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Identified charged hadron production in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 54.4 GeV with the STAR detector
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
A. Aitbayev,
I. Alekseev,
E. Alpatov,
A. K. Alshammri,
A. Aparin,
S. Aslam,
J. Atchison,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
X. Bao,
P. Barik,
K. Barish,
S. Behera,
P. Bhagat,
A. Bhasin,
S. Bhatta,
I. G. Bordyuzhin,
J. D. Brandenburg
, et al. (363 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We present results on the production of $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $p$, and $\bar{p}$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 54.4~GeV using the STAR detector at RHIC, at midrapidity ($|y| <$ 0.1). Invariant yields of these particles as a function of transverse momentum are shown. We determine bulk properties such as integrated particle yields ($dN/dy$), mean transverse momentum (…
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We present results on the production of $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $p$, and $\bar{p}$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 54.4~GeV using the STAR detector at RHIC, at midrapidity ($|y| <$ 0.1). Invariant yields of these particles as a function of transverse momentum are shown. We determine bulk properties such as integrated particle yields ($dN/dy$), mean transverse momentum ($\langle p_{T} \rangle$), particle ratios, which provide insight into the particle production mechanisms. Additionally, the kinetic freezeout parameters ($T_\text{kin}$ and $\langle β_{T} \rangle$), which provide information about the dynamics of the system at the time of freezeout, are obtained. The Bjorken energy density ($ε_{\rm{BJ}}$), which gives an estimate of the energy density in the central rapidity region of the collision zone at the formation time $τ$, is calculated and presented as a function of multiplicity for various energies. The results are compared with those from the models such as A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) and Heavy Ion Jet INteraction Generator (HIJING) for further insights.
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Submitted 21 May, 2026; v1 submitted 6 December, 2025;
originally announced December 2025.
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Measurements of charged-particle multiplicity dependence of higher-order net-proton cumulants in $p$+$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 200 GeV from STAR at RHIC
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. I. Abdulhamid,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
E. C. Aschenauer,
S. Aslam,
J. Atchison,
V. Bairathi,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
R. Bellwied,
P. Bhagat,
A. Bhasin,
S. Bhatta,
S. R. Bhosale,
J. Bielcik,
J. Bielcikova,
J. D. Brandenburg,
C. Broodo,
X. Z. Cai
, et al. (338 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We report on the charged-particle multiplicity dependence of net-proton cumulant ratios up to sixth order from $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV $p$+$p$ collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The measured ratios $C_{4}/C_{2}$, $C_{5}/C_{1}$, and $C_{6}/C_{2}$ decrease with increased charged-particle multiplicity and rapidity acceptance. Neither the Skellam baselines nor PYTHIA8 calculations ac…
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We report on the charged-particle multiplicity dependence of net-proton cumulant ratios up to sixth order from $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV $p$+$p$ collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The measured ratios $C_{4}/C_{2}$, $C_{5}/C_{1}$, and $C_{6}/C_{2}$ decrease with increased charged-particle multiplicity and rapidity acceptance. Neither the Skellam baselines nor PYTHIA8 calculations account for the observed multiplicity dependence. In addition, the ratios $C_{5}/C_{1}$ and $C_{6}/C_{2}$ approach negative values in the highest-multiplicity events, which implies that thermalized QCD matter may be formed in $p$+$p$ collisions.
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Submitted 4 September, 2024; v1 submitted 1 November, 2023;
originally announced November 2023.
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The Optimal use of Segmentation for Sampling Calorimeters
Authors:
Fernando Torales Acosta,
Bishnu Karki,
Piyush Karande,
Aaron Angerami,
Miguel Arratia,
Kenneth Barish,
Ryan Milton,
Sebastián Morán,
Benjamin Nachman,
Anshuman Sinha
Abstract:
One of the key design choices of any sampling calorimeter is how fine to make the longitudinal and transverse segmentation. To inform this choice, we study the impact of calorimeter segmentation on energy reconstruction. To ensure that the trends are due entirely to hardware and not to a sub-optimal use of segmentation, we deploy deep neural networks to perform the reconstruction. These networks m…
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One of the key design choices of any sampling calorimeter is how fine to make the longitudinal and transverse segmentation. To inform this choice, we study the impact of calorimeter segmentation on energy reconstruction. To ensure that the trends are due entirely to hardware and not to a sub-optimal use of segmentation, we deploy deep neural networks to perform the reconstruction. These networks make use of all available information by representing the calorimeter as a point cloud. To demonstrate our approach, we simulate a detector similar to the forward calorimeter system intended for use in the ePIC detector, which will operate at the upcoming Electron Ion Collider. We find that for the energy estimation of isolated charged pion showers, relatively fine longitudinal segmentation is key to achieving an energy resolution that is better than 10% across the full phase space. These results provide a valuable benchmark for ongoing EIC detector optimizations and may also inform future studies involving high-granularity calorimeters in other experiments at various facilities.
