We present STAR measurements of the azimuthal anisotropy parameter $v_2$ and the binary-collision scaled centrality ratio $R_{CP}$ for kaons and lambdas ($\Lambda+\bar{\Lambda}$) at mid-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. In combination, the $v_2$ and $R_{CP}$ particle-type dependencies contradict expectations from partonic energy loss followed by standard fragmentation in vacuum. We establish $p_T \approx 5$ GeV/c as the value where the centrality dependent baryon enhancement ends. The $K_S^0$ and $\Lambda+\bar{\Lambda}$ $v_2$ values are consistent with expectations of constituent-quark-number scaling from models of hadron fromation by parton coalescence or recombination.

A coupled channel analysis has been carried out using a new amplitude analysis of the K 0 s K 0 s system produced in the reaction π − p→K 0 s K 0 s n at 22 GeV/ c , which contained about 40 000 new events in the low- t region (| t − t min |<0.1 GeV 2 ). Here only the I G =0 + , J PC =2 ++ amplitude from this analysis is considered, together with available data from other experiments in channels with the same quantum numbers in order to determine which 2 ++ isoscalar mesons have significant pseudoscalar-pseudoscalar couplings. It is found that four poles, f(1270), f'(1525), θ(1690), and f r (1810), are needed, plus a smooth background in order to fit these data; the need for the θ(1690) depends on the J/ψ radiative decay alone, and the f r (1810) is seen only in hadronic production.

We present data on 3652 analyzed events of the reaction π - p → φφn at 22 GeV/ c . A partial wave analysis has been performed on the φφ system. The results are well represented by three resonances all with quantum numbers I G J PC = 0 + 2 ++ . The absence of the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka suppression observed in this reaction, the selection of only three J PC =2 ++ states ( g T , g T′ , and g T ″ ) which comprise virtually all of the cross section, and the large φφn signal over a very different φK + K - n background are all well explained if these states are produced by 1–3 glueballs (i.e. multigluon resonances).

We have performed a partial-wave analysis of the reaction K−p→KS0π+π−n at 6 GeV/c. We present the results of the analysis of about 4500 events in the low-t region (|t′|<0.2 GeV2) for the dominant waves in the 1200-to-2000-MeV mass range. We observe the 2+ K*(1430) and clear signals for the 1+ Q2(1400) and the 3− K*(1800). We find a new 1− resonance at about 1500 MeV and have some evidence for another 1− resonance at 1800 MeV. We also present the results of a partial-wave analysis as a function of t in the 1430-MeV mass region.

In a new experiment we have obtained 3006 new events in the reaction π − p → φφ n, approximately doubling the statistics which now total 6658. A refined partial wave analysis of the φφ system again reveals three resonances (g T , g T′ , g T′' ) with I G J PC =0 + 2 ++ . The absence of the OZI suppression, and the observation of only three J PC =2 ++ states (g T , g T′ , g T′' ) which comprise virtually all the cross section are unusual characteristics of the data. The large φφn signal occurs over a mostly structureless and incoherent φK + K − n background. All these unusual characteristics are well explained if these states are produced by 1–3 glueballs (multigluon resonances).

We report the beam energy (\sqrt s_{NN} = 7.7 - 200 GeV) and collision centrality dependence of the mean (M), standard deviation (\sigma), skewness (S), and kurtosis (\kappa) 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 (QCD) phase diagram. The products of the moments, S\sigma and \kappa\sigma^{2}, 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 anti-proton 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.

A data-driven method was applied to measurements of Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} =$ 200 GeV made with the STAR detector at RHIC to isolate pseudorapidity distance $\Delta\eta$-dependent and $\Delta\eta$-independent correlations by using two- and four-particle azimuthal cumulant measurements. We identified a component of the correlation that is $\Delta\eta$-independent, which is likely dominated by anisotropic flow and flow fluctuations. It was also found to be independent of $\eta$ within the measured range of pseudorapidity $|\eta|<1$. The relative flow fluctuation was found to be $34\% \pm 2\% (stat.) \pm 3\% (sys.)$ for particles of transverse momentum $p_{T}$ less than $2$ GeV/$c$. The $\Delta\eta$-dependent part may be attributed to nonflow correlations, and is found to be $5\% \pm 2\% (sys.)$ relative to the flow of the measured second harmonic cumulant at $|\Delta\eta| > 0.7$.

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 $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=7.7$ GeV to 200 GeV. The third harmonic $v_3^2\{2\}=\langle \cos3(\phi_1-\phi_2)\rangle$, where $\phi_1-\phi_2$ is the angular difference in azimuth, is studied as a function of the pseudorapidity difference between particle pairs $\Delta\eta = \eta_1-\eta_2$. Non-zero {\vthree} is directly related to the previously observed large-$\Delta\eta$ narrow-$\Delta\phi$ ridge correlations and has been shown in models to be sensitive to the existence of a low viscosity Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) phase. For sufficiently central collisions, $v_3^2\{2\}$ persist down to an energy of 7.7 GeV suggesting that QGP 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 pseudorapidity density of charged particle multiplicity per participating nucleon pair, $v_3^2\{2\}$ for central collisions shows a minimum near {\snn}$=20$ 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 $0.10<M_{ee}<0.28$ GeV/$c^{2}$ for 0-80\% minimum-bias Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV. A clear excess in the invariant yield compared to the number-of-binary-collisions ($N_{bin}$) 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 $N_{bin}$ scaling. Model calculations with contributions from thermal radiation and initial hard parton scattering are consistent within uncertainties with the direct virtual photon invariant yield.

We present measurements of $\Omega$ and $\phi$ production at mid-rapidity from Au+Au collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27 and 39 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Motivated by the coalescence formation mechanism for these strange hadrons, we study the ratios of $N(\Omega^{-}+\Omega^{+})/(2N(\phi))$. These ratios as a function of transverse momentum ($p_T$) fall on a consistent trend at high collision energies, but start to show deviations in peripheral collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6, 27 and 39 GeV, and in central collisions at 11.5 GeV in the intermediate $p_T$ region of 2.4-3.6 GeV/c. We further evaluate empirically the strange quark $p_T$ distributions at hadronization by studying the $\Omega/\phi$ ratios scaled by the number of constituent quarks. The NCQ-scaled $\Omega/\phi$ ratios show a suppression of strange quark production in central collisions at 11.5 GeV compared to $\sqrt{s_{NN}} >= 19.6$ 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.