We present the measurement of the transverse single-spin asymmetry of weak boson production in transversely polarized proton-proton collisions at s=500 GeV by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The ...measured observable is sensitive to the Sivers function, one of the transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions, which is predicted to have the opposite sign in proton-proton collisions from that observed in deep inelastic lepton-proton scattering. These data provide the first experimental investigation of the nonuniversality of the Sivers function, fundamental to our understanding of QCD.
The TWIST Collaboration has completed a new measurement of the energy-angle spectrum of positrons from the decay of highly polarized muons. A simultaneous measurement of the muon decay parameters ρ, ...δ, and P(μ)(π)ξ tests the standard model in a purely leptonic process and provides improved limits for relevant extensions to the standard model. Specifically, for the generalized left-right symmetric model |(g(R)/g(L))ζ|<0.020 and (g(L)/g(R))m(2)>578 GeV/c(2), both 90% C.L.
We present measurements of second-order azimuthal anisotropy (v2) at midrapidity (|y| < 1.0) for light nuclei d,t,3He (for sNN=200, 62.4, 39, 27, 19.6, 11.5, and 7.7 GeV) and antinuclei $ ...\overline{d}\ $; (sNN=200, 62.4, 39, 27, and 19.6 GeV) and 3H$ \overline{e}\ $(sNN=200 GeV) in the STAR (Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC) experiment. The v2 for these light nuclei produced in heavy-ion collisions is compared with those for p and $ \overline{p}\ $. We observe mass ordering in nuclei v2(pT) at low transverse momenta (pT < 2.0 GeV/c). We also find a centrality dependence of v2 for d and $ \overline{d}\ $. The magnitude of v2 for t and 3He agree within statistical errors. Light-nuclei v2 are compared with predictions from a blast-wave model. Atomic mass number (A) scaling of light-nuclei v2(pT) seems to hold for pT/A < 1.5GeV/c. Results on light-nuclei v2 from a transport-plus-coalescence model are consistent with the experimental measurements.
We present Lambda Lambda correlation measurements in heavy-ion collisions for Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV using the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. The ...Lednicky-Lyuboshitz analytical model has been used to fit the data to obtain a source size, a scattering length and an effective range. Implications of the measurement of the Lambda Lambda correlation function and interaction parameters for dihyperon searches are discussed.
We present results from a harmonic decomposition of two-particle azimuthal correlations measured with the STAR detector in Au+Au collisions for energies ranging from sqrts_{NN}=7.7 to 200 GeV. The ...third harmonic v_{3}^{2}{2}=⟨cos3(ϕ_{1}-ϕ_{2})⟩, where ϕ_{1}-ϕ_{2} is the angular difference in azimuth, is studied as a function of the pseudorapidity difference between particle pairs Δη=η_{1}-η_{2}. Nonzero v_{3}^{2}{2} is directly related to the previously observed large-Δη narrow-Δϕ ridge correlations and has been shown in models to be sensitive to the existence of a low viscosity quark gluon plasma phase. For sufficiently central collisions, v_{3}^{2}{2} persist down to an energy of 7.7 GeV, suggesting that quark gluon plasma may be created even in these low energy collisions. In peripheral collisions at these low energies, however, v_{3}^{2}{2} is consistent with zero. When scaled by the pseudorapidity density of charged-particle multiplicity per participating nucleon pair, v_{3}^{2}{2} for central collisions shows a minimum near sqrts_{NN}=20 GeV.
In this paper, we present high precision measurements of elliptic flow near midrapidity (|y|<1.0) for multistrange hadrons and φ meson as a function of centrality and transverse momentum in Au+Au ...collisions at center of mass energy $\sqrt{sNN}$=200 GeV. We observe that the transverse momentum dependence of φ and Ωv2 is similar to that of π and p, respectively, which may indicate that the heavier strange quark flows as strongly as the lighter up and down quarks. This observation constitutes a clear piece of evidence for the development of partonic collectivity in heavy-ion collisions at the top RHIC energy. Number of constituent quark scaling is found to hold within statistical uncertainty for both 0%-30% and 30%-80% collision centrality. Finally, there is an indication of the breakdown of previously observed mass ordering between φ and proton v2 at low transverse momentum in the 0%-30% centrality range, possibly indicating late hadronic interactions affecting the proton v2.
As a neutron scatters from a target nucleus, there is a small but measurable effect caused by the interaction of the neutron's magnetic dipole moment with that of the partially screened electric ...field of the nucleus. This spin-orbit interaction is typically referred to as Schwinger scattering and induces a small rotation of the neutron's spin on the order of 10
rad for Bragg diffraction from silicon. In our experiment, neutrons undergo greater than 100 successive Bragg reflections from the walls of a slotted, perfect-silicon crystal to amplify the total spin rotation. A magnetic field is employed to insure constructive addition as the neutron undergoes this series of reflections. The strength of the spin-orbit interaction, which is directly proportional to the electric field, was determined by measuring the rotation of the neutron's spin-polarization vector. Our measurements show good agreement with the expected variation of this rotation with the applied magnetic field, while the magnitude of the rotation is ≈40 % larger than expected.
We present measurements of Ω and φ production at midrapidity from Au+Au collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies sNN=7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, and 39 GeV by the STAR experiment at the BNL ...Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Motivated by the coalescence formation mechanism for these strange hadrons, we study the ratios of N(Ω-+Ω#x0002B;)/2N(φ). These ratios as a function of transverse momentum pT fall on a consistent trend at high collision energies, but start to show deviations in peripheral collisions at sNN=19.6, 27, and 39 GeV, and in central collisions at 11.5 GeV in the intermediate pT region of 2.4-3.6 GeV/c. We further evaluate empirically the strange quark pT distributions at hadronization by studying the Ω/φ ratios scaled by the number of constituent quarks (NCQ). The NCQ-scaled Ω/φ ratios show a suppression of strange quark production in central collisions at 11.5 GeV compared to sNN≥19.6 GeV. The shapes of the presumably thermal strange quark distributions in 0-60% most central collisions at 7.7 GeV show significant deviations from those in 0-10% most central collisions at higher energies. These features suggest that there is likely a change of the underlying strange quark dynamics in the transition from quark matter to hadronic matter at collision energies below 19.6 GeV.
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