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Submitted 2 October, 2023;
originally announced October 2023.
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The Present and Future of QCD
Authors:
P. Achenbach,
D. Adhikari,
A. Afanasev,
F. Afzal,
C. A. Aidala,
A. Al-bataineh,
D. K. Almaalol,
M. Amaryan,
D. Androić,
W. R. Armstrong,
M. Arratia,
J. Arrington,
A. Asaturyan,
E. C. Aschenauer,
H. Atac,
H. Avakian,
T. Averett,
C. Ayerbe Gayoso,
X. Bai,
K. N. Barish,
N. Barnea,
G. Basar,
M. Battaglieri,
A. A. Baty,
I. Bautista
, et al. (378 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
This White Paper presents the community inputs and scientific conclusions from the Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting that took place September 23-25, 2022 at MIT, as part of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) 2023 Long Range Planning process. A total of 424 physicists registered for the meeting. The meeting highlighted progress in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) nuclear physics since the 2015…
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This White Paper presents the community inputs and scientific conclusions from the Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting that took place September 23-25, 2022 at MIT, as part of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) 2023 Long Range Planning process. A total of 424 physicists registered for the meeting. The meeting highlighted progress in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) nuclear physics since the 2015 LRP (LRP15) and identified key questions and plausible paths to obtaining answers to those questions, defining priorities for our research over the coming decade. In defining the priority of outstanding physics opportunities for the future, both prospects for the short (~ 5 years) and longer term (5-10 years and beyond) are identified together with the facilities, personnel and other resources needed to maximize the discovery potential and maintain United States leadership in QCD physics worldwide. This White Paper is organized as follows: In the Executive Summary, we detail the Recommendations and Initiatives that were presented and discussed at the Town Meeting, and their supporting rationales. Section 2 highlights major progress and accomplishments of the past seven years. It is followed, in Section 3, by an overview of the physics opportunities for the immediate future, and in relation with the next QCD frontier: the EIC. Section 4 provides an overview of the physics motivations and goals associated with the EIC. Section 5 is devoted to the workforce development and support of diversity, equity and inclusion. This is followed by a dedicated section on computing in Section 6. Section 7 describes the national need for nuclear data science and the relevance to QCD research.
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Submitted 4 March, 2023;
originally announced March 2023.
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The RHIC Cold QCD Program
Authors:
Elke-Caroline Aschenauer,
Kenneth Barish,
Alexander Bazilevsky,
Xiaoxuan Chu,
James Drachenberg,
Oleg Eyser,
Renee Fatemi,
Carl Gagliardi,
Sanghwa Park,
Vincent Schoefer,
Ralf Seidl,
Scott Wissink,
Qinghua Xu,
Maria Zurek
Abstract:
The RHIC Cold QCD program has produced a remarkable breadth of physics results and experimental techniques in the exploration of the fundamental structure of strongly interacting matter over the years. In this document, we present highlights of longitudinal and transverse spin physics to date and the 25 years of innovation in accelerator science from the RHIC Spin program. These measurements and t…
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The RHIC Cold QCD program has produced a remarkable breadth of physics results and experimental techniques in the exploration of the fundamental structure of strongly interacting matter over the years. In this document, we present highlights of longitudinal and transverse spin physics to date and the 25 years of innovation in accelerator science from the RHIC Spin program. These measurements and techniques will be essential to fully realize the scientific missions of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) by providing a comprehensive set of measurements in hadronic collisions and laying the foundation for the design of the future EIC.
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Submitted 1 February, 2023;
originally announced February 2023.
