We present azimuthal angular correlations between charged hadrons and energy deposited in calorimeter towers in central d+Au and minimum bias p+p collisions at sNN=200 GeV. The charged hadron is ...measured at midrapidity |eta|<0.35, and the energy is measured at large rapidity (-3.7<eta< -3.1, Au-going direction). An enhanced near-side angular correlation across | Delta eta|>2.75 is observed in d+Au collisions. Using the event plane method applied to the Au-going energy distribution, we extract the anisotropy strength v2 for inclusive charged hadrons at midrapidity up to pT=4.5 GeV/c. We also present the measurement of v2 for identified pi+ or - and (anti)protons in central d+Au collisions, and observe a mass-ordering pattern similar to that seen in heavy-ion collisions. These results are compared with viscous hydrodynamic calculations and measurements from p+Pb at sNN=5.02 TeV. The magnitude of the mass ordering in d+Au is found to be smaller than that in p+Pb collisions, which may indicate smaller radial flow in lower energy d+Au collisions.
Measurements of midrapidity charged-particle multiplicity distributions, dNch/dη, and midrapidity transverse-energy distributions, dET/dη, are presented for a variety of collision systems and ...energies. Included are distributions for Au+Au collisions at sNN=200, 130, 62.4, 39, 27, 19.6, 14.5, and 7.7 GeV, Cu+Cu collisions at sNN=200 and 62.4 GeV, Cu+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, U+U collisions at sNN=193 GeV, d+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, He3+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV, and p+p collisions at sNN=200 GeV. Centrality-dependent distributions at midrapidity are presented in terms of the number of nucleon participants, Npart, and the number of constituent quark participants, Nqp. For all A+A collisions down to sNN=7.7 GeV, it is observed that the midrapidity data are better described by scaling with Nqp than scaling with Npart. Also presented are estimates of the Bjorken energy density, BJ, and the ratio of dET/dη to dNch/dη, the latter of which is seen to be constant as a function of centrality for all systems.
In this paper, we present the first measurement of elliptic (v2) and triangular (v3) flow in high-multiplicity 3He+Aucollisions at √sNN=200 GeV. Two-particle correlations, where the particles have a ...large separation in pseudorapidity, are compared in 3He+Au and in p+p collisions and indicate that collective effects dominate the second and third Fourier components for the correlations observed in the 3He+Ausystem. The collective behavior is quantified in terms of elliptic v2 and triangular v3 anisotropy coefficients measured with respect to their corresponding event planes. The v2 values are comparable to those previously measured in d+Au collisions at the same nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy. Comparisons with various theoretical predictions are made, including to models where the hot spots created by the impact of the three 3He nucleons on the Au nucleus expand hydrodynamically to generate the triangular flow. Finally, the agreement of these models with data may indicate the formation of low-viscosity quark-gluon plasma even in these small collision systems.
Jet production rates are measured in p+p and d+Au collisions at $\sqrt{sNN}$=200 GeV recorded in 2008 with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Jets are reconstructed using the ...R = 0.3 anti-kt algorithm from energy deposits in the electromagnetic calorimeter and charged tracks in multi-wire proportional chambers, and the jet transverse momentum (pT ) spectra are corrected for the detector response. Spectra are reported for jets with 12 < pT < 50 GeV/c, within a pseudorapidity acceptance of |η|< 0.3. The nuclear-modification factor (RdAu) values for 0%-100% d+Au events are found to be consistent with unity, constraining the role of initial state effects on jet production. However, the centrality-selected RdAu values and central-to-peripheral ratios (RCP) show large, pT -dependent deviations from unity, challenging the conventional models that relate hard-process rates and soft-particle production in collisions involving nuclei.
We present results for three charmonia states (ψ′, χc, and J/ψ) in d+Au collisions at |y|<0.35 and sNN−−−√=200 GeV. We find that the modification of the ψ′ yield relative to that of the J/ψ scales ...approximately with charged particle multiplicity at midrapidity across p+A, d+Au, and A+A results from the Super Proton Synchrotron and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In large-impact-parameter collisions we observe a similar suppression for the ψ′ and J/ψ, while in small-impact-parameter collisions the more weakly bound ψ′ is more strongly suppressed. Owing to the short time spent traversing the Au nucleus, the larger ψ′ suppression in central events is not explained by an increase of the nuclear absorption owing to meson formation time effects.
