In 2001, PHENIX measured particle correlations of identical charged pions and kaons at mid-rapidity in Au-Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200GeV. Bertsch-Pratt radius parameters of pion pairs are studied for 9 kT regions from 0.2 to 2.0 GeV/c and for 9 selections of collision centralities. The pion radius parameters are consistent with the result at sqrt(s_NN)=130GeV, and the ratio Rout/Rside is below 1 in all <kT> ranges up to 1.2 GeV/c. The radius parameters from charged kaon correlations are compared with those of pions.
The phase diagram of strongly interacting matter can be explored by analyzing data of heavy-ion collisions at different center of mass collision energies. For investigating the space-time structure of the hadron emission source, HBT correlation measurements are among the best tools. In this paper we present the latest results from the RHIC PHENIX experiment on such measurements in $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 39 GeV and 62 GeV Au+Au collisions.
We obtain the first measurement of $J/ψ$ elliptic flow at RHIC energies in forward rapidity using data from the PHENIX detector and applying an event plane method. The dataset used contains 19 billion events from the PHENIX experiment's Run 14 Au + Au dataset at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV. PHENIX has measured a $J/ψ$ $v_2$ in a centrality range of $10-60\%$ that is consistent with zero. Taken together with results from LHC the measurement of $v_2$, which is consistent with zero may indicate that $J/ψ$ production by coalescence is not significant at forward rapidity at RHIC energy.
In the RHIC run of 2006, PHENIX recorded data from about 20/nb of transversely polarized p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 GeV and polarization of about 50%. Also in this last run PHENIX successfully commissioned a new lead-tungstate based electromagnetic calorimeter, the Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC), covering 2 pi in azimuth and 3.1<eta<3.7. The forward coverage allows PHENIX to measure high x_F pi^0 production. We present the current status of the analysis for the single inclusive pi^0 transverse asymmetry A_N at forward rapidities in PHENIX.
The properties of the phi-meson have been measured via its e+e- and K+K- decay channels in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 200 GeV by the PHENIX experiment. The preliminary yields and temperatures derived for the minimum bias and several centrality bins in both decay channels are presented.
The PHENIX experiment has established jet quenching at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV in Au+Au collisions. Recent measurements of Cu+Cu collisions at the same center-of-mass energy support a parton energy loss scenario. Furthermore, the onset of jet quenching was studied in Cu+Cu collisions for three center-of-mass energies 22.4, 62.4 and 200 GeV.
This poster presents the PHENIX results on high-p_T gamma-hadron and pi0-hadron correlations and shows the modification of away side jet shape by the medium. By comparing their jet shapes and yields, we see some evidence of the direct gamma contribution to correlation functions.
Neutral pions ($π^0$) in $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 200 GeV and 62.4 GeV Au+Au collisions were measured at RHIC-PHENIX Year-4 Run. In $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 200 GeV, $π^0$ specta are measured up to p$_\mathrm{T}$ = 20 GeV/$c$. %PHENIX extended the p$_\mathrm{T}$ region of A strong suppression by a factor of $\sim$ 5 is observed and stays almost constant up to 20 GeV/$c$.
Direct photons were measured with the PHENIX experiment in p+p, d+Au, and Au+Au at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. To tackle the p_T region below 5 GeV/c, direct photons were measured through their internal conversion into e^+e^- in Au+Au collisions.
The paper presents recent PHENIX results for the nuclear modification factor R_AA in Au + Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV for the electrons originating from semi-leptonic decays of open heavy flavor carrying particles. We also report the results of the azimuthal asymmetry (v_2) measurement for those electrons, which is directly related to the heavy quark elliptic flow.
The inclusive cross section for neutral pion production in the range 1<p_T<13GeV/c in |eta|<0.35 has been measured by the PHENIX experiment in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s}=200GeV. An NLO pQCD calculation is, within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties, consistent with the measurement.
The first measurement of the dielectron continuum at RHIC energies was performed by the PHENIX experiment for Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_{NN}) = 200 GeV. Mass spectra for different centralities are presented and compared with the expectations from hadron decays.
