We report on the nuclear dependence of transverse single-spin asymmetries (TSSAs) in the production of positively-charged hadrons in polarized $p^{\uparrow}+p$, $p^{\uparrow}+$Al and $p^{\uparrow}+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. The measurements have been performed at forward rapidity ($1.4<\eta<2.4$) over the range of $1.8<p_{T}<7.0$ GeV$/c$ and $0.1<x_{F}<0.2$. We observed a positive asymmetry $A_{N}$ for positively-charged hadrons in \polpp collisions, and a significantly reduced asymmetry in $p^{\uparrow}$+$A$ collisions. These results reveal a nuclear dependence of charged hadron $A_N$ in a regime where perturbative techniques are relevant. These results provide new opportunities to use \polpA collisions as a tool to investigate the rich phenomena behind TSSAs in hadronic collisions and to use TSSA as a new handle in studying small-system collisions.

We present azimuthal angle correlations of intermediate transverse momentum (1-4 GeV/c) hadrons from {dijets} in Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 62.4 and 200 GeV. The away-side dijet induced azimuthal correlation is broadened, non-Gaussian, and peaked away from \Delta\phi=\pi in central and semi-central collisions in all the systems. The broadening and peak location are found to depend upon the number of participants in the collision, but not on the collision energy or beam nuclei. These results are consistent with sound or shock wave models, but pose challenges to Cherenkov gluon radiation models.

The transverse single-spin asymmetries of neutral pions and non-identified charged hadrons have been measured at mid-rapidity in polarized proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV. The data cover a transverse momentum (p_T) range 0.5-5.0 GeV/c for charged hadrons and 1.0-5.0 GeV/c for neutral pions, at a Feynman-x (x_F) value of approximately zero. The asymmetries seen in this previously unexplored kinematic region are consistent with zero within statistical errors of a few percent. In addition, the inclusive charged hadron cross section at mid-rapidity from 0.5 < p_T < 7.0 GeV/c is presented and compared to NLO pQCD calculations. Successful description of the unpolarized cross section above ~2 GeV/c using NLO pQCD suggests that pQCD is applicable in the interpretation of the asymmetry results in the relevant kinematic range.

We present measurements of two-particle angular correlations between high-transverse-momentum ($2<p_T<11$ GeV/$c$) $\pi^0$ observed at midrapidity ($|\eta|<0.35$) and particles produced either at forward ($3.1<\eta<3.9$) or backward ($-3.7<\eta<-3.1$) rapidity in $d$$+$Au and $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. The azimuthal angle correlations for particle pairs with this large rapidity gap in the Au-going direction exhibit a ridge-like structure that persists up to $p_T{\approx}6$ GeV/$c$ and which strongly depends on collision centrality, which is a similar characteristic to the hydrodynamical particle flow in A+A collisions. The ridge-like structure is absent in the $d$-going direction as well as in $p$$+$$p$ collisions, in the transverse-momentum range studied. The results indicate that the ridge-like structure is shifted in the Au-going direction toward more central collisions, similar to the charged-particle pseudorapidity distributions.

We present measurements of azimuthal correlations of charged hadron pairs in $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV Au$+$Au collisions after subtracting an underlying event using a model that includes higher-order azimuthal anisotropy $v_2$, $v_3$, and $v_4$. After subtraction, the away-side ($\Delta\phi\sim\pi)$ of the highest transverse-momentum trigger ($p_T>4$ GeV/$c$) correlations is suppressed compared to that of correlations measured in $p$$+$$p$ collisions. At the lowest associated particle $p_T$, the away-side shape and yield are modified. These observations are consistent with the scenario of radiative-jet energy loss. For the lowest-$p_T$ trigger correlations, an away-side yield exists and we explore the dependence of the shape of the away-side within the context of an underlying-event model. Correlations are also studied differentially versus event-plane angle $\Psi_n$. The angular correlations show an asymmetry when selecting the sign of the trigger-particle azimuthal angle with respect to the $\Psi_2$ event plane. This asymmetry and the measured suppression of the pair yield out of plane is consistent with a path-length-dependent energy loss. No $\Psi_3$ dependence can be resolved within experimental uncertainties.

