A comprehensive survey of event-by-event fluctuations of charged hadron multiplicity in relativistic heavy ions is presented. The survey covers Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 62.4 and 200 GeV, and Cu+Cu collisions sqrt(s_NN) = 22.5, 62.4, and 200 GeV. Fluctuations are measured as a function of collision centrality, transverse momentum range, and charge sign. After correcting for non-dynamical fluctuations due to fluctuations in the collision geometry within a centrality bin, the remaining dynamical fluctuations expressed as the variance normalized by the mean tend to decrease with increasing centrality. The dynamical fluctuations are consistent with or below the expectation from a superposition of participant nucleon-nucleon collisions based upon p+p data, indicating that this dataset does not exhibit evidence of critical behavior in terms of the compressibility of the system. An analysis of Negative Binomial Distribution fits to the multiplicity distributions demonstrates that the heavy ion data exhibit weak clustering properties.
The mean from the NBD fit as a function of $N_{part}$ for 200 GeV Au+Au collisions over the range 0.2 < $p_T$ < 2.0 GeV/$c$.
The mean from the NBD fit as a function of $N_{part}$ for 62.4 GeV Au+Au collisions over the range 0.2 < $p_T$ < 2.0 GeV/$c$.
The production of low mass e+e- pairs for m_{e+e-} < 300 MeV/c^2 and 1 < p_T <5 GeV/c is measured in p+p and Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV. Enhanced yield above hadronic sources is observed. Treating the excess as internal conversions, the invariant yield of direct photons is deduced. In central Au+Au collisions, the excess of direct photon yield over p+p is exponential in transverse momentum, with inverse slope T = 221 +/- 19 (stat) +/- 19 (syst) MeV. Hydrodynamical models with initial temperatures ranging from 300--600 MeV at times of ~ 0.6 - 0.15 fm/c after the collision are in qualitative agreement with the data. Lattice QCD predicts a phase transition to quark gluon plasma at ~ 170 MeV.
The fraction of the direct photon component as a function of $p_T$.
A three-dimensional (3D) correlation function obtained from mid-rapidity, low pT pion pairs in central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV is studied. The extracted model-independent source function indicates a long range tail in the directions of the pion pair transverse momentum (out) and the beam (long). Model comparisons to these distensions indicate a proper breakup time \tau_0 ~ 9 fm/c and a mean proper emission duration \Delta\tau ~ 2 fm/c, leading to sizable emission time differences (<|\Delta \tau_LCM |> ~ 12 fm/c), partly due to resonance decays. They also suggest an outside-in 'burning' of the emission source reminiscent of many hydrodynamical models.
Source function comparison between Therminator calculation and image for $S(r_x)$ in PCMS.
Source function comparison between Therminator calculation and image for $S(r_x)$ in PCMS.
Bose-Einstein correlations of charged kaons are measured for Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV and are compared to charged pion probes, which have a larger hadronic scattering cross section. Three dimensional Gaussian source radii are extracted, along with a one-dimensional kaon emission source function. The centrality dependences of the three Gaussian radii are well described by a single linear function if N_part^1/3 with zero intercept. Imaging analysis shows a deviation from a Gaussian tail at r >~ 10 fm, although the bulk emission at lower radius is well-described by a Gaussian. The presence of a non-Gaussian tail in the kaon source reaffirms that the particle emission region in a heavy ion collision is extended, and that similar measurements with pions are not solely due to the decay of long-lived resonances.
Measured $C_2$($q_{inv}$) and restored $C_2$($q_{inv}$) from imaged $S(r)$, compared with angle-averaged Gaussian $C_2$($q_{inv}$) for charged kaon pairs measured for 0.3 < $k_T$ < 0.9 GeV/$c$ at 0-30% central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV.
Measured $C_2$($q_{inv}$) and restored $C_2$($q_{inv}$) from imaged $S(r)$, compared with angle-averaged Gaussian $C_2$($q_{inv}$) for charged kaon pairs measured for 0.3 < $k_T$ < 0.9 GeV/$c$ at 0-30% central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV.
Measured $C_2$($q_{inv}$) and restored $C_2$($q_{inv}$) from imaged $S(r)$, compared with angle-averaged Gaussian $C_2$($q_{inv}$) for charged kaon pairs measured for 0.3 < $k_T$ < 0.9 GeV/$c$ at 0-30% central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV.
PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p_T spectra from central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV. The truncated mean p_T decreases with centrality for p_T > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high p_T hadron production. For central collisions the yield at high p_T is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p+p data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e. for collisions with less than about 140 participating nucleons. The observed p_T and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions.
The ratio $p/h$ represents the proton plus anti-proton yield relative to the total charged hadron multiplicity. This shows the $p_T$ dependence of $p/h$ for minimum bias events.