We analyze the relative azimuthal ($Δϕ$) distribution of same-charge and opposite-charge particle pairs. We then remove elliptic flow background using the ZYAM method. Comparisons between near angle $Δϕ$ peak widths are presented for various centralities.
Different regions on the QCD phase diagram can be investigated by varying the collision energy and the centrality in heavy-ion collisions. In our latest measurements at the PHENIX experiment at RHIC, we utilize Lévy-type sources to describe the measured HBT correlation functions. In this paper we report the current status of the analysis of the centrality and beam energy dependence of the Lévy source parameters in Au+Au collisions from $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 15 GeV to $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV.
As in previous analyses at sqrt(s_NN) 200 GeV, correlations in azimuthal angles between inclusive charge particles at intermediate transverse momentum (p_T = 1.0-4.0) GeV/c are studied at sqrt(s_NN) 62.4 GeV. The jet correlations reveal similar modification as in 200 GeV. Specifically large modification, including the "volcano" or "cone" structure, persists in the awayside correlation.
Dielectrons play an important role in heavy ion collisions since they are produced during all stages of the collision and interact only electromagnetically. The PHENIX experiment was upgraded with the Hadron Blind Detector which provides excellent background rejection by removing pairs from both partially reconstructed Dalitz decays and photon conversions. In these proceedings we will report on the results obtained from 2009 data in p+p collisions using the HBD as well as the Au+Au results obtained in 2010.
We present new results on the production of charged hadrons and neutral pions in Au+Au and d+Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN} = 200 GeV, measured within the PHENIX experiment. We observe the opposite centrality dependence when comparing the two collision systems: an increase with centrality compared to the binary scaled yield from p+p collisions in d+Au and a decrease with centrality in Au+Au.
We present PHENIX recent results on charged particle and transverse energy densities measured at mid-rapidity in Au-Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=130 GeV and 200 GeV over broad range of centralities. The mean transverse energy per charged particle is derived. The first PHENIX measurements at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=19.6 GeV are also presented. A comparison with calculations from various theoretical models is performed.
The dissociation of quarkonia in the medium created in heavy ion collisions is still one of the most debated topics in the heavy ion community. Progress in understanding the effect relies on a broad range of measurements in collisions with different nuclear sizes, covering a broad rapidity range. This presentation will report the $J/ψ$ measurements performed by the PHENIX collaboration at forward and backward rapidities of 1.2 $< |y| <$ 2.2 in $p$+Al, $p$+Au, and $^3$He+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV, and the corresponding nuclear modification factors.
The PHENIX Run 4 Au+Au dataset provides a powerful opportunity for exploring the angular anisotropy of identified particle yields at high pT. Complementing traditional v2 measurements, we present pi0 yields as a function of angle with reaction plane, up to pT 10 GeV/c. The centrality dependence of the angular anisotropy allows us to probe the density and path-length dependence of the energy loss of hard-scattered partons. We will discuss various mechanisms for particle production in this high pT region.
Measurements from the RHIC experiments show strong suppression of high-pT hadrons in central Au+Au collisions. The PHENIX experiment has observed strong suppression of $π^0$ and charged hadron yields in central Au+Au collisions for pT > 5 GeV/c regardless of pT and particle species. The observed suppression is interpreted in terms of energy loss of quarks in a high-density medium. The PHENIX Year-4 Au+Au measurements have extended the pT reach of the $π^0$ spectra to 20 GeV/c. And the PHENIX Year-5 Cu+Cu measurements performed for the study of particle production in a lighter system and they c…
The PHENIX experiment at RHIC has measured single electron spectra in proton-proton, deuteron-gold and gold-gold collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV. The photonic contribution (photon conversions and Daltiz decays) is subtracted from the inclusive spectra resulting in non-photonic electron spectra. The principal source of non-photonic electrons is the semi-leptonic decay of charm and bottom mesons. The implications for heavy flavor production in hot and cold nuclear systems are discussed.
PHENIX has measured transverse momentum spectra of charged particles at mid-rapidity up to 10 GeV/c in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s}=200 GeV. For central collisions, the yield at high pT is significantly suppressed comparing to binary scaled p+p data, and this suppression is stronger than observed at 130 GeV. Above 4 GeV/c, the deficit of high momentum particles is almost independent of pT.