For Au + Au collisions at 200 GeV we measure neutral pion production with good statistics for transverse momentum, p_T, up to 20 GeV/c. A fivefold suppression is found, which is essentially constant for 5 < p_T < 20 GeV/c. Experimental uncertainties are small enough to constrain any model-dependent parameterization for the transport coefficient of the medium, e.g. \mean(q^hat) in the parton quenching model. The spectral shape is similar for all collision classes, and the suppression does not saturate in Au+Au collisions/ instead, it increases proportional to the number of participating nucleons, as N_part^2/3.

Measurements of the anisotropy parameter v_2 of identified hadrons (pions, kaons, and protons) as a function of centrality, transverse momentum p_T, and transverse kinetic energy KE_T at midrapidity (|\eta|<0.35) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV are presented. Pions and protons are identified up to p_T = 6 GeV/c, and kaons up to p_T = 4 GeV/c, by combining information from time-of-flight and aerogel Cherenkov detectors in the PHENIX Experiment. The scaling of v_2 with the number of valence quarks (n_q) has been studied in different centrality bins as a function of transverse momentum and transverse kinetic energy. A deviation from previously observed quark-number scaling is observed at large values of KE_T/n_q in noncentral Au+Au collisions (20--60%), but this scaling remains valid in central collisions (0--10%).

Event-by-event fluctuations of the average transverse momentum of produced particles near mid-rapidity have been measured by the PHENIX Collaboration in sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV Au+Au and p+p collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The fluctuations are observed to be in excess of the expectation for statistically independent particle emission for all centralities. The excess fluctuations exhibit a dependence on both the centrality of the collision and on the transverse momentum window over which the average is calculated. Both the centrality and p_T dependence can be well reproduced by a simulation of random particle production with the addition of contributions from hard scattering processes.

Measurements of neutral pion production at midrapidity in sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions as a function of transverse momentum, p_T, collision centrality, and angle with respect to reaction plane are presented. The data represent the final pi^0 results from the PHENIX experiment for the first RHIC Au+Au run at design center-of-mass-energy. They include additional data obtained using the PHENIX Level-2 trigger with more than a factor of three increase in statistics over previously published results for p_T > 6 GeV/c. We evaluate the suppression in the yield of high-p_T pi^0's relative to point-like scaling expectations using the nuclear modification factor R_AA. We present the p_T dependence of R_AA for nine bins in collision centrality. We separately integrate R_AA over larger p_T bins to show more precisely the centrality dependence of the high-p_T suppression. We then evaluate the dependence of the high-p_T suppression on the emission angle \Delta\phi of the pions with respect to event reaction plane for 7 bins in collision centrality. We show that the yields of high-p_T pi^0's vary strongly with \Delta\phi, consistent with prior measurements. We show that this variation persists in the most peripheral bin accessible in this analysis. For the peripheral bins we observe no suppression for neutral pions produced aligned with the reaction plane while the yield of pi^0's produced perpendicular to the reaction plane is suppressed by more than a factor of 2. We analyze the combined centrality and \Delta\phi dependence of the pi^0 suppression in different p_T bins using different possible descriptions of parton energy loss dependence on jet path-length averages to determine whether a single geometric picture can explain the observed suppression pattern.

We present direct photon-hadron correlations in 200 GeV/A Au+Au, d+Au, and p+p collisions, for direct photon pT from 5–12 GeV/c, collected by the PHENIX Collaboration in the years from 2006 to 2011. We observe no significant modification of jet fragmentation in d+Au collisions, indicating that cold nuclear matter effects are small or absent. Hadrons carrying a large fraction of the quark's momentum are suppressed in Au+Au compared to p+p and d+Au. As the momentum fraction decreases, the yield of hadrons in Au+Au increases to an excess over the yield in p+p collisions. The excess is at large angles and at low hadron pT and is most pronounced for hadrons associated with lower momentum direct photons. Comparison to theoretical calculations suggests that the hadron excess arises from medium response to energy deposited by jets.