Results on charged pion and kaon production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 20A and 30A GeV are presented and compared to data at lower and higher energies. A rapid change of the energy dependence is observed around 30A GeV for the yields of pions and kaons as well as for the shape of the transverse mass spectra. The change is compatible with the prediction that the threshold for production of a state of deconfined matter at the early stage of the collisions is located at low SPS energies.
Transverse mass spectra for pion production in the central rapidity region for collisions at 20 GeV per nucleon.
Transverse mass spectra for pion production in the central rapidity region for collisions at 30 GeV per nucleon.
Transverse mass spectra for kaon production in the central rapidity region for collisions at 20 GeV per nucleon.
Positive pion and kaon production from Au+Au reactions have been measured as a function of beam energy over the range 2.0-10.7~AGeV. Both the kaon and the pion production cross-sections at mid-rapidity are observed to increase steadily with beam kinetic energy. The ratio of K$^+$ to $\pi^+$ mid-rapidity yields increases from 0.0271$\pm0.0015\pm0.0014$ at 2.0~AGeV to 0.202$\pm0.005\pm0.010$ at 10.7~AGeV and is larger than the K$^+$/$\pi^+$ ratio from p+p reactions over the same beam energy region. There is no indication of an onset of any new production mechanism in heavy-ion reactions in this energy range beyond rescattering of hadrons.
The centrality selection at each beam energy is the most central 5% of the total interaction cross-section (SIG(C=interaction) = 6.8b). A single exponential function in MT was fit simultaneously to the two kaonspectra at each beam energy D2(N)/D(MT)/D(YRAP)/2/PI/MT=D(N)/D(YRAP)/2/PI/T/(T+ M(KAON))/EXP((MT-M(KAON))/T). The fits reproduce the spectra well with two free parameters, the inverse slope parameter T and the rapidity density, D(N)/D(YRAP)in that rapidity slice. The mid-rapidity range for 2, 4, 6, 8 AGeV is ABS((YRAP-Ynn)/Ynn) < 0.25, for 10.7 AGeV the width is ABS((YRAP-Ynn)/Ynn) < 0.125, where Ynn is mid-rapidity in the laboratory frame. The errors are statistical only. The 1.96, 4. and 10.74 GeV are E866 data, another - E917 data.
The centrality selection at each beam energy is the most central 5% of the total interaction cross-section (SIG(C=interaction) = 6.8b). A single exponential function in MT was fit simultaneously to the two kaonspectra at each beam energy D2(N)/D(MT)/D(YRAP)/2/PI/MT=D(N)/D(YRAP)/2/PI/T/(T+ M(KAON))/EXP((MT-M(KAON))/T). The fits reproduce the spectra well with two free parameters, the inverse slope parameter T and the rapidity density, D(N)/D(YRAP)in that rapidity slice. The mid-rapidity range for 2, 4, 6, 8 AGeV is ABS((YRAP-Ynn)/Ynn) < 0.25, for 10.7 AGeV the width is ABS((YRAP-Ynn)/Ynn) < 0.125, where Ynn is mid-rapidity in the laboratory frame. The errors are statistical only. The 1.96, 4. and 10.74 GeV are E866 data, another - E917 data.
The centrality selection at each beam energy is the most central 5% of the total interaction cross-section (SIG(C=interaction) = 6.8b). The spectra were fit with a scaled exponential, D2(N)/D(YRAP)/D(MT)/2/PI/MT=D(N)/D(YRAP)/2/PI/(T**(2-L))/GAMMA(2-L,M(PION)/T)/MT**L/EXP(MT/T), where GAMMA(2-L,M(PION)/T), the complementary incomplete gamma function, is introduced in the normalization so that D(N)/D(YRAP) is a fitted parameter (and other free parameters are L and T). The mid-rapidity range for 2, 4 (E866 data), 6, 8 AGeV (E917 data) beam energy is ABS((YRAP-Ynn)/Ynn) < 0.25, for 10.7 AGeV (E917 data) the width is ABS((YRAP-Ynn)/Ynn) <0.125, where Ynn is mid-rapidity in the laboratory frame. The errors are statistical only.
Identified pi^[+/-] K^[+/-], p and p-bar transverse momentum spectra at mid-rapidity in sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV Au-Au collisions were measured by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC as a function of collision centrality. Average transverse momenta increase with the number of participating nucleons in a similar way for all particle species. The multiplicity densities scale faster than the number of participating nucleons. Kaon and nucleon yields per participant increase faster than the pion yields. In central collisions at high transverse momenta (p_T greater than 2 GeV/c), anti-proton and proton yields are comparable to the pion yields.
Transverse momentum spectra for PI+ in the midrapidity range for the centrality region 0 to 5 PCT. Errors are combined statistical and systematics.
Transverse momentum spectra for PI- in the midrapidity range for the centrality region 0 to 5 PCT. Errors are combined statistical and systematics.
Transverse momentum spectra for K+ in the midrapidity range for the centrality region 0 to 5 PCT. Errors are combined statistical and systematics.
