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Cebra, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Cebra, D..

At least 145 records · Page 8

Systematic Studies of Jet-medium Interactions in STAR

In these proceedings, we report recent jet results from STAR in heavy-ion collisions. The first measurement of centrality dependence of di-jet momentum imbalance AJ at RHIC is presented. An apparent evolution of the AJ distributions from central to peripheral collisions is observed. A new di-hadron correlation measurement with a method to subtract all orders of flow background using data themselves is also presented to study how the lost energy of jets is redistributed to particles with low-to-modest transverse momentum.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Coherent diffractive photoproduction of ρ 0 mesons on gold nuclei at 200 GeV/nucleon-pair at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Here, the STAR Collaboration reports on the photoproduction of π + π - pairs in goldgold collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV/nucleon-pair. These pion pairs are produced when a nearly-real photon emitted by one ion scatters from the other ion. We fit the π + π - invariant mass spectrum with a combination of 0 and ! resonances and a direct π + π - continuum. This is the first observation of the ! in ultra-peripheral collisions, and the first measurement of ρ - ω interference at energies where photoproduction is dominated by Pomeron exchange.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Bulk properties of the medium produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions from the beam energy scan program

We present measurements of bulk properties of the matter produced in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}$$_ {NN}$= 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, and 39 GeV using identified hadrons (π ± , K ± , p, and $\bar{p}$) from the STAR experiment in the Beam Energy Scan (BES) Program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Midrapidity (| y | < 0.1) results for multiplicity densities dN / dy, average transverse momenta $\langle$pT$\rangle$, and particle ratios are presented. The chemical and kinetic freeze-out dynamics at these energies are discussed and presented as a function of collision centrality and energy. These results constitute the systematic measurements of bulk properties of matter formed in heavy-ion collisions over a broad range of energy (or baryon chemical potential) at RHIC.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Measurements of jet quenching with semi-inclusive hadron+jet distributions in Au + Au collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

Here, the STAR Collaboration reports the measurement of semi-inclusive distributions of charged-particle jets recoiling from a high transverse momentum hadron trigger, in central and peripheral Au+Au collisions at √ s NN = 200 GeV. Charged jets are reconstructed with the anti-k T algorithm for jet radii R between 0.2 and 0.5 and with low infrared cutoff of track constituents (p T > 0.2 GeV/c). A novel mixed-event technique is used to correct the large uncorrelated background present in heavy ion collisions. Corrected recoil jet distributions are reported at midrapidity, for charged-jet transverse momentum p ch T,jet < 30 GeV/c. Comparison is made to similar measurements for Pb+Pb collisions at √s = 2.76 TeV, to calculations for p+p collisions at √s = 200 GeV based on the pythia Monte Carlo generator and on a next-to-leading order perturbative QCD approach, and to theoretical calculations incorporating jet quenching. The recoil jet yield is suppressed in central relative to peripheral collisions, with the magnitude of the suppression corresponding to medium-induced charged energy transport out of the jet cone of 2.8 ± 0.2(stat) ± 1.5(sys) GeV/c, for 10 < p ch T,jet < 20 GeV/c and R = 0.5. No medium-induced change in jet shape is observed for R < 0.5. The azimuthal distribution of low-p ch T,jet recoil jets may be enhanced at large azimuthal angles to the trigger axis, due to scattering off quasiparticles in the hot QCD medium. As a result, measurement of this distribution gives a 90% statistical confidence upper limit to the yield enhancement at large deflection angles in central Au + Au collisions of 50 ± 30(sys)% of the large-angle yield in p+p collisions predicted by pythia.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Dijet imbalance measurements in Au + Au and p p collisions at s N N = 200 GeV at STAR

In this paper, we report the first dijet transverse momentum asymmetry measurements from Au + Au and pp collisions at RHIC. The two highest-energy back-to-back jets reconstructed from fragments with transverse momenta above 2 GeV/c display a significantly higher momentum imbalance in heavy-ion collisions than in the pp reference. Finally, when reexamined with correlated soft particles included, we observe that these dijets then exhibit a unique new feature—momentum balance is restored to that observed in pp for a jet resolution parameter of R = 0.4, while rebalancing is not attained with a smaller value of R = 0.2.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Global Λ hyperon polarization in nuclear collisions

