Measurements of charged particle multiplicity distributions in the central rapidity region in p-p and p-α, and α-α collisions are reported. They are better fitted to the “wounded nucleon” than to the “gluon string” model. The average transverse momenta, for all three reactions, are identical (and almost independent of multiplicity) up to very high multiplicities.

We have searched for direct photons of low PT (≤1.0 GeV/c) at θc.m.=90° in pp collisions at √s =63 GeV. We used two independent methods: direct detection in NaI crystals and conversion to e+e− pairs. No signal is observed; the photon spectrum is well described by the decay of hadrons. The result is consistent with a direct low-PT photon signal reported at √s =12 GeV, but excludes a rapid growth of soft-photon production with √s .

The production of charged hadrons with high p T in αα collisions at √ s =126 GeV and pp collisions at √ s =31 and 63 GeV is compared, and the structure of the events associated with the high- p T particles is studied. The probability of finding associated particles close to the trigger particle increases strongly between √ s =31 and 63 GeV for pp collisions. For p T >2.5GeV/ c the αα/pp cross section ratio at the same energy per nucleon is measured to be 18.7 ± 2.0, to be compared with A 2 = 16, and a higher associated multiplicity is observed for αα.

The production of direct photons has been measured relative to π 0 's in the rapidity range 2.00 < y < 2.75 in pp collisions at s = 63 GeV at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings. The γ/π 0 ratio increases from ⪅2% at p T = 1.5 GeV/ c to ∼8% at p T = 4.25 GeV/ c , similar to the value observed near 90°. The results indicate no strong enhancement of single-photon production due to quark bremsstrahlung in this kinematic region.

We have studied the processpp→γγ+X at\(\sqrt s= 63 GeV\) GeV in the central rapidity region. We report a positive signal at 96% C.L., a ratio γγ/e+e−=4.0±3.0 when the transverse momentum of each photon is above 2 GeV/c, and a cross-sectiondσ/dydMγγ=(5.5±2.7)×10−34 cm2/GeV when |y|<0.5,4<Mγγ<6 GeV.

Muon pair production in the process e+e- -> e+e-mu+mu- is studied using the data taken at LEP1 (sqrt(s) \simeq m_Z) with the DELPHI detector during the years 1992-1995. The corresponding integrated luminosity is 138.5 pb^{-1}. The QED predictions have been tested over the whole Q^2 range accessible at LEP1 (from several GeV^2/c^4 to several hundred GeV^2/c^4) by comparing experimental distributions with distributions resulting from Monte Carlo simulations using various generators. Selected events are used to extract the leptonic photon structure function F_2^\gamma. Azimuthal correlations are used to obtain information on additional structure functions, F_A^\gamma and F_B^\gamma, which originate from interference terms of the scattering amplitudes. The measured ratios F_A^\gamma/F_2^\gamma and F_B^\gamma/F_2^\gamma are significantly different from zero and consistent with QED predictions.

Calorimeter measurements of dσ de t for pp, dd, pα , and αα collisions at S nn =31.5 GeV are presented for the pseudorapidity interval | η cm | ⩽ 0.7, extending over eight decades to E t ⩾ 30 GeV. The data are compared with models that predict nuclear cross sections directly from pp data, under the assumption of independent nucleon scatters.

The inclusive π0 production cross-section and the η/π0 ratio have been measured inpp collisions at\(\sqrt s= 63 GeV\) at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings in the rapidity range 2.00<y<2.75. The π0 cross-section exhibits a strongy-dependence and falls more steeply as a function ofpT, compared with the cross-section measured aty∼0. We find a value of 0.46±0.07 for the η/π0 ratio with no significantpT dependence over the range 2.0<pT<4.0 GeV/c.

The first measurements of $x_F$-dependent single spin asymmetries of identified charged hadrons, $\pi^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, and protons, from transversely polarized proton-proton collisions at 62.4 GeV at RHIC are presented. The measurements extend to high-$x_F$ ($|x_F|\sim 0.6$) in both the forward and backward directions.Large asymmetries are seen in the pion and kaon channels. The asymmetries in inclusive $\pi^{+}$ production, $A_N(\pi^+)$, increase with $x_F$ from 0 to $\sim$0.25 %at $x_F = 0.6$ and $A_N(\pi^{-})$ decrease from 0 to $\sim$$-$0.4. Even though $K^-$ contains no valence quarks, observed asymmetries for $K^-$ unexpectedly show positive values similar to those for $K^+$, increasing with $x_F$, whereas proton asymmetries are consistent with zero over the measured kinematic range. Comparisons of the data with predictions of QCD-based models are presented. The flavor dependent single spin asymmetry measurements of identified hadrons allow for stringent tests of theoretical models of partonic dynamics in the RHIC energy regime.