Measurements of charged pion and kaon production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40, 80 and 158 AGeV are presented. These are compared with data at lower and higher energies as well as with results from p+p interactions. The mean pion multiplicity per wounded nucleon increases approximately linearly with s_NN^1/4 with a change of slope starting in the region 15-40 AGeV. The change from pion suppression with respect to p+p interactions, as observed at low collision energies, to pion enhancement at high energies occurs at about 40 AGeV. A non-monotonic energy dependence of the ratio of K^+ to pi^+ yields is observed, with a maximum close to 40 AGeV and an indication of a nearly constant value at higher energies.The measured dependences may be related to an increase of the entropy production and a decrease of the strangeness to entropy ratio in central Pb+Pb collisions in the low SPS energy range, which is consistent with the hypothesis that a transient state of deconfined matter is created above these energies. Other interpretations of the data are also discussed.
The centrality of the collisions expressed as a percentage of the inelastic cross section (7.15nb), and the mean numbers of wounded nuclei.
The inverse slope parameter of the fitted transverse mass spectra.
The rapidity density averaged over the rapidity interval -0.6 to 0.6.
We have measured the ratios of antiparticles to particles for charged pions, kaons and protons near mid-rapidity in central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV. For protons, we observe pbar/p = 0.60 +/- 0.04 (stat.) +/- 0.06 (syst.) in the transverse momentum range 0.15 < p_T < 1.0 GeV/c. This leads to an estimate of the baryo-chemical potential mu_B of 45 MeV, a factor of 5-6 smaller than in central Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 17.2 GeV.
130 GeV is sqrt(S) per nucleon-nucleon collision.
Mid-rapidity spectra and yields of K$^-$ and K$^+$ have been measured for Au+Au collisions at 4, 6, 8, and 10.7 AGeV. The K$^-$ yield increases faster with beam energy than for K$^+$ and hence the K$^-$/K$^+$ ratio increases with beam energy. This ratio is studied as a function of both $\sqrt{s}$ and $\sqrt{s}$-$\sqrt{s_{th}}$ which allows the direct comparison of the kaon yields with respect to the production threshold in p+p reactions. For equal $\sqrt{s}$ - $\sqrt{s_{th}}$ the measured ratio K$^-$/K$^+$=0.2 at energies above threshold in contrast to the K$^-$/K$^+$ ratio of near unity observed at energies below threshold. The use of the K$^-$/K$^+$ ratio to test the predicted changes of kaon properties in dense nuclear matter is discussed.
Only statistical errors are presented.
Only statistical errors are presented.
Only statistical errors are presented.
Semi-inclusive triple differential multiplicity distributions of positively charged kaons have been measured over a wide range in rapidity and transverse mass for central collisions of $^{58}$Ni with $^{58}$Ni nuclei. The transverse mass ($m_t$) spectra have been studied as a function of rapidity at a beam energy 1.93 AGeV. The $m_t$ distributions of K^+ mesons are well described by a single Boltzmann-type function. The spectral slopes are similar to that of the protons indicating that rescattering plays a significant role in the propagation of the kaon. Multiplicity densities have been obtained as a function of rapidity by extrapolating the Boltzmann-type fits to the measured distributions over the remaining phase space. The total K^+ meson yield has been determined at beam energies of 1.06, 1.45, and 1.93 AGeV, and is presented in comparison to existing data. The low total yield indicates that the K^+ meson can not be explained within a hadro-chemical equilibrium scenario, therefore indicating that the yield does remain sensitive to effects related to its production processes such as the equation of state of nuclear matter and/or modifications to the K^+ dispersion relation.
No description provided.
K+ production far below the free nucleon-nucleon threshold has been investigated in collisions of 36Ar on 12C, natTi, and 181Ta targets at an incident energy of 92 MeV per nucleon. The cross sections for K+ production have been inferred from the observed muon decays of positive kaons. The results are discussed in the framework of a participant-spectator model and are compared to proton induced K+ production and to subthreshold pion production experiments.
Three different production modes are assumed: (C=ISOTROPIC) isotropic emmision inthe lab frame with a kinetic energy EKIN(K) = 35 MeV, (C=SPECTRUM) isotropic emmision inthe lab frame with a kinetic energy spectrum from S. Gosh, PR C45,R518, (C=FIREBALL) isotropic emmision in the fireball frame with a kinetic ener gy EKIN(K) = 35 MeV.
Preliminary inclusive spectra of negative hadrons, net protons and neutral strange particles are presented, measured by the NA49 experiment in central Pb+Pb collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon. Comparison of their yields with those from the lighter S+S system suggests that the yields scale approximately with the number of participating nucleons.
CENTRAL COLLISIONS, PRELIMINARY DATA.
CENTRAL COLLISIONS, PRELIMINARY DATA.
CENTRAL COLLISIONS, PRELIMINARY DATA.
In the very heavy collision system Au197+197Au the K+ production process was studied as a function of impact parameter at 1 GeV/nucleon, a beam energy well below the free N-N threshold. The K+ multiplicity increases more than linearly with the number of participant nucleons and the K+/π+ ratio rises significantly when going from peripheral to central collisions. The measured K+ double differential cross section is enhanced by a factor of 6 compared to microscopic transport calculations if secondary processes (ΔN→KΛN and ΔΔ→KΛN) are ignored.
No description provided.
The total K+ cross section is determined by extrapolating and integrating the double differential cross section d2(sig)/d(p)/d(omega) over momentum and solid angle.
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