PHENIX has measured the e(+)e(-) pair continuum in root s(NN) = 200 GeV Au+Au and p+p collisions over a wide range of mass and transverse momenta. The e(+)e(-) yield is compared to the expectations ...from hadronic sources, based on PHENIX measurements. In the intermediate-mass region, between the masses of the phi and the J/psi meson, the yield is consistent with expectations from correlated c (c) over bar production, although other mechanisms are not ruled out. In the low-mass region, below the phi, the p+p inclusive mass spectrum is well described by known contributions from light meson decays. In contrast, the Au+Au minimum bias inclusive mass spectrum in this region shows an enhancement by a factor of 4.7 +/- 0.4(stat) +/- 1.5(syst) +/- 0.9(model). At low mass (m(ee) < 0.3 GeV/c(2)) and high p(T) (1 < p(T) < 5 GeV/c) an enhanced e(+)e(-) pair yield is observed that is consistent with production of virtual direct photons. This excess is used to infer the yield of real direct photons. In central Au+Au collisions, the excess of the direct photon yield over the p+p is exponential in p(T), with inverse slope T = 221 +/- 19(stat) +/- 19(syst) MeV. Hydrodynamical models with initial temperatures ranging from T-init similar or equal to 300-600 MeV at times of 0.6-0.15 fm/c after the collision are in qualitative agreement with the direct photon data in Au+Au. For low p(T) < 1 GeV/c the low-mass region shows a further significant enhancement that increases with centrality and has an inverse slope of T similar or equal to 100 MeV. Theoretical models underpredict the low-mass, low-p(T) enhancement.
The PHENIX experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) has measured electrons with 0.3 < p(T) < 9 GeV/c at midrapidity (y < 0.35) from heavy-flavor (charm and bottom) decays in Au + ...Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. The nuclear modification factor R-AA relative to p + p collisions shows a strong suppression in central Au + Au collisions, indicating substantial energy loss of heavy quarks in the medium produced at RHIC energies. A large azimuthal anisotropy v(2) with respect to the reaction plane is observed for 0.5 < p(T) < 5 GeV/c indicating substantial heavy-flavor elliptic flow. Both R-AA and v(2) show a p(T) dependence different from those of neutral pions. A comparison to transport models which simultaneously describe R-AA(p(T)) and v(2)(p(T)) suggests that the viscosity to entropy density ratio is close to the conjectured quantum lower bound, i.e., near a perfect fluid.
We measured direct photons for pT<5GeV/c in minimum bias and 0%–40% most-central events at midrapidity for Cu+Cu collisions at √sNN=200GeV. The e+e− contribution from quasireal direct virtual photons ...has been determined as an excess over the known hadronic contributions in the e+e− mass distribution. A clear enhancement of photons over the binary scaled p+p fit is observed for pT<4GeV/c in Cu+Cu data. The pT spectra are consistent with the Au+Au data covering a similar number of participants. The inverse slopes of the exponential fits to the excess after subtraction of the p+p baseline are 285±53(stat)±57(syst)MeV/c and 333±72(stat)±45(syst)MeV/c for minimum bias and 0%–40% most-central events, respectively. The rapidity density, dN/dy, of photons demonstrates the same power law as a function of dNch/dη observed in Au+Au at the same collision energy.
Azimuthal angle (Delta phi) correlations are presented for a broad range of transverse momentum (0.4 < p(T) < 10 GeV/c) and centrality (0-92%) selections for charged hadrons from dijets in Au+Au ...collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. With increasing p(T), the away-side Delta phi distribution evolves from a broad and relatively flat shape to a concave shape, then to a convex shape. Comparisons with p + p data suggest that the away-side distribution can be divided into a partially suppressed "head" region centered at Delta phi similar to pi, and an enhanced "shoulder" region centered at Delta phi similar to pi +/- 1.1. The p(T) spectrum for the associated hadrons in the head region softens toward central collisions. The spectral slope for the shoulder region is independent of centrality and trigger p(T). The properties of the near-side distributions are also modified relative to those in p + p collisions, reflected by the broadening of the jet shape in Delta phi and Delta eta, and an enhancement of the per-trigger yield. However, these modifications seem to be limited to p(T)less than or similar to 4 GeV/c, above which both the hadron pair shape and per-trigger yield become similar to p + p collisions. These observations suggest that both the away- and near-side distributions contain a jet fragmentation component which dominates for p(T) greater than or similar to 5 GeV/c and a medium-induced component which is important for p(T) less than or similar to 4 GeV/c. We also quantify the role of jets at intermediate and low p(T) through the yield of jet-induced pairs in comparison with binary scaled p + p pair yield. The yield of jet-induced pairs is suppressed at high pair proxy energy (sum of the p(T) magnitudes of the two hadrons) and is enhanced at low pair proxy energy. The former is consistent with jet quenching; the latter is consistent with the enhancement of soft hadron pairs due to transport of lost energy to lower p(T).
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