We present results on identified particle production in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV at mid-rapidity measured by the PHENIX experiment. The centrality and flavor dependence of the Cronin effect in d+Au collisions is measured. The Cronin effect for the protons in d+Au is larger than that for the pions, but not large enough to account for the ``anomalous'' proton to pion ratio in central Au+Au collisions.
Azimuthal two particle correlations at intermediate $p_{T}$ with one of the particles identified have been measured at PHENIX. Trigger ($2.5 < p_{T} < 4.0 GeV/c$) baryons and mesons show little significant difference in the number of associated particles ($1.7 < p_{T} < 2.5 GeV/c$) independent of centrality. For inclusive hadron triggers with $2.5 < p_{T} < 4.0 GeV/c$, associated fragmentation particles with $1.0 < p_{T} < 2.5 GeV/c$ show a higher baryon to meson ratio on the away side.
The $v_{2}$ and $v_{4}$ of pions, kaons and protons have been measured by PHENIX in 200 GeV Au+Au collisions up to $p_{T}$$\sim$6 GeV/c and 4 GeV/c, respectively. The $v_{4}$ of all these identified particles have been found to scale with the number of constituent quarks and all these particles have a similar $v_{4}$/$v_{2}^{2}$ ratio which is close to 0.9. The scaling behavior of $v_2$ is studied at high-$p_{T}$ and a deviations from the universal scaling is observed for transverse kinetic energy ($K_{ET}/nq$) higher than 1 GeV.
The PHENIX collaboration efforts towards constraining and understanding quarkonia production mechanisms are outlined. J/psi measurements and feed-down sources studies in p-p collisions at 200 GeV, together with their possible indications on the hadro-production mechanisms, are discussed. J/psi photo-production in ultra-peripheral collisions at 200 GeV is also examined. Finally, a glimpse of the first bottomonia results in minimum bias Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV and their implications are presented.
$J/ψ$ measurements in $p+p$ and $d+Au$ collisions serve as crucial references to understand the $J/ψ$ production in $Au+Au$ collisions at RHIC where quark gluon plasma (QGP) is expected to be formed. They also provide important clues to study various interesting phenomena such as the gluon shadowing and color glass condensate. We report the latest results from PHENIX experiment on $J/ψ$ production in $p+p$ and $d+Au$ collisions at forward, backward and midrapidity.
The transverse momentum dependence of the azimuthal anisotropy parameter v_{2}, the second harmonic of the azimuthal distribution, for electrons at mid-rapidity (|eta|<0.35) has been measured with the PHENIX detector in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV with respect to the reaction plane defined at high rapidities (|eta|=3-4). From the result we have calculated non-photonic electron v_{2}, which is expected to reflect the heavy-flavor azimuthal anisotropy, by subtracting v_{2} of electrons from other sources such as photon conversions, Dalitz decay etc.
