previous results obtained by AGS and SPS experiments.
Light antinuclei may be formed in relativistic heavy ion collisions via final state coalescence of antinucleons. The yields of antinuclei are sensitive to primordial antinucleon production, the volume of the system at kinetic freeze-out, and space-momentum correlations among antinucleons at freeze-out. We report here preliminary STAR results on antideuteron and antihelion production in 130A GeV Au+Au collisions. These results are examined in a coalescence framework to elucidate the space-time structure of the antinucleon source.
Large proton and antiproton enhancement with respect to pions has been observed at intermediate transverse momentum $p_T \approx$ 2-5 GeV/$c$ in Au+Au collisions at RHIC. To investigate the possible source of this anomaly, the production of $ϕ$ mesons and two particle angular correlations triggered by mid-$p_T$ baryons or mesons are studied. We also present the first measurement of proton and antiproton production at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 62.4$ GeV in Au+Au collisions, which aims to study the energy dependence of the observed baryon enhancement.
I will review RHIC data with respect to the intriguing possibility that the hadron production mechanism in the produced partonic medium might be different than in vacuum. I will use the measurements of collective features, such as flow and quenching of identified particles, to show that different regions of the particle momentum spectrum are likely populated through different mechanisms, and that the medium seems to play an important role in hadronization. Finally I will address the question whether the different initial conditions achievable in heavy ion collisions at LHC energies, compared t…
Preliminary results are presented on high-pT inclusive neutral pion production in d+Au collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 200 GeV in the pseudo-rapidity range 0 < eta < 1. Photons from the decay pi0->gamma,gamma are detected in the Barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the STAR experiment at RHIC. The analysis procedure is described in detail and the results are found to be in good agreement with earlier STAR findings and with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations.
Transverse momentum spectra for neutral pions have been measured by the WA98 experiment in sqrt{s_{nn}}=17.3 GeV Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS and by the PHENIX experiment in sqrt{s_{nn}}=130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. The neutral pion yields in central collisions for both reaction systems are compared to scaled transverse momentum spectra for nucleon-nucleon reactions at the respective energy. At SPS energies neutral pion production at high $p_T$ is enhanced compared to the n+n reference while at RHIC a significant suppression of high-pT neutral pions is observed.
Medium modification of particle spectra and the origin of collectivity in small collision systems are widely debated topics in the heavy-ion community. To address these open questions, we propose the study of particle production and collectivity for varying system sizes,Au+Au $>$ Ru+Ru/Zr+Zr $>$ Cu+Cu $>$ d+Au $>$ $γ$+Au, available at RHIC using the STAR detector. We present the first measurements of centrality dependent charged hadron production in Isobar (Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr) collisions, including the nuclear modification factors ($R_\mathrm{AA}$) at high transverse momentom ($p_\mathrm{T}$), an…
Resonance yields and spectra from elementary p+p and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = $ 200 GeV from the STAR experiment at RHIC are presented and discussed in terms of chemical and thermal freeze-out conditions. Thermal models do not adequately describe the yields of the resonance production in central Au+Au collisions. The approach to include elastic hadronic interactions between chemical freeze-out and thermal freeze-out suggests a time of $Δτ>$5 fm/c.
A current focus at RHIC is the Beam Energy Scan to study the QCD phase diagram -- temperature ($T$) vs. baryon chemical potential ($μ_{B}$). The STAR experiment has collected data for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 7.7 GeV, 11.5 GeV, and 39 GeV in the year 2010. We present midrapidity results on rapidity density, average transverse mass, and particle ratios for identified hadrons from the STAR experiment. Collision dynamics are studied in the framework of chemical and kinetic freeze-out conditions.
Results from the PHENIX experiment on direct-photon production in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV for transverse momenta 1 < p_T < 13 GeV/c are presented. Direct-photon yields at high p_T scale as expected for particle production in hard processes. This supports jet-quenching models which attribute the suppression of high-p_T hadrons to the energy loss of fast partons in the quark-gluon plasma. The low-p_T direct-photon spectra, measured via e+e- pairs with small invariant masses, are possibly related to the production of thermal direct photons in Au+Au collisions at RHIC.