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Higher-Order Cumulants and Correlation Functions of Proton Multiplicity Distributions in $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 3 GeV Au+Au Collisions at the RHIC STAR Experiment
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. S. Abdallah,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
D. M. Anderson,
E. C. Aschenauer,
J. Atchison,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
R. Bellwied,
P. Bhagat,
A. Bhasin,
S. Bhatta,
J. Bielcik,
J. Bielcikova,
J. D. Brandenburg,
X. Z. Cai
, et al. (349 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We report a measurement of cumulants and correlation functions of event-by-event proton multiplicity distributions from fixed-target Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 3 GeV measured by the STAR experiment. Protons are identified within the rapidity ($y$) and transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) region $-0.9 < y<0$ and $0.4 < p_{\rm T} <2.0 $ GeV/$c$ in the center-of-mass frame. A systematic a…
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We report a measurement of cumulants and correlation functions of event-by-event proton multiplicity distributions from fixed-target Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 3 GeV measured by the STAR experiment. Protons are identified within the rapidity ($y$) and transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) region $-0.9 < y<0$ and $0.4 < p_{\rm T} <2.0 $ GeV/$c$ in the center-of-mass frame. A systematic analysis of the proton cumulants and correlation functions up to sixth-order as well as the corresponding ratios as a function of the collision centrality, $p_{\rm T}$, and $y$ are presented. The effect of pileup and initial volume fluctuations on these observables and the respective corrections are discussed in detail. The results are compared to calculations from the hadronic transport UrQMD model as well as a hydrodynamic model. In the most central 5\% collisions, the value of proton cumulant ratio $C_4/C_2$ is negative, drastically different from the values observed in Au+Au collisions at higher energies. Compared to model calculations including Lattice QCD, a hadronic transport model, and a hydrodynamic model, the strong suppression in the ratio of $C_4/C_2$ at 3 GeV Au+Au collisions indicates an energy regime dominated by hadronic interactions.
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Submitted 22 February, 2023; v1 submitted 24 September, 2022;
originally announced September 2022.
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Beam Energy Dependence of Triton Production and Yield Ratio ($\mathrm{N}_t \times \mathrm{N}_p/\mathrm{N}_d^2$) in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. I. Abdulhamid,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
J. R. Adams,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
A. Aitbaev,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
S. Aslam,
J. Atchison,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
P. Bhagat,
A. Bhasin,
S. Bhatta,
I. G. Bordyuzhin,
J. D. Brandenburg
, et al. (333 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We report the triton ($t$) production in mid-rapidity ($|y| <$ 0.5) Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$= 7.7--200 GeV measured by the STAR experiment from the first phase of the beam energy scan at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The nuclear compound yield ratio ($\mathrm{N}_t \times \mathrm{N}_p/\mathrm{N}_d^2$), which is predicted to be sensitive to the fluctuation of local ne…
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We report the triton ($t$) production in mid-rapidity ($|y| <$ 0.5) Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$= 7.7--200 GeV measured by the STAR experiment from the first phase of the beam energy scan at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The nuclear compound yield ratio ($\mathrm{N}_t \times \mathrm{N}_p/\mathrm{N}_d^2$), which is predicted to be sensitive to the fluctuation of local neutron density, is observed to decrease monotonically with increasing charged-particle multiplicity ($dN_{ch}/dη$) and follows a scaling behavior. The $dN_{ch}/dη$ dependence of the yield ratio is compared to calculations from coalescence and thermal models. Enhancements in the yield ratios relative to the coalescence baseline are observed in the 0\%-10\% most central collisions at 19.6 and 27 GeV, with a significance of 2.3$σ$ and 3.4$σ$, respectively, giving a combined significance of 4.1$σ$. The enhancements are not observed in peripheral collisions or model calculations without critical fluctuation, and decreases with a smaller $p_{T}$ acceptance. The physics implications of these results on the QCD phase structure and the production mechanism of light nuclei in heavy-ion collisions are discussed.
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Submitted 18 May, 2023; v1 submitted 16 September, 2022;
originally announced September 2022.
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Search for the Chiral Magnetic Effect in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm{NN}}}}=27$ GeV with the STAR forward Event Plane Detectors
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
D. M. Anderson,
E. C. Aschenauer,
J. Atchison,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
R. Bellwied,
P. Bhagat,
A. Bhasin,
S. Bhatta,
J. Bielcik,
J. Bielcikova,
J. D. Brandenburg,
X. Z. Cai,
H. Caines,
M. Calderón de la Barca Sánchez
, et al. (347 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
A decisive experimental test of the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) is considered one of the major scientific goals at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) towards understanding the nontrivial topological fluctuations of the Quantum Chromodynamics vacuum. In heavy-ion collisions, the CME is expected to result in a charge separation phenomenon across the reaction plane, whose strength could be s…
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A decisive experimental test of the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) is considered one of the major scientific goals at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) towards understanding the nontrivial topological fluctuations of the Quantum Chromodynamics vacuum. In heavy-ion collisions, the CME is expected to result in a charge separation phenomenon across the reaction plane, whose strength could be strongly energy dependent. The previous CME searches have been focused on top RHIC energy collisions. In this Letter, we present a low energy search for the CME in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm{NN}}}}=27$ GeV. We measure elliptic flow scaled charge-dependent correlators relative to the event planes that are defined at both mid-rapidity $|η|<1.0$ and at forward rapidity $2.1 < |η|<5.1$. We compare the results based on the directed flow plane ($Ψ_1$) at forward rapidity and the elliptic flow plane ($Ψ_2$) at both central and forward rapidity. The CME scenario is expected to result in a larger correlation relative to $Ψ_1$ than to $Ψ_2$, while a flow driven background scenario would lead to a consistent result for both event planes. In 10-50\% centrality, results using three different event planes are found to be consistent within experimental uncertainties, suggesting a flow driven background scenario dominating the measurement. We obtain an upper limit on the deviation from a flow driven background scenario at the 95\% confidence level. This work opens up a possible road map towards future CME search with the high statistics data from the RHIC Beam Energy Scan Phase-II.