The inclusive production of η-mesons in pp collisions at √ s =63GeV and ϑ CM =90° has been measured for p T <1.5GeV/c. The η/π ratio decreases from its previously measured asymptotic value of η/π ∼ 0.5 at high transverse momentum, to η/π ≈0.3 at P T = 750MeV/c and η/π ≈ 0.01 at P T =300MeV/c, in a way that consistent with phase-space considerations, e.g. m T scaling. The η/π ratio, integrated from 0.2–1.5 GeV/ c , is found to be η/π=0.07±0.055.

We present stdies of events triggered on two high-pT jets, produced inpp collisions at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR) at\(\sqrt s \)=63 GeV, using a large solid angle calorimeter. The cross-section for producing two jets is measured in the dijet mass range 17–50 GeV/c2. A high-statistics sample of dijet events, where each jet has transverse energy above 10 GeV, is used to study the structure of jets and the associated event. We find the longitudinal fragmentation function to be similar to that of jets emerging frome+e− collisions but considerably harder than that observed at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS)\(p\bar p\) Collider. A steepening of the fragmentation function is observed when increasing the jet energy. Studies of the charge distribution in jets show that these predominantly originate from fragmenting valence quarks. The transverse energy and particle flows are presented as functions of the azimuthal distance from the jet axis.

We have studied the inclusive production of the hadrons π ± , K ± , p, p , Λ, Λ , ρ and ⋉ in the central region at the ISR s = 53 GeV , in both pp and p p collisions. Differences are observed only for K ± , p, and p production. We then study also correlations between low- p T pp and p p pairs in the two types of collisions, separating the contribution from baryon pair production and from the incident particles (stopping protons). We observe a positive correlation between two stopping protons; between the production of two pairs, and between a stopping proton and a pair production, there are negative correlations.

We present data obtained from a 1.7 sr hadron calorimeter, triggered on transverse energy, in pp collisions at s =63 GeV at the CERN-ISR. From the change in the distribution of energy in the calorimeter, we extract the cross section for two-constituent hard scattering for p T between 6 and 14 GeV at y = 0. The decrease of this jet cross section over this p T range is consistent with exp (− bp T ), with b = (1.02 ± 0.09) GeV −1 . The slope and normalization of the cross section agree well with a QCD motivated Monte Carlo model. The ratio between jet and single particle cross sections [ dσ JET / dp T )/( dσ π 0 / dp T )]| y = 0 changes from about 200 at 6 GeV to about 1500 at 14 GeV.

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We have determined the double inclusive cross-section for opposite-side high-pT photons and away-side jets withθγ≈θjet≈90° produced inpp collisions at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings at\(\sqrt s= 63\) GeV. Under the assumption that these events arise predominantly from the QCD gluon Compton process we have calculated the gluon structure function in the range 0.15≦x≦0.30 at an average square of the four-momentum transfer of 40 GeV2/c2. The data favour a soft gluon distribution in the proton.

The ratio of the yields of antiprotons to protons in pp collisions has been measured by the ALICE experiment at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9$ and $7$ TeV during the initial running periods of the Large Hadron Collider(LHC). The measurement covers the transverse momentum interval $0.45 < p_{\rm{t}} < 1.05$ GeV/$c$ and rapidity $|y| < 0.5$. The ratio is measured to be $R_{|y| < 0.5} = 0.957 \pm 0.006 (stat.) \pm 0.014 (syst.)$ at $0.9$ TeV and $R_{|y| < 0.5} = 0.991 \pm 0.005 (stat.) \pm 0.014 (syst.)$ at $7$ TeV and it is independent of both rapidity and transverse momentum. The results are consistent with the conventional model of baryon-number transport and set stringent limits on any additional contributions to baryon-number transfer over very large rapidity intervals in pp collisions.

The inclusive production of ϱ 0 mesons in pp collisions has been measured at five c.m. energies from √ s = 23.6 to 63.0 GeV. The cross sections and the production spectra as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity are discussed.

Production of ϱ 0 , K ∗0 , K ∗0 , and φ have been measured in proton-proton collisions at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR) at low p T in the central region. The transverse mass spectra are well described by exp (− aμ T ), with a = −6.4±0.2 GeV −1 . The cross sections for d σ/ d y| y=0 are 6.5±0.8±1.2 mb for ϱ 0 , 1.9±0.3±0.3 mb for K ∗) , 1.9±03±03 mb for K ∗0 , and 60.±0.12±0.13 mb for φ , where the first error is statistical and the second is sytematic.

The Split Field Magnet facility at the CERN ISR has been used to measure inclusive resonance production in inelastic p-p collisions at a c.m. energy of 53 GeV. The mass spectrum of pairs of oppositely charged hadrons shows a strong correlation, which can be explained as a consequence of dominant vector meson production, accounting for more than 60% of all pions and kaons produced.

