We report a new STAR measurement of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry A_LL for inclusive jet production at mid-rapidity in polarized p+p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 200 GeV. The data, which cover jet transverse momenta 5 < p_T < 30 GeV/c, are substantially more precise than previous measurements. They provide significant new constraints on the gluon spin contribution to the nucleon spin through the comparison to predictions derived from one global fit of polarized deep-inelastic scattering measurements.
Longitudinal double-spin asymmetry $A_{LL}$ for inclusive jet production at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV versus jet $p_{T}$. The points show results for particle jets with statistical error bars, while the curves show predictions for NLO parton jets from one global analysis [14]. The gray boxes indicate the systematic uncertainties on the measured $A_{LL}$ values (vertical) and in the corrections to the measured jet $p_{T}$ and the conversion between particle jet and NLO parton jet $p_{T}$ (horizontal).
We report a measurement of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry A_LL and the differential cross section for inclusive midrapidity jet production in polarized proton collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. The cross section data cover transverse momenta 5 < pT < 50 GeV/c and agree with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD evaluations. The A_LL data cover 5 < pT < 17 GeV/c and disfavor at 98% C.L. maximal positive gluon polarization in the polarized nucleon.
(a) Inclusive differential cross section for p+p -> jet +X at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV versus jet pT for a jet cone radius of 0.4. The symbols show MB (open squares) and HT (filled circles) data from the years 2003 and 2004 combined. The horizontal bars indicate the ranges of the pT intervals. The curve shows a NLO calculation. (b) Comparison of theory and data. The band indicates the experimental systematic uncertainty. The upper (lower) dashed line indicates the relative change of the NLO calculation when it is evaluated at &mu = pT/2 (&mu = 2pT).
(a) Inclusive differential cross section for p+p -> jet +X at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV versus jet pT for a jet cone radius of 0.4. The symbols show MB (open squares) and HT (filled circles) data from the years 2003 and 2004 combined. The horizontal bars indicate the ranges of the pT intervals. The curve shows a NLO calculation. (b) Comparison of theory and data. The band indicates the experimental systematic uncertainty. The upper (lower) dashed line indicates the relative change of the NLO calculation when it is evaluated at &mu = pT/2 (&mu = 2pT).
The longitudinal double-spin asymmetry ALL in p+p-> jet +X at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV versus jet pT. The uncertainties on the data points are statistical. The gray band indicates the systematic uncertainty from the beam polarization measurement, and the hatched band the total systematic uncertainty. The curves show predictions based on deep-inelastic scattering parametrizations of gluon polarization.
We report the measurement of Lamda and Anti-Lamda yields and inverse slope parameters in d + Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV at forward and backward rapidities (y = +- 2.75), using data from the STAR forward time projection chambers. The contributions of different processes to baryon transport and particle production are probed exploiting the inherent asymmetry of the d + Au system. Comparisons to model calculations show that the baryon transport on the deuteron side is consistent with multiple collisions of the deuteron nucleons with gold participants. On the gold side HIJING based models do not describe the measured particle yields while models with initial state nuclear effects and/or hadronic rescattering do. The Multi-Chain Model can provide a good description of the net baryon density in d + Au collisions at RHIC, and the derived parameters of the model agree with those from nuclear collisions at lower energies.
$\overline{\Lambda}/\Lambda$ ratio and net $\Lambda$ and $\overline{\Lambda}$ yields as a function of collision centrality on both the deuteron (left) and the gold side (right). On the deuteron side, centrality is expressed by the number of collisions per deuteron participant, while on the gold side the number of Au participants is chosen. Only statistical errors are shown. The increase in baryon number transport with centrality, shown by the net $\Lambda$ yield, is matched by the increase of $\overline{\Lambda}$-$\Lambda$ pair production, thus keeping the $\overline{\Lambda}/\Lambda$ ratio constant over a wide centrality range.