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Submitted 19 April, 2023; v1 submitted 7 September, 2022;
originally announced September 2022.
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Pion, kaon, and (anti-)proton production in U+U Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 193 GeV measured with the STAR detector
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. S. Abdallah,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
A. Aitbaev,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
J. Atchison,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
P. Bhagat,
A. Bhasin,
S. Bhatta,
I. G. Bordyuzhin,
J. D. Brandenburg
, et al. (330 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We present the first measurements of transverse momentum spectra of $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $p(\bar{p})$ at midrapidity ($|y| < 0.1$) in U+U collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 193 GeV with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The centrality dependence of particle yields, average transverse momenta, particle ratios and kinetic freeze-out parameters are discussed. The results…
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We present the first measurements of transverse momentum spectra of $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $p(\bar{p})$ at midrapidity ($|y| < 0.1$) in U+U collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 193 GeV with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The centrality dependence of particle yields, average transverse momenta, particle ratios and kinetic freeze-out parameters are discussed. The results are compared with the published results from Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} =$ 200 GeV in STAR. The results are also compared to those from A Multi Phase Transport (AMPT) model.
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Submitted 11 February, 2023; v1 submitted 1 August, 2022;
originally announced August 2022.
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Pattern of Global Spin Alignment of $φ$ and $K^{*0}$ mesons in Heavy-Ion Collisions
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. S. Abdallah,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
A. Aitbaev,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied
, et al. (368 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
Notwithstanding decades of progress since Yukawa first developed a description of the force between nucleons in terms of meson exchange, a full understanding of the strong interaction remains a major challenge in modern science. One remaining difficulty arises from the non-perturbative nature of the strong force, which leads to the phenomenon of quark confinement at distances on the order of the s…
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Notwithstanding decades of progress since Yukawa first developed a description of the force between nucleons in terms of meson exchange, a full understanding of the strong interaction remains a major challenge in modern science. One remaining difficulty arises from the non-perturbative nature of the strong force, which leads to the phenomenon of quark confinement at distances on the order of the size of the proton. Here we show that in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, where quarks and gluons are set free over an extended volume, two species of produced vector (spin-1) mesons, namely $φ$ and $K^{*0}$, emerge with a surprising pattern of global spin alignment. In particular, the global spin alignment for $φ$ is unexpectedly large, while that for $K^{*0}$ is consistent with zero. The observed spin-alignment pattern and magnitude for the $φ$ cannot be explained by conventional mechanisms, while a model with a connection to strong force fields, i.e. an effective proxy description within the Standard Model and Quantum Chromodynamics, accommodates the current data. This connection, if fully established, will open a potential new avenue for studying the behaviour of strong force fields.
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Submitted 18 January, 2023; v1 submitted 5 April, 2022;
originally announced April 2022.