PHENIX has measured the transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra and two particle angular correlations for high $p_{\rm T}$ particles in $d$+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=200\,GeV using the RHIC Year-2008 run data. The azimuthal angle correlations for two particles with a large rapidity gap exhibit a ridge like structure. Using the $π^0$ reconstructed in the EMCal, we have successfully extended the $p_{\rm T}$ reach of the correlation up to 8\,GeV/$c$. We find that the azimuthal anisotropy of hadrons found at low $p_{\rm T}$ persists up to 6\,GeV/$c$ with a significant centrality and $p…
We report the measurement of anisotropic flow at RHIC - PHENIX experiment. We present the v_4 results at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV in Au+Au collision. The scaling ratio of v_4/(v_2)^2 is about 1.5 and it is found to be smaller than the prediction from simple coalescence model. The v_2 for high p_T identified particles ($\sim$ 5 GeV/c) measured with Aerogel Cherenkov Counter are presented. We discuss the constituent quark scaling of v_2 for identified particles. We also report the first observation of v_2 for inclusive charged hadrons as well as identified hadrons at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV in Cu+Cu co…
The PHENIX experiment has shown that J/psis are suppressed in central Au+Au collisions at a center of mass energy per nucleon-nucleon collision sqrt s(NN) = 200 GeV, and that the suppression is larger at forward than at mid-rapidity. Part of this difference may be explained by cold nuclear matter effects but the most central collisions suggest that regeneration mechanisms could be at play. In 2007, PHENIX collected almost four times more Au+Au collisions at this energy than used for previous published results. Moreover, the addition of a new reaction plane detector allows a much better analysi…
The production of electron pairs with transverse momentum between 1 and 5 GeV/c and m< 300 MeV has been measured at mid-rapidity in 200 GeV p+p and Au+Au collisions by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. A significant excess above the hadronic background was observed in both p+p and Au+Au collisions. Treating the excess as internal conversion of direct photons, the direct photon yield in Au+Au was found to be enhanced compared to the binary-scaled p+p yield. The enhancement is consistent with an exponential inverse slope of 221 +- 23 +- 18 MeV and predictions from hydrodynamical models with initial…
Transverse momentum spectra for identified $π^0$'s in the range 1 GeV/c $< p_T <$ 4 GeV/c have been measured by the PHENIX experiment in Au-Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}=130$ GeV. The spectra from peripheral nuclear collisions are consistent with the simple expectation of scaling the spectra from p+p collisions by the average number of nucleon-nucleon binary collisions. The spectra from central collisions and the ratio of central/peripheral spectra are significantly suppressed when compared to point-like scaling.
The PHENIX experiment at RHIC measured $ω$, $η$ and $K_{S}^{0}$-meson production at high $p_{T}$ in $p+p$, $d+Au$ and $Au+Au$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ $GeV$. Measurements performed in different hadronic decay channels give consistent results. The measured ratios of all three mesons to $π^{0}$ are found to be flat as a function of $p_{T}$ in $p+p$ collisions and equal to $ω/π^{0}=0.81\pm0.02\pm0.07$, $η/π^{0}=0.48\pm0.02\pm0.02$ and $K_{S}^{0}/π^{0}=0.45\pm0.01\pm0.05$. Nuclear modification factor measured for $ω$-mesons in central Au+Au collisions is $R_{AA}=0.4\pm0.15$.
The azimuthal anisotropy of high $p_{T}$ particle production in heavy ion collisions is a sensitive probe of the jet quenching mechanism. Recent PHENIX measurements for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV show a $π^{0}$ $v_{2}$ signal that exceeds the pQCD energy loss calculations up to $p_{T} \sim 10$ GeV/c, challenging the traditional perturbative picture of the energy loss process. Here, we present an update and details of that measurement, as well as new high $p_T$ measurements at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=62$ and 39 GeV. These measurements not only provide an important constraint for underst…
The versatility of RHIC allowed the PHENIX collaboration to measure low momentum direct photons from small systems, such as p+p, p+A, d+Au at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = $200 GeV as well as from large A+A systems, such as Au+Au and Cu+Cu at 200 GeV and Au+Au at 62.4 GeV and 39 GeV. In these measurements PHENIX has discovered a large excess over the scaled p+p yield of direct photons in A+A collisions, and a non-zero excess over the scaled p+p yield in central p+A collisions. Another PHENIX discovery is that at low-$p_{T}$ the integrated yield of direct photons, $dN_γ/dy$, from large systems follows a uni…
Heavy quarkonia production is predicted to be sensitive to the formation of the quark gluon plasma in relativistic heavy ion collisions via competing mechanisms such as color screening and/or quark recombination. During 2004 and 2005 RHIC data taking periods, the PHENIX collaboration has measured jpsi decay into lepton pairs both at mid and forward rapidity in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 GeV. We present the jpsi nuclear modification factor and the $\jpsi$ mean square transverse momentum as a function of the collision centrality for both systems, as well as the rapidity de…
Effects of strangeness on nuclear modification in d-Au and Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV are studied, in order to quantify the effects of quark content and mass. Measurements of ratios of the yields in central collisions to the yields in peripheral collisions are performed for lambda baryon and phi meson. Found results show little dependence of particle suppression or enhancement on mass and strange content, but rather prominent difference in nuclear modification between mesons and baryons.