$\overline{\Lambda}/\Lambda$ ratio and net $\Lambda$ and $\overline{\Lambda}$ yields as a function of collision centrality on both the deuteron (left) and the gold side (right). On the deuteron side, centrality is expressed by the number of collisions per deuteron participant, while on the gold side the number of Au participants is chosen. Only statistical errors are shown. The increase in baryon number transport with centrality, shown by the net $\Lambda$ yield, is matched by the increase of $\overline{\Lambda}$-$\Lambda$ pair production, thus keeping the $\overline{\Lambda}/\Lambda$ ratio constant over a wide centrality range.
$\overline{\Lambda}/\Lambda$ ratio and net $\Lambda$ and $\overline{\Lambda}$ yields as a function of collision centrality on both the deuteron (left) and the gold side (right). On the deuteron side, centrality is expressed by the number of collisions per deuteron participant, while on the gold side the number of Au participants is chosen. Only statistical errors are shown. The increase in baryon number transport with centrality, shown by the net $\Lambda$ yield, is matched by the increase of $\overline{\Lambda}$-$\Lambda$ pair production, thus keeping the $\overline{\Lambda}/\Lambda$ ratio constant over a wide centrality range.
We present STAR measurements of charged hadron production as a function of centrality in Au + Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV. The measurements cover a phase space region of 0.2 < p_T < 6.0 GeV/c in transverse momentum and -1 < eta < 1 in pseudorapidity. Inclusive transverse momentum distributions of charged hadrons in the pseudorapidity region 0.5 < |eta| < 1 are reported and compared to our previously published results for |eta| < 0.5. No significant difference is seen for inclusive p_T distributions of charged hadrons in these two pseudorapidity bins. We measured dN/deta distributions and truncated mean p_T in a region of p_T > p_T^cut, and studied the results in the framework of participant and binary scaling. No clear evidence is observed for participant scaling of charged hadron yield in the measured p_T region. The relative importance of hard scattering process is investigated through binary scaling fraction of particle production.
Ratio of the number of participants Npart or the number of binary collisions Nbin determined from different models to that from Monte Carlo Glauber calculation.
We determine rapidity asymmetry in the production of charged pions, protons and anti-protons for large transverse momentum (pT) for d+Au collisions at \sqrt s_NN = 200 GeV. The identified hadrons are measured in the rapidity regions |y| < 0.5 and 0.5 < |y| < 1.0 for the pT range 2.5 < pT < 10 GeV/c. We observe significant rapidity asymmetry for charged pion and proton+anti-proton production in both rapidity regions. The asymmetry is larger for 0.5 < |y| < 1.0 than for |y|< 0.5 and is almost independent of particle type. The measurements are compared to various model predictions employing multiple scattering, energy loss, nuclear shadowing, saturation effects, and recombination, and also to a phenomenological parton model. We find that asymmetries are sensitive to model parameters and show model-preference. The rapidity dependence of \pi^{-}/\pi^{+} and \bar{p}/p ratios in peripheral d+Au and forward neutron-tagged events are used to study the contributions of valence quarks and gluons to particle production at high pT. The results are compared to calculations based on NLO pQCD and other measurements of quark fragmentation functions.
High transverse-momentum spectra ($p_{T} > 2.5$ GeV/c) of charged pions, protons, and antiprotons for the rapidity regions $|y| < 0.5$ (solid symbols) and $0.5 < |y| < 1.0$ (open symbols) for $d+Au$ collisions and various event centrality classes at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV.
High transverse-momentum spectra ($p_{T} > 2.5$ GeV/c) of charged pions, protons, and antiprotons for the rapidity regions $|y| < 0.5$ (solid symbols) and $0.5 < |y| < 1.0$ (open symbols) for $d+Au$ collisions and various event centrality classes at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV.
High transverse-momentum spectra ($p_{T} > 2.5$ GeV/c) of charged pions, protons, and antiprotons for the rapidity regions $|y| < 0.5$ (solid symbols) and $0.5 < |y| < 1.0$ (open symbols) for $d+Au$ collisions and various event centrality classes at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV.