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Search for the Chiral Magnetic Effect with Isobar Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV by the STAR Collaboration at RHIC
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. S. Abdallah,
B. E. Aboona,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied
, et al. (373 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
The chiral magnetic effect (CME) is predicted to occur as a consequence of a local violation of $\cal P$ and $\cal CP$ symmetries of the strong interaction amidst a strong electro-magnetic field generated in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Experimental manifestation of the CME involves a separation of positively and negatively charged hadrons along the direction of the magnetic field. Previous…
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The chiral magnetic effect (CME) is predicted to occur as a consequence of a local violation of $\cal P$ and $\cal CP$ symmetries of the strong interaction amidst a strong electro-magnetic field generated in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Experimental manifestation of the CME involves a separation of positively and negatively charged hadrons along the direction of the magnetic field. Previous measurements of the CME-sensitive charge-separation observables remain inconclusive because of large background contributions. In order to better control the influence of signal and backgrounds, the STAR Collaboration performed a blind analysis of a large data sample of approximately 3.8 billion isobar collisions of $^{96}_{44}$Ru+$^{96}_{44}$Ru and $^{96}_{40}$Zr+$^{96}_{40}$Zr at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=200$ GeV. Prior to the blind analysis, the CME signatures are predefined as a significant excess of the CME-sensitive observables in Ru+Ru collisions over those in Zr+Zr collisions, owing to a larger magnetic field in the former. A precision down to 0.4% is achieved, as anticipated, in the relative magnitudes of the pertinent observables between the two isobar systems. Observed differences in the multiplicity and flow harmonics at the matching centrality indicate that the magnitude of the CME background is different between the two species. No CME signature that satisfies the predefined criteria has been observed in isobar collisions in this blind analysis.
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Submitted 31 August, 2021;
originally announced September 2021.
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Search for the chiral magnetic effect via charge-dependent azimuthal correlations relative to spectator and participant planes in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. S. Abdallah,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
P. Bhagat
, et al. (365 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
The chiral magnetic effect (CME) refers to charge separation along a strong magnetic field due to imbalanced chirality of quarks in local parity and charge-parity violating domains in quantum chromodynamics. The experimental measurement of the charge separation is made difficult by the presence of a major background from elliptic azimuthal anisotropy. This background and the CME signal have differ…
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The chiral magnetic effect (CME) refers to charge separation along a strong magnetic field due to imbalanced chirality of quarks in local parity and charge-parity violating domains in quantum chromodynamics. The experimental measurement of the charge separation is made difficult by the presence of a major background from elliptic azimuthal anisotropy. This background and the CME signal have different sensitivities to the spectator and participant planes, and could thus be determined by measurements with respect to these planes. We report such measurements in Au+Au collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. It is found that the charge separation, with the flow background removed, is consistent with zero in peripheral (large impact parameter) collisions. Some indication of finite CME signals is seen in mid-central (intermediate impact parameter) collisions. Significant residual background effects may, however, still be present.
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Submitted 17 September, 2022; v1 submitted 17 June, 2021;
originally announced June 2021.
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Measurement of the Sixth-Order Cumulant of Net-Proton Multiplicity Distributions in Au+Au Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 27, 54.4, and 200 GeV at RHIC
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. S. Abdallah,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
P. Bhagat
, et al. (369 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
According to first principle Lattice QCD calculations, the transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadronic matter is a smooth crossover in the region $μ_{\rm B}\leq T_{c}$. In this range the ratio, $C_{6}/C_{2}$, of net-baryon distributions are predicted to be negative. In this paper, we report the first measurement of the midrapidity net-proton $C_{6}/C_{2}$ from 27, 54.4 and 200 GeV Au+Au collisi…
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According to first principle Lattice QCD calculations, the transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadronic matter is a smooth crossover in the region $μ_{\rm B}\leq T_{c}$. In this range the ratio, $C_{6}/C_{2}$, of net-baryon distributions are predicted to be negative. In this paper, we report the first measurement of the midrapidity net-proton $C_{6}/C_{2}$ from 27, 54.4 and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. The dependence on collision centrality and kinematic acceptance in ($p_{T}$, $y$) are analyzed. While for 27 and 54.4 GeV collisions the $C_{6}/C_{2}$ values are close to zero within uncertainties, it is observed that for 200 GeV collisions, the $C_{6}/C_{2}$ ratio becomes progressively negative from peripheral to central collisions. Transport model calculations without critical dynamics predict mostly positive values except for the most central collisions within uncertainties. These observations seem to favor a smooth crossover in the high energy nuclear collisions at top RHIC energy.
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Submitted 21 December, 2021; v1 submitted 31 May, 2021;
originally announced May 2021.
