The Beam–Beam Counter of the spin physics detector at NICA is proposed for local polarimetry and luminosity monitoring. The main option of the Beam-Beam Counter is the scintillation tiles with SiPM ...readout. In this paper, we present the results of studies of a scintillation detector prototype using two types of primary electronics. An estimation of the time resolution using the procedure for correcting the “time-walking” effect is discussed.
We report the beam energy (sqrtsNN=7.7-200 GeV) and collision centrality dependence of the mean (M), standard deviation (σ), skewness (S), and kurtosis (κ) of the net-proton multiplicity ...distributions in Au+Au collisions. The measurements are carried out by the STAR experiment at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) and within the transverse momentum range 0.4<pT<0.8 GeV/c in the first phase of the Beam Energy Scan program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. These measurements are important for understanding the quantum chromodynamic phase diagram. The products of the moments, Sσ and κσ2, are sensitive to the correlation length of the hot and dense medium created in the collisions and are related to the ratios of baryon number susceptibilities of corresponding orders. The products of moments are found to have values significantly below the Skellam expectation and close to expectations based on independent proton and antiproton production. The measurements are compared to a transport model calculation to understand the effect of acceptance and baryon number conservation and also to a hadron resonance gas model.
According to the CPT theorem, which states that the combined operation of charge conjugation, parity transformation and time reversal must be conserved, particles and their antiparticles should have ...the same mass and lifetime but opposite charge and magnetic moment. Here, we test CPT symmetry in a nucleus containing a strange quark, more specifically in the hypertriton. This hypernucleus is the lightest one yet discovered and consists of a proton, a neutron and a Λ hyperon. With data recorded by the STAR detector1–3 at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, we measure the Λ hyperon binding energy BΛ for the hypertriton, and find that it differs from the widely used value4 and from predictions5–8, where the hypertriton is treated as a weakly bound system. Our results place stringent constraints on the hyperon–nucleon interaction9,10 and have implications for understanding neutron star interiors, where strange matter may be present11. A precise comparison of the masses of the hypertriton and the antihypertriton allows us to test CPT symmetry in a nucleus with strangeness, and we observe no deviation from the expected exact symmetry.The STAR collaboration reports a measurement of the mass difference and binding energy of the hypertriton and its antiparticle. This work constrains the hyperon–nucleon interaction and allows us to test the CPT theorem in a nucleus with strangeness.
Here, we report the energy dependence of mid-rapidity (anti-)deuteron production in Au+Au collisions at $ \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4, and 200 GeV, measured by the STAR ...experiment at RHIC. The yield of deuterons is found to be well described by the thermal model. The collision energy, centrality, and transverse momentum dependence of the coalescence parameter B2 are discussed. We find that the values of B2 for antideuterons are systematically lower than those for deuterons, indicating that the correlation volume of antibaryons is larger than that of baryons at $ \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ from 19.6 to 39 GeV. In addition, values of B2 are found to vary with collision energy and show a broad minimum around $ \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 20 to 40 GeV, which might imply a change of the equation of state of the medium in these collisions.
We report on the first measurement of the charmed baryon Λc± production at midrapidity (|y|<1) in Au+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV collected by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion ...Collider. The Λc/D0 denoting (Λc++Λc−)/(D0+D¯0) yield ratio is measured to be 1.08±0.16 (stat)±0.26 (sys) in the 0%–20% most central Au+Au collisions for the transverse momentum (pT) range 3<pT<6 GeV/c. This is significantly larger than the pythia model calculations for p+p collisions. The measured Λc/D0 ratio, as a function of pT and collision centrality, is comparable to the baryon-to-meson ratios for light and strange hadrons in Au+Au collisions. Model calculations including coalescence hadronization for charmed baryon and meson formation reproduce the features of our measured Λc/D0 ratio.
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.
A precise measurement of the analyzing power AN in proton–proton elastic scattering in the region of 4-momentum transfer squared 0.001<|t|<0.032 (GeV/c)2 has been performed using a polarized atomic ...hydrogen gas jet target and the 100 GeV/c RHIC proton beam. The interference of the electromagnetic spin-flip amplitude with a hadronic spin-nonflip amplitude is predicted to generate a significant AN of 4–5%, peaking at −t≃0.003 (GeV/c)2. This kinematic region is known as the Coulomb nuclear interference region. A possible hadronic spin-flip amplitude modifies this calculable prediction. We present the first precise result of the CNI asymmetry and shape as a function of t. Our data are well described by the CNI prediction with the electromagnetic spin-flip alone and do not support the presence of a large hadronic spin-flip amplitude.
Rapidity-odd directed flow (v1) measurements for charged pions, protons, and antiprotons near midrapidity (y=0) are reported in sNN=7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4, and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions as ...recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. At intermediate impact parameters, the proton and net-proton slope parameter dv1/dy|y=0 shows a minimum between 11.5 and 19.6 GeV. In addition, the net-proton dv1/dy|y=0 changes sign twice between 7.7 and 39 GeV. The proton and net-proton results qualitatively resemble predictions of a hydrodynamic model with a first-order phase transition from hadronic matter to deconfined matter, and differ from hadronic transport calculations.
We report measurements of the nuclear modification factor RCP for charged hadrons as well as identified π+(−), K+(−), and p(p¯) for Au+Au collision energies of sNN=7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, and ...62.4 GeV. We observe a clear high-pT net suppression in central collisions at 62.4 GeV for charged hadrons which evolves smoothly to a large net enhancement at lower energies. This trend is driven by the evolution of the pion spectra but is also very similar for the kaon spectra. While the magnitude of the proton RCP at high pT does depend on the collision energy, neither the proton nor the antiproton RCP at high pT exhibit net suppression at any energy. A study of how the binary collision-scaled high-pT yield evolves with centrality reveals a nonmonotonic shape that is consistent with the idea that jet quenching is increasing faster than the combined phenomena that lead to enhancement.