The PHENIX collaboration has measured low momentum direct photon radiation in Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV, 62.4 GeV and 39 GeV, in Cu+Cu at 200 GeV as well as in p+p, p+Au and d+Au at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} =$ 200 GeV. In these measurements PHENIX has discovered a large excess over the scaled p+p yield of direct photons in A+A collisions, and a non-zero excess, observed within systematic uncertainties, over the scaled p+p yield in central p+A collisions. Another finding is that at low-$p_{T}$ the integrated yield of direct photons, $dN_γ/dy$, from large systems shows a behavior of universal scaling as…
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.
With the measurement of several observables at SPS energies that demonstrate non-monotonic behavior as a function of centrality and $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$, there is growing interest in pursuing a scan of relativistic heavy ion collisions at low energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The capabilities of the PHENIX experiment to take quality measurements at low RHIC energies is described and directly demonstrated with analyses of Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 GeV and Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 22.5 GeV. The contribution of upgrades to the PHENIX detector in the upcomin…
Forward hadron measurements in p(d)+A provide a signal to study nuclear shadowing, initial state energy loss and/or gluon saturation effects as a function of rapidity, centrality and energy. High $p_T$ identified $π^{0}$ measurements are an essential first step toward measuring prompt photon production. The $π^{0}$ measurements are enabled by the PHENIX MPC-EX detector, a Si-W preshower detector located in front of the Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC), expanding the neutral pion reconstruction capabilities in the rapidity range $3.1< η<3.8$ out to high energies, $E < 80$ GeV. Previous PHENIX meas…
We present the first positive direct photon results in Au+Au at sqrt{s_NN} = 200 GeV along with initial p+p results at the same energy. The p+p result is found to be consistent with NLO perturbative QCD predictions within its large uncertainties. In central Au+Au collisions, an excess over expected background as large as 200-300% is observed from p_T = 4-12 GeV/c. This large signal is shown to be consistent with the scaled pQCD photon prediction, together with suppression of meson background sources.
Two-particle azimuthal correlations have allowed detailed study of the modification to di-jets in the hot, dense medium created in RHIC collisions. Light can be shed by such correlations on many novel effects discovered at RHIC such as the enhanced p/pi ratio and conical structure of events with energy loss. Using pi0 triggers to reduce the effect of recombination we utilize high-pT correlations to explore the away-side structure.
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.
A state-of-the-art 3D source imaging technique is used to extract the 3D two-pion source function in central and mid-central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV. The source function indicates a previously unresolved non-Gaussian tail in the directions of the pion pair transverse momentum (out) and along the beam (long). Model comparisons give robust estimates for several characteristics of the emission source, including its transverse size, its mean proper breakup time $τ$ and its emission duration $Δτ$. These estimates are incompatible with the predictions for a first order phase tr…
The measurement of direct photons in s(NN)**1/2 = 200 GeV p+p and Au+Au collisions is presented. The signal is compared to NLO pQCD calculations, which, in case of Au+Au, are scaled with the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions. The agreement of the calculation with the data in both cases confirms the scaling of hard processes with the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions and supports the explanation of the earlier-observed pion suppression as a final-state effect.
The PHENIX Experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has performed a survey of momentum correlations ranging from 200 MeV/c to 7 GeV in $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV p+p, d+Au, Au+Au, and $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 62 GeV Au+Au collisions. The correlations are measured separately for like-sign and unlike-sign pairs. Comparisons of the properties of the near-side peak amplitude and width as a function of centrality and transverse momentum for each collision species are presented and discussed.
Thermal photons can provide information on the temperature of the new state of matter created at RHIC. In the p_T region of 1--3 GeV/c thermal photons are expected to be the dominant direct photon source. Therefore, a possible excess compared to a pure decay photon signal due to a thermal photon contribution should be seen in the double ratio (gamma/gamma(pi^0))_{Measured}/(gamma/gamma(pi^0))_{Simulated}, if sufficient accuracy can be reached. We present a method to reconstruct direct photons by measuring e^+e^- pairs from external photon conversions.