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Science Requirements and Detector Concepts for the Electron-Ion Collider: EIC Yellow Report
Authors:
R. Abdul Khalek,
A. Accardi,
J. Adam,
D. Adamiak,
W. Akers,
M. Albaladejo,
A. Al-bataineh,
M. G. Alexeev,
F. Ameli,
P. Antonioli,
N. Armesto,
W. R. Armstrong,
M. Arratia,
J. Arrington,
A. Asaturyan,
M. Asai,
E. C. Aschenauer,
S. Aune,
H. Avagyan,
C. Ayerbe Gayoso,
B. Azmoun,
A. Bacchetta,
M. D. Baker,
F. Barbosa,
L. Barion
, et al. (390 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
This report describes the physics case, the resulting detector requirements, and the evolving detector concepts for the experimental program at the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The EIC will be a powerful new high-luminosity facility in the United States with the capability to collide high-energy electron beams with high-energy proton and ion beams, providing access to those regions in the nucleon…
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This report describes the physics case, the resulting detector requirements, and the evolving detector concepts for the experimental program at the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The EIC will be a powerful new high-luminosity facility in the United States with the capability to collide high-energy electron beams with high-energy proton and ion beams, providing access to those regions in the nucleon and nuclei where their structure is dominated by gluons. Moreover, polarized beams in the EIC will give unprecedented access to the spatial and spin structure of the proton, neutron, and light ions. The studies leading to this document were commissioned and organized by the EIC User Group with the objective of advancing the state and detail of the physics program and developing detector concepts that meet the emerging requirements in preparation for the realization of the EIC. The effort aims to provide the basis for further development of concepts for experimental equipment best suited for the science needs, including the importance of two complementary detectors and interaction regions.
This report consists of three volumes. Volume I is an executive summary of our findings and developed concepts. In Volume II we describe studies of a wide range of physics measurements and the emerging requirements on detector acceptance and performance. Volume III discusses general-purpose detector concepts and the underlying technologies to meet the physics requirements. These considerations will form the basis for a world-class experimental program that aims to increase our understanding of the fundamental structure of all visible matter
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Submitted 26 October, 2021; v1 submitted 8 March, 2021;
originally announced March 2021.
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Cumulants and Correlation Functions of Net-proton, Proton and Antiproton Multiplicity Distributions in Au+Au Collisions at energies available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
M. S. Abdallah,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
I. Aggarwal,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
W. Baker,
J. G. Ball Cap,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
P. Bhagat
, et al. (367 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We report a systematic measurement of cumulants, $C_{n}$, for net-proton, proton and antiproton multiplicity distributions, and correlation functions, $κ_n$, for proton and antiproton multiplicity distributions up to the fourth order in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 54.4, 62.4 and 200 GeV. The $C_{n}$ and $κ_n$ are presented as a function of collisi…
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We report a systematic measurement of cumulants, $C_{n}$, for net-proton, proton and antiproton multiplicity distributions, and correlation functions, $κ_n$, for proton and antiproton multiplicity distributions up to the fourth order in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 54.4, 62.4 and 200 GeV. The $C_{n}$ and $κ_n$ are presented as a function of collision energy, centrality and kinematic acceptance in rapidity, $y$, and transverse momentum, $p_{T}$. The data were taken during the first phase of the Beam Energy Scan (BES) program (2010 -- 2017) at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) facility. The measurements are carried out at midrapidity ($|y| <$ 0.5) and transverse momentum 0.4 $<$ $p_{\rm T}$ $<$ 2.0 GeV/$c$, using the STAR detector at RHIC. We observe a non-monotonic energy dependence ($\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}$ = 7.7 -- 62.4 GeV) of the net-proton $C_{4}$/$C_{2}$ with the significance of 3.1$σ$ for the 0-5\% central Au+Au collisions. This is consistent with the expectations of critical fluctuations in a QCD-inspired model. Thermal and transport model calculations show a monotonic variation with $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}$. For the multiparticle correlation functions, we observe significant negative values for a two-particle correlation function, $κ_2$, of protons and antiprotons, which are mainly due to the effects of baryon number conservation. Furthermore, it is found that the four-particle correlation function, $κ_4$, of protons plays a role in determining the energy dependence of proton $C_4/C_1$ below 19.6 GeV, which cannot be understood by the effect of baryon number conservation.
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Submitted 7 August, 2021; v1 submitted 29 January, 2021;
originally announced January 2021.
