We report new STAR measurements of the single-spin asymmetries AL for W+ and W− bosons produced in polarized proton-proton collisions at s=510 GeV as a function of the decay-positron and ...decay-electron pseudorapidity. The data were obtained in 2013 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 250 pb−1. The results are combined with previous results obtained with 86 pb−1. A comparison with theoretical expectations based on polarized lepton-nucleon deep-inelastic scattering and prior polarized proton-proton data suggests a difference between the u¯ and d¯ quark helicity distributions for 0.05<x<0.25. In addition, we report new results for the double-spin asymmetries ALL for W±, as well as AL for Z/γ* production and subsequent decay into electron-positron pairs.
We report on the W and Z/γ∗ differential and total cross sections as well as the W+/W− and (W+ + W−)/(Z/γ∗) cross section ratios measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC in p + p collisions at √s = ...500 GeV and 510 GeV. The cross sections and their ratios are sensitive to quark and antiquark parton distribution functions. In particular, at leading order, the W cross section ratio is sensitive to the d/u ratio. These measurements were taken at high Q2 ∼ M2W, M2Z and can serve as input into global analyses to provide constraints on the sea quark distributions. The results presented here combine three STAR datasets from 2011, 2012, and 2013, accumulating an integrated luminosity of 350 pb−1. We also assess the expected impact that our W+ / W− cross section ratios will have on various quark distributions, and find sensitivity to the u − d and d/u distributions.
Particle production sensitive to nonfactorizable and nonperturbative processes that contribute to the underlying event associated with a high transverse momentum ( pT) jet in proton + proton ...collisions at √s = 200 GeV is studied with the STAR detector. Each event is divided into three regions based on the azimuthal angle with respect to the highest- p T jet direction: in the leading jet direction ("Toward"), opposite to the leading jet ("Away"), and perpendicular to the leading jet ("Transverse"). In the Transverse region, the average charged particle density is found to be between 0.4 and 0.6 and the mean transverse momentum, ⟨pT⟩, between 0.5 and 0.7 GeV/c for particles with pT > 0.2 GeV/c at mid-pseudorapidity (|η| < 1) and jet pT > 15 GeV / c . Both average particle density and ⟨pT⟩depend weakly on the leading jet pT. Closer inspection of the Transverse region hints that contributions to the underlying event from initial- and final-state radiation are significantly smaller in these collisions than at the higher energies, up to 13 TeV, recorded at the LHC. Underlying event measurements associated with a high-pT jet will contribute to our understanding of QCD processes at hard and soft scales at RHIC energies, as well as provide constraints to modeling of underlying event dynamics.
We present measurements of the differential cross sections of inclusive J/ψ meson production as a function of transverse momentum (pTJ/ψ) using the μ+μ− and e+e− decay channels in proton+proton ...collisions at center-of-mass energies of 510 and 500 GeV, respectively, recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The measurement from the μ+μ− channel is for 0<pTJ/ψ<9 GeV/c and rapidity range |yJ/ψ|<0.4, and that from the e+e− channel is for 4<pTJ/ψ<20 GeV/c and |yJ/ψ|<1.0. The ψ(2S) to J/ψ ratio is also measured for 4<pTmeson<12 GeV/c through the e+e− decay channel. Model calculations, which incorporate different approaches toward the J/ψ production mechanism, are compared with experimental results and show reasonable agreement within uncertainties.
The longitudinal spin transfer DLL to Λ and Λ hyperons produced in high-energy polarized proton-proton collisions is expected to be sensitive to the helicity distribution functions of strange quarks ...and antiquarks of the proton, and to longitudinally polarized fragmentation functions. We report an improved measurement of DLL from data obtained at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 200 GeV with the STAR detector at RHIC. The data have an approximately twelve times larger figure of merit than prior results and cover |η| < 1.2 in pseudorapidity with transverse momenta pT up to 6 GeV / c. In the forward scattering hemisphere at largest pT, the longitudinal spin transfer is found to be DLL = −0.036 ± 0.048 (stat) ± 0.013 (sys) for Λ hyperons and DLL = 0.032 ± 0.043 (stat) ± 0.013 ( sys ) for Λ antihyperons. The dependences on η and pT are presented and compared with model evaluations.
We report on new measurements of inclusive J / ψ polarization at midrapidity in p + p collisions at √s = 200 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The polarization ...parameters, λθ, λϕ, and λθϕ, are measured as a function of transverse momentum ( pT ) in both the helicity and Collins-Soper (CS) reference frames within pT < 10 GeV / c. Except for λθ in the CS frame at the highest measured pT, all three polarization parameters are consistent with 0 in both reference frames without any strong pT dependence. Several model calculations are compared with data, and the one using the Color Glass Condensate effective field theory coupled with nonrelativistic QCD gives the best overall description of the experimental results, even though other models cannot be ruled out due to experimental uncertainties.
We report on the first measurement of charm-strange meson $D_s^{\pm}$ production at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$ = 200 GeV from the STAR experiment. The yield ratio ...between strange ($D_{s}^{\pm}$) and non-strange ($D^{0}$) open-charm mesons is presented and compared to model calculations. A significant enhancement, relative to a PYTHIA simulation of $p$+$p$ collisions, is observed in the $D_{s}^{\pm}/D^0$ yield ratio in Au+Au collisions over a large range of collision centralities. Model calculations incorporating abundant strange-quark production in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and coalescence hadronization qualitatively reproduce the data. The transverse-momentum integrated yield ratio of $D_{s}^{\pm}/D^0$ at midrapidity is consistent with a prediction from a statistical hadronization model with the parameters constrained by the yields of light and strange hadrons measured at the same collision energy. These results suggest that the coalescence of charm quarks with strange quarks in the QGP plays an important role in $D_{s}^{\pm}$ meson production in heavy-ion collisions.
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