The pi0 meson has been a crucial proble for observing jet quenching in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. Measurements of the eta meson in the same collisions have also shed light on a possible dependence of the observed suppression on the particle species. The preliminary pi0 nuclear modification factor R_AA from the 2004 RHIC run allowed a first systematic comparison between a precise measurement with high statistics and theoretical calculations, constraining model parameters such as the initial gluon density dN^g/dy, and the transport coefficient qhat. The final pi0 spectra and…
Electromagnetic probes are ideally suited to investigate hot and dense matter produced in high energy heavy ion collisions. They do not undergo strong interactions and thus probe the time evolution of the collision. The dielectron continuum is rich in physics. Dalitz decays of light hadrons and direct decays of vector mesons, which might be modified in the medium, and correlated charm decays contribute to the spectrum. Furthermore, exotic states, e.g quasi-particles predicted to exist in the medium only beyond the phase transition, might leave their footprint in the continuum. Although correla…
Thermal photons are thought to be the ideal probe to measure the temperature of the quark-gluon plasma created in heavy ion collisions. PHENIX has measured direct photons with p_T < 5 GeV/c via their internal conversions into e+e- pairs in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV and has now provided a baseline measurement from p+p data.
In this analysis we measure the azimuthal angle($ϕ$) dependence of hadrons with respect to the reaction plane ($Ψ_{RP}$) in events that were triggered by a high-$p_T$ $π^0$ of 5-10 GeV. Fitting the distribution of hadrons with a function of the type $ξ(1+2v_2\cos{(2(ϕ-Ψ_{RP})}))$, we observe that there is no significant statistical difference between $v_2$ inclusive hadrons and those hadrons from hard scattering events. We also compare the near-side jet widths using PYTHIA simulations with $h^{\pm}$-$h^{\pm}$ correlations in Au+Au at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV.
The PHENIX experiment uses semileptonic decay channels to measure open and closed heavy flavor cross sections across the rapidity range $-2.2 < y < 2.4$. High luminosity data are now available for p+p, d+Au, Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 GeV, and for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 62 GeV. We discuss recent d+Au results for open heavy flavor and $J/ψ$ production, and discuss their implications for the cold nuclear matter contributions to heavy flavor production in heavy ion collisions.
Transverse energy distributions at midrapidity have been measured by the PHENIX experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) for Au+Au, U+U, Cu+Au, Cu+Cu, He+Au, d+Au, and p+p collisions over a wide energy range from $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7 GeV to $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV as a function of centrality. For central Au+Au collisions, it is observed that the midrapidity Bjorken energy density demonstrates a power law behavior from $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7 GeV to $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV. At a given collision energy, the data presented as a function of $N_{part}$ are independent of the…
Flow coefficients $v_n$ for $n$ = 2, 3, 4, characterizing the anisotropic collective flow in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV, are presented. They indicate the expected growth of viscous damping for sound propagation in the quark gluon plasma (QGP) produced in these collisions. Hydrodynamical model comparisons which include the effects of initial state geometry fluctuations, highlight the role of higher harmonics ($v_{n, n>2}$) as a constraint for disentangling the effects of viscosity and initial conditions, and suggest a small specific viscosity for the QGP. This viscosity is co…
Thermal photons can provide information on the temperature of the new state of matter created at RHIC. In the p_T region of 1--3 GeV/c thermal photons are expected to be the dominant direct photon source. Therefore, a possible excess compared to a pure decay photon signal due to a thermal photon contribution should be seen in the double ratio (γ/γ(π^{0}))_{Measured}/(γ/γ(π^{0}))_{Simulated}, if sufficient accuracy can be reached. We present a method to reconstruct direct photons by measuring e^{+}e^{-}--pairs from external photon conversions.
New results from polarized p-p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV of double longitudinal spin asymmetry in pi0 production using the PHENIX detector in the 2005 RHIC run are presented. Both positive and negative maximal gluon polarization scenarios are inconsistent with the data. The data is consistent with small |Δg|, including Δg=0.