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Beam energy dependence of net-$Λ$ fluctuations measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
A. Bhasin,
J. Bielcik,
J. Bielcikova,
L. C. Bland,
I. G. Bordyuzhin
, et al. (334 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
The measurements of particle multiplicity distributions have generated considerable interest in understanding the fluctuations of conserved quantum numbers in the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) hadronization regime, in particular near a possible critical point and near the chemical freeze-out. We report the measurement of efficiency and centrality bin width corrected cumulant ratios ($C_{2}/C_{1}$,…
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The measurements of particle multiplicity distributions have generated considerable interest in understanding the fluctuations of conserved quantum numbers in the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) hadronization regime, in particular near a possible critical point and near the chemical freeze-out. We report the measurement of efficiency and centrality bin width corrected cumulant ratios ($C_{2}/C_{1}$, $C_{3}/C_{2}$) of net-$Λ$ distributions, in the context of both strangeness and baryon number conservation, as a function of collision energy, centrality and rapidity. The results are for Au + Au collisions at five beam energies ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4 and 200 GeV) recorded with the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR). We compare our results to the Poisson and negative binomial (NBD) expectations, as well as to Ultra-relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) and Hadron Resonance Gas (HRG) model predictions. Both NBD and Poisson baselines agree with data within the statistical and systematic uncertainties. The ratios of the measured cumulants show no features of critical fluctuations. The chemical freeze-out temperatures extracted from a recent HRG calculation, which was successfully used to describe the net-proton, net-kaon and net-charge data, indicate $Λ$ freeze-out conditions similar to those of kaons. However, large deviations are found when comparing to temperatures obtained from net-proton fluctuations. The net-$Λ$ cumulants show a weak, but finite, dependence on the rapidity coverage in the acceptance of the detector, which can be attributed to quantum number conservation.
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Submitted 17 January, 2020;
originally announced January 2020.
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Non-monotonic energy dependence of net-proton number fluctuations
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
A. Bhasin,
J. Bielcik,
J. Bielcikova,
L. C. Bland,
I. G. Bordyuzhin
, et al. (334 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
Non-monotonic variation with collision energy ($\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$) of the moments of the net-baryon number distribution in heavy-ion collisions, related to the correlation length and the susceptibilities of the system, is suggested as a signature for the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) critical point. We report the first evidence of a non-monotonic variation in kurtosis times variance of the net-pro…
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Non-monotonic variation with collision energy ($\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$) of the moments of the net-baryon number distribution in heavy-ion collisions, related to the correlation length and the susceptibilities of the system, is suggested as a signature for the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) critical point. We report the first evidence of a non-monotonic variation in kurtosis times variance of the net-proton number (proxy for net-baryon number) distribution as a function of \rootsnn with 3.1$σ$ significance, for head-on (central) gold-on-gold (Au+Au) collisions measured using the STAR detector at RHIC. Data in non-central Au+Au collisions and models of heavy-ion collisions without a critical point show a monotonic variation as a function of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$.
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Submitted 12 October, 2021; v1 submitted 9 January, 2020;
originally announced January 2020.
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Bulk Properties of the System Formed in Au+Au Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 14.5 GeV
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
R. Aoyama,
A. Aparin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. G. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
K. Barish,
A. J. Bassill,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
A. Bhasin,
A. K. Bhati,
J. Bielcik
, et al. (324 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We report systematic measurements of bulk properties of the system created in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 14.5 GeV recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).The transverse momentum spectra of $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$ and $p(\bar{p})$ are studied at mid-rapidity ($|y| < 0.1$) for nine centrality intervals. The centrality, transverse momentum ($p_T$),…
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We report systematic measurements of bulk properties of the system created in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 14.5 GeV recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).The transverse momentum spectra of $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$ and $p(\bar{p})$ are studied at mid-rapidity ($|y| < 0.1$) for nine centrality intervals. The centrality, transverse momentum ($p_T$),and pseudorapidity ($η$) dependence of inclusive charged particle elliptic flow ($v_2$), and rapidity-odd charged particles directed flow ($v_{1}$) results near mid-rapidity are also presented. These measurements are compared with the published results from Au+Au collisions at other energies, and from Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. The results at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 14.5 GeV show similar behavior as established at other energies and fit well in the energy dependence trend. These results are important as the 14.5 GeV energy fills the gap in $μ_B$, which is of the order of 100 MeV,between $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ =11.5 and 19.6 GeV. Comparisons of the data with UrQMD and AMPT models show poor agreement in general.
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Submitted 9 August, 2019;
originally announced August 2019.