In this thesis, we present the measurements of $D^{0}\to Kπ$ at low $p_T$ ($p_T\leq2$ GeV/$c$) and non-photonic electron spectra ($0.9\leq p_T\leq5$ GeV/$c$) from $D^0$ semi-leptonic decay. In addition, we use a newly proposed technique to identify muons from charm decays at low $p_T$. The combination of all these three measurements stringently constrains the total charm production cross-section at mid-rapidity at RHIC. They also allow the extraction of the charmed hadron spectral shape and a study of possible charm radial flow in Au+Au collisions.
The production of different quarkonium states provides unique insight to the hot and cold nuclear matter effects in the strongly interacting medium that is formed in high energy heavy ion collisions. While LHC explores the energy frontier, RHIC has a broad physics program to explore the nuclear modification at different energies in a wide range of systems. Some of the most interesting recent results on $J/ψ$ and $Υ$ production in p+p, d+Au and A+A collisions from PHENIX and STAR are summarized in this work.
Results of resonance particle production measured at RHIC in $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = $ 200 GeV Au+Au collisions are compared to measurements in p+p and d+Au collisions in order to verify the existence of an extended hardronically interacting medium. Yield and momentum distributions of resonances maybe modified during the fireball lifetime due to resonance decay and the subsequent rescattering of their decay daughters as well as the regeneration of resonances from their decay products. Modified momentum spectra in heavy ion collisions may change the nuclear modification factor R$_{\rm AA}$. The in…
We have developed new techniques to detect hadrons with the PHENIX muon spectrometers. This allows us to study the centrality dependent nuclear modification factor $R_{CP}$ with high $p_{T}$ hadrons in both forward (d direction) and backward (Au direction) rapidities, $1 < |η| < 2$, in dAu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV$. Preliminary results show a suppression (enhancement) of high $p_{T}$ hadron production in central $0-20%$ dAu collisions relative to the peripheral one ($60-88%$ in centrality) at forward (backward) rapidity.
The production of Lambda(1520) in p+p and Au+Au collisions provided by the RHIC at sqrt{s_NN}=200 GeV are investigated using the STAR detector. A preliminary Sigma(1385) signal is also shown. Models predict that a late rescattering phase in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions should lower the measured yields of these resonances. This reduction is presently confirmed through the Lambda(1520)/Lambda ratio which has been calculated for p+p collisions and compared with Au+Au collisions.
We report measurements of charmed hadron production from hadronic ($D^{0}\rightarrow Kπ$) and semileptonic ($μ$ and $e$) decays in 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Analysis of the spectra indicates that charmed hadrons have a different radial flow pattern from light or multi-strange hadrons. Charm cross sections at mid-rapidity are extracted by combining the three independent measurements, covering the transverse momentum range that contributes to $\sim$90% of the integrated cross section. The cross sections scale with number of binary collisions of the initial nucleons, a signature of charm …
The BRAHMS experiment at RHIC has measured the production of charged hadrons as a function of pseudorapidity and transverse momentum in Au+Au, d+Au and p+p collisions at a common energy of sqrt(s_NN)=200GeV, and from these spectra we construct the nuclear modification factors for both ``hot'' and ``cold'' nuclear matter. In this contribution I will show how these factors evolve with pseudorapidity and collision centrality. We see a Cronin-like enhancement in d+Au collisions at midrapidity, going to a strong suppression at eta >= 2. In central Au+Au collisions we find a suppression both at mid-…
We present measurements of strange and multi-strange hadrons in p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s}$= 200 GeV measured by STAR. We will compare these preliminary results to leading-order (LO) and next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD models widely believed to describe the production mechanisms. In particular we will point out recent changes of the model calculations which improve the agreement with our data significantly and will discuss the physics consequences. In larger collision systems, produced with heavy ions at RHIC, we observe the centrality dependence of strange and multi-strange part…
A study of heavy flavor production in different collision systems in various kinematic regions presents an opportunity to probe cold nuclear medium and hot dense matter effects. Results from the PHENIX experiment on $J/ψ$ and open charm production in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ =200 GeV are presented. The data show strong $J/ψ$ suppression in central AA collisions, similar to NA50 results, and strong suppression in high $p_T$ open charm production. The $J/ψ$ production in Au+Au and d+Au collisions is compared to understand the cold nuclear medium effects. The data show signif…
Measurements of identified particle production with the PHENIX experiment at RHIC have reached a mature state, where a multitude of nuclear systems at different colliding energies have been studied. The discovery configurations of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 130 and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions have now been supplemented by additional Au+Au and Cu+Cu configurations at various energies, along with baseline p+p and d+Au runs at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. In this work we present a systematic study of the Cronin effect in d+Au collisions and recent results from p+p collisions. We then proceed to make a critical…
Quarkonia (J/Psi, Psi', Upsilon) production provides a sensitive probe of gluon distributions and their modification in nuclei; and is a leading probe of the hot-dense (deconfined) matter created in high-energy collisions of heavy ions. I will discuss our current understanding of the modification of gluon distributions in nuclei and other cold-nuclear-matter effects in the context of recent p-p and p(d)-A quarkonia measurements. Then I will review the latest results for nucleus-nucleus collisions from RHIC, and together with the baseline results from d-A and p-p collisions, discuss several alt…
Direct photons are an important tool for the detection of the quark-gluon plasma in ultra-relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions. Direct-photon measurements were made in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN}=17.2 GeV and in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_NN}=200 GeV. These results are reviewed and compared with model calculations.