The extreme energy densities generated by ultra-relativistic collisions between heavy atomic nuclei produce a state of matter that behaves surprisingly like a fluid, with exceptionally high temperature and low viscosity. Non-central collisions have angular momenta of the order of 1,000ћ, and the resulting fluid may have a strong vortical structure that must be understood to describe the fluid properly. The vortical structure is also of particular interest because the restoration of fundamental symmetries of quantum chromodynamics is expected to produce novel physical effects in the presence of strong vorticity. But, no experimental indications of fluid vorticity in heavy ion collisions have yet been found. Since vorticity represents a local rotational structure of the fluid, spin–orbit coupling can lead to preferential orientation of particle spins along the direction of rotation. Here we present measurements of an alignment between the global angular momentum of a non-central collision and the spin of emitted particles (in this case the collision occurs between gold nuclei and produces Λ baryons), revealing that the fluid produced in heavy ion collisions is the most vortical system so far observed. (At high energies, this fluid is a quark–gluon plasma.) We find that Λ and hyperons show a positive polarization of the order of a few per cent, consistent with some hydrodynamic predictions. (A hyperon is a particle composed of three quarks, at least one of which is a strange quark; the remainder are up and down quarks, found in protons and neutrons.) A previous measurement that reported a null result, that is, zero polarization, at higher collision energies is seen to be consistent with the trend of our observations, though with larger statistical uncertainties. Furthermore, these data provide experimental access to the vortical structure of the nearly ideal liquid created in a heavy ion collision and should prove valuable in the development of hydrodynamic models that quantitatively connect observations to the theory of the strong force.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Measurement of D 0 Azimuthal Anisotropy at Midrapidity in Au + Au Collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

In this paper, we report the first measurement of the elliptic anisotropy (v2) of the charm meson D 0 at midrapidity (|y| < 1) in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}$$_ {NN}$ = 200 GeV. The measurement was conducted by the STAR experiment at RHIC utilizing a new high-resolution silicon tracker. The measured D 0 v 2 in 0%–80% centrality Au + Au collisions can be described by a viscous hydrodynamic calculation for a transverse momentum (p T ) of less than 4 GeV/c . The D 0 v 2 as a function of transverse kinetic energy (m T - m 0 , where m T = $\sqrt{p}$$2\atop{T}$ + m$2\atop{0}$) is consistent with that of light mesons in 10%–40% centrality Au + Au collisions. These results suggest that charm quarks have achieved local thermal equilibrium with the medium created in such collisions. In conclusion, several theoretical models, with the temperature-dependent, dimensionless charm spatial diffusion coefficient (2πTD s ) in the range of ~2–12 , are able to simultaneously reproduce our D 0 v 2 result and our previously published results for the D 0 nuclear modification factor.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Energy dependence of J / ψ production in Au + Au collisions at s N N = 39 , 62.4 and 200 GeV

The inclusive J / ψ transverse momentum spectra and nuclear modification factors are reported at mid-rapidity ( | y | < 1.0 ) in Au + Au collisions at s N N = 39, 62.4 and 200 GeV taken by the STAR experiment. A suppression of J / ψ production, with respect to the production in p + p scaled by the number of binary nucleon–nucleon collisions, is observed in central Au + Au collisions at these three energies. No significant energy dependence of nuclear modification factors is found within uncertainties. The measured nuclear modification factors can be described by model calculations that take into account both suppression of direct J / ψ production due to the color screening effect and J / ψ regeneration from recombination of uncorrelated charm–anticharm quark pairs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of the cross section and longitudinal double-spin asymmetry for dijet production in polarized p p collisions at s = 200 GeV

We report the first measurement of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry A LL for mid-rapidity dijet production in polarized pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 200 GeV. The dijet cross section was measured and is shown to be consistent with next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD predictions. A LL results are presented for two distinct topologies, defined by the jet pseudorapidities, and are compared to predictions from several recent NLO global analyses. Lastly, the measured asymmetries, the first such correlation measurements, support those analyses that find positive gluon polarization at the level of roughly 0.2 over the region of Bjorken-x > 0.05.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Direct virtual photon production in Au+Au collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