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Collision energy dependence of second-order off-diagonal and diagonal cumulants of net-charge, net-proton and net-kaon multiplicity distributions in Au+Au collisions
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
J. Adam,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
R. Aoyama,
A. Aparin,
D. Arkhipkin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
F. Atetalla,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
V. Bairathi,
K. Barish,
A. J. Bassill,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
A. Bhasin,
A. K. Bhati
, et al. (323 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We report the first measurements of a complete second-order cumulant matrix of net-charge, net-proton, and net-kaon multiplicity distributions for the first phase of the beam energy scan program at RHIC. This includes the centrality and, for the first time, the pseudorapidity window dependence of both diagonal and off-diagonal cumulants in Au+Au collisions at \sNN~= 7.7-200 GeV. Within the availab…
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We report the first measurements of a complete second-order cumulant matrix of net-charge, net-proton, and net-kaon multiplicity distributions for the first phase of the beam energy scan program at RHIC. This includes the centrality and, for the first time, the pseudorapidity window dependence of both diagonal and off-diagonal cumulants in Au+Au collisions at \sNN~= 7.7-200 GeV. Within the available acceptance of $|η|<0.5$, the cumulants grow linearly with the pseudorapidity window. Relative to the corresponding measurements in peripheral collisions, the ratio of off-diagonal over diagonal cumulants in central collisions indicates an excess correlation between net-charge and net-kaon, as well as between net-charge and net-proton. The strength of such excess correlation increases with the collision energy. The correlation between net-proton and net-kaon multiplicity distributions is observed to be negative at \sNN~= 200 GeV and change to positive at the lowest collision energy. Model calculations based on non-thermal (UrQMD) and thermal (HRG) production of hadrons cannot explain the data. These measurements will help map the QCD phase diagram, constrain hadron resonance gas model calculations, and provide new insights on the energy dependence of baryon-strangeness correlations. An erratum has been added to address the issue of self-correlation in the previously considered efficiency correction for off-diagonal cumulant measurement. Previously considered unidentified (net-)charge correlation results ($σ^{11}_{Q,p}$ and $σ^{11}_{Q,k})$ are now replaced with identified (net-)charge correlation ($σ^{11}_{Q^{PID},p}$ and $σ^{11}_{Q^{PID},k}$)
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Submitted 8 February, 2022; v1 submitted 13 March, 2019;
originally announced March 2019.
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Collision Energy Dependence of Moments of Net-Kaon Multiplicity Distributions at RHIC
Authors:
STAR Collaboration,
L. Adamczyk,
J. R. Adams,
J. K. Adkins,
G. Agakishiev,
M. M. Aggarwal,
Z. Ahammed,
N. N. Ajitanand,
I. Alekseev,
D. M. Anderson,
R. Aoyama,
A. Aparin,
D. Arkhipkin,
E. C. Aschenauer,
M. U. Ashraf,
A. Attri,
G. S. Averichev,
X. Bai,
V. Bairathi,
K. Barish,
A. Behera,
R. Bellwied,
A. Bhasin,
A. K. Bhati,
P. Bhattarai
, et al. (327 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
Fluctuations of conserved quantities such as baryon number, charge, and strangeness are sensitive to the correlation length of the hot and dense matter created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and can be used to search for the QCD critical point. We report the first measurements of the moments of net-kaon multiplicity distributions in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 14.5,…
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Fluctuations of conserved quantities such as baryon number, charge, and strangeness are sensitive to the correlation length of the hot and dense matter created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and can be used to search for the QCD critical point. We report the first measurements of the moments of net-kaon multiplicity distributions in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4, and 200 GeV. The collision centrality and energy dependence of the mean ($M$), variance ($σ^2$), skewness ($S$), and kurtosis ($κ$) for net-kaon multiplicity distributions as well as the ratio $σ^2/M$ and the products $Sσ$ and $κσ^2$ are presented. Comparisons are made with Poisson and negative binomial baseline calculations as well as with UrQMD, a transport model (UrQMD) that does not include effects from the QCD critical point. Within current uncertainties, the net-kaon cumulant ratios appear to be monotonic as a function of collision energy.
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Submitted 16 September, 2018; v1 submitted 3 September, 2017;
originally announced September 2017.
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Recent Results from PHENIX
Authors:
Kenneth N. Barish
Abstract:
I report on results from the PHENIX collaboration for the first RHIC run, where gold ions were collided at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=130 GeV$.
In order to study initial conditions, PHENIX has measured the ratio between anti-protons and protons, the transverse energy, and charged multiplicity as a function of collision centrality. These measurements allows us to extract some information on the initial den…
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I report on results from the PHENIX collaboration for the first RHIC run, where gold ions were collided at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=130 GeV$.
In order to study initial conditions, PHENIX has measured the ratio between anti-protons and protons, the transverse energy, and charged multiplicity as a function of collision centrality. These measurements allows us to extract some information on the initial density of created partons, the baryon density, the energy density, and particle production. In order to probe the formation of a possible new state of matter, PHENIX has measured the neutral pion and unidentified hadron transverse momentum spectra. We find a deficit compared to the the expectations from simple nucleon-nucleon scaling. These novel results are consistent with expectations that high $p_T$ leading particles will be suppressed in the presence of the formation of a plasma.
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Submitted 29 November, 2001;
originally announced November 2001.