Direct photon production in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 GeV has been measured in the $p_T$ range of 1$<$$p_T$$<$5 GeV/$c$. The yield as acfunction of centrality is in agreement with published data of the RHIC 2002 run, and with results from a new method that explores very low mass dileptons. The result is compared to several theoretical calculations, and it is found that the measurement is not inconsistent with calculations including thermal photon contributions.
Direct photons have been measured with the PHENIX experiment in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. The direct photon result obtained with PHENIX-EMCal up to 18 GeV/$c$ is consistent with the NLO pQCD calculation scaled by the nuclear overlap function. The measurement using internal conversion of photons into $e^+e^-$ shows the enhancement of the yield comparing with NLO pQCD calculation.
Transverse momentum spectra up to 4.5 GeV/c were measured around midrapidity in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=17.3 GeV, for pi^{+/-}, p, pbar and K^{+/-}, by the NA49 experiment. The nuclear modification factors R_{AA}, R_{AA/pA} and R_{CP} were extracted and are compared to RHIC results at sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV. The modification factor R_{AA} shows a rapid increase with transverse momentum in the covered region. The modification factors R_{AA/pA} and R_{CP} shows a saturation well below unity in the pi^{+/-} channel. The extracted R_{CP} values follow the 200 GeV RHIC results closely in the…
The status of the search for direct photons in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 130 GeV and sqrt{s_NN} = 200 GeV with the PHENIX experiment is presented. Within errors, no excess of direct photons was found in a first analysis pass done on a limited data set. Significantly reduced systematic and statistical uncertainties are expected in future analyses.
A new lowest order QED calculation for RHIC e+ e- pair production has been carried out with a phenomenological treatment of the Coulomb dissociation of the heavy ion nuclei observed in the STAR ZDC triggers. The lowest order QED result for the experimental acceptance is nearly two standard deviations larger than the STAR data. A corresponding higher order QED calculation is consistent with the data.
Results from the PHENIX Collaboration on the production of deuterons and anti-deuterons in collisions between gold nuclei at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 200 GeV are presented.
Lowest order and higher order QED calculations have been carried out for the RHIC high mass e+ e- pairs observed by PHENIX with single ZDC triggers. The lowest order QED results for the experimental acceptance are about two standard deviations larger than the PHENIX data. Corresponding higher order QED calculations are within one standard deviation of the data.
We describe a physics program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) with tagged forward protons. The program started with the proton-proton elastic scattering experiment (PP2PP), for which a set of Roman Pot stations was build. The PP2PP experiment took data at RHIC as a dedicated experiment at the beginning of RHIC operations. To expand the physics program to include non-elastic channels with forward protons, like Central Exclusive Production (CEP), Central Production (CP) and Single Diffraction Dissociation (SD), the experiment with its equipment was merged with the STAR experiment a…
We present a calculation of Pi, D and B mesons production at RHIC and LHC energies based upon the KKT model of gluon saturation. We discuss dependence of the nuclear modification factor on rapidity and transverse momentum.
The production of $W^{\pm}$ bosons in longitudinally polarized $\vec{p}+\vec{p}$ collisions at RHIC provides a new means of studying the spin-flavor asymmetries of the proton sea quark distributions. Details of the $W^{\pm}$ event selection in the $e^{\pm}$ decay channel at mid-rapidity are presented, along with preliminary results for the production cross section and parity-violating single-spin asymmetry, $A_L$, from the STAR Collaboration's 2009 data at $\sqrt{s}=500$ GeV.