We report the direct virtual photon invariant yields in the transverse momentum ranges 1 < p T < 3 GeV / c and 5 < p T < 10 GeV / c at mid-rapidity derived from the dielectron invariant mass continuum region 0.10 < M e e < 0.28 GeV / c 2 for 0–80% minimum-bias Au+Au collisions at s N N = 200 GeV . A clear excess in the invariant yield compared to the nuclear overlap function T A A scaled p + p reference is observed in the p T range 1 < p T < 3 GeV / c . For p T > 6 GeV / c the production follows T A A scaling. Model calculations with contributions from thermal radiation and initial hard parton scattering are consistent within uncertainties with the direct virtual photon invariant yield.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Elliptic flow of electrons from heavy-flavor hadron decays in Au + Au collisions at s N N = 200 , 62.4, and 39 GeV

Here, we present measurements of elliptic flow (v 2 ) of electrons from the decays of heavy-flavor hadrons (e HF ) by the STAR experiment. For Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}$$_ {NN}$=200 GeV we report v 2 , for transverse momentum (p T ) between 0.2 and 7 GeV/c, using three methods: the event plane method (v 2 {EP}), two-particle correlations (v 2 {2}), and four-particle correlations (v 2 {4}). For Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}$$_ {NN}$=62.4 and 39 GeV we report v 2 {2} for p T <2GeV/c. v 2 {2} and v 2 {4} are nonzero at low and intermediate p T at 200 GeV, and v 2 {2} is consistent with zero at low p T at other energies. The v 2 {2} at the two lower beam energies is systematically lower than at $\sqrt{s}$$_ {NN}$=200 GeV for p T <1GeV/c. This difference may suggest that charm quarks interact less strongly with the surrounding nuclear matter at those two lower energies compared to $\sqrt{s}$$_ {NN}$=200 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Charge-Dependent Directed Flow in Cu + Au Collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

Here we present the first measurement of charge-dependent directed flow in Cu + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}$$_ {NN}$ = 200 GeV . The results are presented as a function of the particle transverse momentum and pseudorapidity for different centralities. A finite difference between the directed flow of positive and negative charged particles is observed that qualitatively agrees with the expectations from the effects of the initial strong electric field between two colliding ions with different nuclear charges. The measured difference in directed flow is much smaller than that obtained from the parton-hadron-string-dynamics model, which suggests that most of the electric charges, i.e., quarks and antiquarks, have not yet been created during the lifetime of the strong electric field, which is of the order of, or less than, 1fm / c .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Measurement of elliptic flow of light nuclei at s N N = 200 , 62.4, 39, 27, 19.6, 11.5, and 7.7 GeV at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Here we present measurements of second-order azimuthal anisotropy ( v 2 ) at midrapidity ( |y| < 1.0 ) for light nuclei d , t , 3 He (for $\sqrt{s}$$_{NN}$ = 200 , 62.4, 39, 27, 19.6, 11.5, and 7.7 GeV) and antinuclei$\bar{d}$ ( $\sqrt{s}$$_{NN}$ = 200 , 62.4, 39, 27, and 19.6 GeV) and 3 ¯¯¯¯¯ He ( $\sqrt{s}$$_{NN}$ = 200 GeV) in the STAR (Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC) experiment. The v 2 for these light nuclei produced in heavy-ion collisions is compared with those for p and $\bar{p}$. We observe mass ordering in nuclei v 2 ( p T ) at low transverse momenta ( p T < 2.0 GeV/c). We also find a centrality dependence of v 2 for d and $\bar{d}$ . The magnitude of v 2 for t and 3 He agree within statistical errors. Light-nuclei v 2 are compared with predictions from a blast-wave model. Atomic mass number ( A ) scaling of light-nuclei v 2 (p T ) seems to hold for p T / A < 1.5 GeV/c . Results on light-nuclei v 2 from a transport-plus-coalescence model are consistent with the experimental measurements.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