We report multi-differential measurements of strange hadron production ranging from mid- to target-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at a center-of-momentum energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=3$ GeV with the STAR experiment at RHIC. $K^0_S$ meson and $\Lambda$ hyperon yields are measured via their weak decay channels. Collision centrality and rapidity dependences of the transverse momentum spectra and particle ratios are presented. Particle mass and centrality dependence of the average transverse momenta of $\Lambda$ and $K^0_S$ are compared with other strange particles, providing evidence of the development of hadronic rescattering in such collisions. The 4$\pi$ yields of each of these strange hadrons show a consistent centrality dependence. Discussions on radial flow, the strange hadron production mechanism, and properties of the medium created in such collisions are presented together with results from hadronic transport and thermal model calculations.
We present the first data on $e^+e^-$ pair production accompanied by nuclear breakup in ultra-peripheral gold-gold collisions at a center of mass energy of 200 GeV per nucleon pair. The nuclear breakup requirement selects events at small impact parameters, where higher-order corrections to the pair production cross section should be enhanced. We compare the pair kinematic distributions with two calculations: one based on the equivalent photon approximation, and the other using lowest-order quantum electrodynamics (QED): the latter includes the photon virtuality. The cross section, pair mass, rapidity and angular distributions are in good agreement with both calculations. The pair transverse momentum, $p_T$, spectrum agrees with the QED calculation, but not with the equivalent photon approach. We set limits on higher-order contributions to the cross section. The $e^+$ and $e^-$ $p_T$ spectra are similar, with no evidence for interference effects due to higher-order diagrams.
We present first measurements of the $\phi$-meson elliptic flow ($v_{2}(p_{T})$) and high statistics $p_{T}$ distributions for different centralities from $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. In minimum bias collisions the $v_{2}$ of the $\phi$ meson is consistent with the trend observed for mesons. The ratio of the yields of the $\Omega$ to those of the $\phi$ as a function of transverse momentum is consistent with a model based on the recombination of thermal $s$ quarks up to $p_{T}\sim 4$ GeV/$c$, but disagrees at higher momenta. The nuclear modification factor ($R_{CP}$) of $\phi$ follows the trend observed in the $K^{0}_{S}$ mesons rather than in $\Lambda$ baryons, supporting baryon-meson scaling. Since $\phi$-mesons are made via coalescence of seemingly thermalized $s$ quarks in central Au+Au collisions, the observations imply hot and dense matter with partonic collectivity has been formed at RHIC.
We present strange particle spectra and yields measured at mid-rapidity in $\sqrt{\text{s}}=200$ GeV proton-proton ($p+p$) collisions at RHIC. We find that the previously observed universal transverse mass ($\mathrm{m_{T}}\equiv\sqrt{\mathrm{p_{T}}^{2}+\mathrm{m}^{2}}$) scaling of hadron production in $p+p$ collisions seems to break down at higher \mt and that there is a difference in the shape of the \mt spectrum between baryons and mesons. We observe mid-rapidity anti-baryon to baryon ratios near unity for $\Lambda$ and $\Xi$ baryons and no dependence of the ratio on transverse momentum, indicating that our data do not yet reach the quark-jet dominated region. We show the dependence of the mean transverse momentum (\mpt) on measured charged particle multiplicity and on particle mass and infer that these trends are consistent with gluon-jet dominated particle production. The data are compared to previous measurements from CERN-SPS, ISR and FNAL experiments and to Leading Order (LO) and Next to Leading order (NLO) string fragmentation model predictions. We infer from these comparisons that the spectral shapes and particle yields from $p+p$ collisions at RHIC energies have large contributions from gluon jets rather than quark jets.
We present the scaling properties of Lambda, Xi, Omega and their anti-particles produced at mid-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at RHIC at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. The yield of multi-strange baryons per participant nucleon increases from peripheral to central collisions more rapidly than the Lambda yield, which appears to correspond to an increasing strange quark density of matter produced. The value of the strange phase space occupancy factor gamma_s, obtained from a thermal model fit to the data, approaches unity for the most central collisions. We also show that the nuclear modification factors, R_CP, of Lambda and Xi are consistent with each other and with that of protons in the transverse momentum range 2.0 < p_T < 5.0 GeV/c. This scaling behaviour is consistent with a scenario of hadron formation from constituent quark degrees of freedom through quark recombination or coalescence.
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