Emission source functions are extracted from correlation functions constructed from charged pions produced at mid-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV. The source parameters extracted from these functions at low k_T, give first indications of a long tail for the pion emission source. The source extension cannot be explained solely by simple kinematic considerations. The possible role of a halo of secondary pions from resonance emissions is explored.
$k_T$ dependence of extracted spheroidal source parameters for pion source functions (a) $R_T$ , (b) $a$, and (c) $\lambda$ for most central collisions & perhipheral collisions.
$k_T$ dependence of extracted spheroidal source parameters for pion source functions (a) $R_T$ , (b) $a$, and (c) $\lambda$ for most central collisions & perhipheral collisions.
Differential elliptic flow (v_2) for phi mesons and (anti)deuterons (d^bar)d is measured for Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. The v_2 for phi mesons follows the trend of lighter pi^+/- and K^+/- mesons, suggesting that ordinary hadrons interacting with standard hadronic cross sections are not the primary driver for elliptic flow development. The v_2 values for (d^bar)d suggest that elliptic flow is additive for composite particles. This further validation of the universal scaling of v_2 per constituent quark for baryons and mesons suggests that partonic collectivity dominates the transverse expansion dynamics.
$v_2$ vs $KE_T$ for several identified particle species obtained in mid-central Au+Au collisions, and ${v_2}/{n_q}$ vs ${KE_T}/{n_q}$ for the same particle species.
$v_2$ vs $KE_T$ for several identified particle species obtained in mid-central Au+Au collisions, and ${v_2}/{n_q}$ vs ${KE_T}/{n_q}$ for the same particle species.
$v_2$ vs $KE_T$ for several identified particle species obtained in mid-central Au+Au collisions, and ${v_2}/{n_q}$ vs ${KE_T}/{n_q}$ for the same particle species.
We report on charged hadron production in deuteron-gold reactions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. Our measurements in the deuteron-direction cover 1.4 < eta < 2.2, referred to as forward rapidity, and in the gold-direction -2.0 < eta < -1.4, referred to as backward rapidity, and a transverse momentum range p_T = 0.5-4.0 GeV/c. We compare the relative yields for different deuteron-gold collision centrality classes. We observe a suppression relative to binary collision scaling at forward rapidity, sensitive to low momentum fraction (x) partons in the gold nucleus, and an enhancement at backward rapidity, sensitive to high momentum fraction partons in the gold nucleus.
$R_{cp}$ as a function of $\eta$ for 1.5 < $p_T$ < 4.0 GeV/$c$ for different centrality classes. Systematic uncertainties which are point-to-point uncorrelated (sys-uncorr) and correlated (sys-corr) are shown.
Correlations between p and pbar's at transverse momenta typical of enhanced baryon production in Au+Au collisions are reported. The PHENIX experiment measures same and opposite sign baryon pairs in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. Correlated production of p and p^bar with the trigger particle from the range 2.5 < p_T < 4.0 GeV/c and the associated particle with 1.8 < p_T < 2.5 GeV/c is observed to be nearly independent of the centrality of the collisions. Same sign pairs show no correlation at any centrality. The conditional yield of mesons triggered by baryons (and anti-baryons) and mesons in the same pT range rises with increasing centrality, except for the most central collisions, where baryons show a significantly smaller number of associated mesons. These data are consistent with a picture in which hard scattered partons produce correlated p and p^bar in the p_T region of the baryon excess.
$1/{N_{trig}}$ ${dN}/{d\Delta\phi}$ distributions for charge selected $\bar{p}$ and $p$ triggers both with associated $p$ for six centrality bins. Triggers have 2.5 < $p_T$ < 4.0 GeV/$c$ and associated particles have 1.8 < $p_T$ < 2.5 GeV/$c$.
Detailed differential measurements of the elliptic flow for particles produced in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV are presented. Predictions from perfect fluid hydrodynamics for the scaling of the elliptic flow coefficient v_2 with eccentricity, system size and transverse energy are tested and validated. For transverse kinetic energies KE_T ~ m_T-m up to ~1 GeV, scaling compatible with the hydrodynamic expansion of a thermalized fluid is observed for all produced particles. For large values of KE_T, the mesons and baryons scale separately. A universal scaling for the flow of both mesons and baryons is observed for the full transverse kinetic energy range of the data when quark number scaling is employed. In both cases the scaling is more pronounced in terms of KE_T rather than transverse momentum.
${v_2}/{n_q}$ vs ${p_T}/{n_q}$ for identified particle species obtained in minimum bias Au+Au collisions.
${v_2}/{n_q}$ vs ${p_T}/{n_q}$ for identified particle species obtained in minimum bias Au+Au collisions.
${v_2}/{n_q}$ vs ${p_T}/{n_q}$ for identified particle species obtained in minimum bias Au+Au collisions.
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