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.
Transverse momentum distributions of (a) $\Lambda(\overline{\Lambda})$ for $|y|<1.0$, (b) $\Xi^{-}(\overline{\Xi}^{+})$ for $|y|<0.75$ and (c) $\Omega^{-}+\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ for $|y|<0.75$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ as a function of centrality. The $\Lambda$ spectra were corrected for weak decay of $\Xi$, $\Xi^{0}$ and $\Omega$. Scale factors were applied to the spectra for clarity. Only statistical errors are shown. The dashed curves show a Boltzmann fit to the $\Lambda$, $\Xi^{-}$ and $\Omega^{-}+\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ data, the fits to the $\overline{\Lambda}$ and $\overline{\Xi}^{+}$ are omitted for clarity.
Transverse momentum distributions of (a) $\Lambda(\overline{\Lambda})$ for $|y|<1.0$, (b) $\Xi^{-}(\overline{\Xi}^{+})$ for $|y|<0.75$ and (c) $\Omega^{-}+\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ for $|y|<0.75$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ as a function of centrality. The $\Lambda$ spectra were corrected for weak decay of $\Xi$, $\Xi^{0}$ and $\Omega$. Scale factors were applied to the spectra for clarity. Only statistical errors are shown. The dashed curves show a Boltzmann fit to the $\Lambda$, $\Xi^{-}$ and $\Omega^{-}+\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ data, the fits to the $\overline{\Lambda}$ and $\overline{\Xi}^{+}$ are omitted for clarity.
Transverse momentum distributions of (a) $\Lambda(\overline{\Lambda})$ for $|y|<1.0$, (b) $\Xi^{-}(\overline{\Xi}^{+})$ for $|y|<0.75$ and (c) $\Omega^{-}+\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ for $|y|<0.75$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ as a function of centrality. The $\Lambda$ spectra were corrected for weak decay of $\Xi$, $\Xi^{0}$ and $\Omega$. Scale factors were applied to the spectra for clarity. Only statistical errors are shown. The dashed curves show a Boltzmann fit to the $\Lambda$, $\Xi^{-}$ and $\Omega^{-}+\overline{\Omega}^{+}$ data, the fits to the $\overline{\Lambda}$ and $\overline{\Xi}^{+}$ are omitted for clarity.
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