The inclusive production of D ∗± mesons in photon-photon collisions has been measured by the Aleph experiment at LEP with a beam energy of 45 GeV. The D ∗+ are detected in their decay to D 0 π + with the D 0 observed in three separate decay modes: (1) K − π + , (2) K − π + π 0 and (3) K − π + π − π + , and analagously for the D ∗− modes. A total of 33 events was observed from an integrated luminosity of 73 pb −1 which corresponds to a cross section for Σ( e + e − → e + e − D ∗± X ) of 155 ± 33 ± 21 pb. This result is compatible with both the direct production γγ → c c in the Born approximation and with a more complete calculation which includes both radiative QCD corrections and contributions in which one of the photons is first resolved into its quark and gluon constituents. The shapes of distributions for events containing a D ∗+ are found to be better described by the latter.

Balance functions have been measured in terms of relative pseudorapidity ($\Delta \eta$) for charged particle pairs at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) from Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 7.7 GeV to 200 GeV using the STAR detector. These results are compared with balance functions measured at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) from Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV by the ALICE Collaboration. The width of the balance function decreases as the collisions become more central and as the beam energy is increased. In contrast, the widths of the balance functions calculated using shuffled events show little dependence on centrality or beam energy and are larger than the observed widths. Balance function widths calculated using events generated by UrQMD are wider than the measured widths in central collisions and show little centrality dependence. The measured widths of the balance functions in central collisions are consistent with the delayed hadronization of a deconfined quark gluon plasma (QGP). The narrowing of the balance function in central collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 7.7 GeV implies that a QGP is still being created at this relatively low energy.

Vector mesons may be photoproduced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions when a virtual photon emitted by one nucleus scatters from the other nucleus, emerging as a vector meson. The STAR Collaboration has previously presented measurements of coherent $\rho^0$ photoproduction at center of mass energies of 130 GeV and 200 GeV in AuAu collisions. Here, we present a measurement of the cross section at 62.4 GeV; we find that the cross section for coherent $\rho^0$ photoproduction with nuclear breakup is $10.5\pm1.5\pm 1.6$ mb at 62.4 GeV. The cross-section ratio between 200 GeV and 62.4 GeV is $2.8\pm0.6$, less than is predicted by most theoretical models. It is, however, proportionally much larger than the previously observed $15\pm 55$% increase between 130 GeV and 200 GeV.

Transverse momentum distributions and yields for $\pi^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $p$ and $\bar{p}$ in $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=200 and 62.4 GeV at midrapidity are measured by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). These data provide important baseline spectra for comparisons with identified particle spectra in heavy ion collisions at RHIC. We present the inverse slope parameter $T_{\rm inv}$, mean transverse momentum $<p_T>$ and yield per unit rapidity $dN/dy$ at each energy, and compare them to other measurements at different $\sqrt{s}$ in $p+p$ and $p+\bar{p}$ collisions. We also present the scaling properties such as $m_T$ scaling, $x_T$ scaling on the $p_T$ spectra between different energies. To discuss the mechanism of the particle production in $p+p$ collisions, the measured spectra are compared to next-to-leading-order or next-to-leading-logarithmic perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations.

Notwithstanding decades of progress since Yukawa first developed a description of the force between nucleons in terms of meson exchange, a full understanding of the strong interaction remains a major challenge in modern science. One remaining difficulty arises from the non-perturbative nature of the strong force, which leads to the phenomenon of quark confinement at distances on the order of the size of the proton. Here we show that in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, where quarks and gluons are set free over an extended volume, two species of produced vector (spin-1) mesons, namely $\phi$ and $K^{*0}$, emerge with a surprising pattern of global spin alignment. In particular, the global spin alignment for $\phi$ is unexpectedly large, while that for $K^{*0}$ is consistent with zero. The observed spin-alignment pattern and magnitude for the $\phi$ cannot be explained by conventional mechanisms, while a model with a connection to strong force fields, i.e. an effective proxy description within the Standard Model and Quantum Chromodynamics, accommodates the current data. This connection, if fully established, will open a potential new avenue for studying the behaviour of strong force fields.

The PHENIX collaboration presents first measurements of low-momentum ($0.4<p_T<3$ GeV/$c$) direct-photon yields from Au$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=39 and 62.4 GeV. For both beam energies the direct-photon yields are substantially enhanced with respect to expectations from prompt processes, similar to the yields observed in Au$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=200. Analyzing the photon yield as a function of the experimental observable $dN_{\rm ch}/d\eta$ reveals that the low-momentum ($>$1\,GeV/$c$) direct-photon yield $dN_{\gamma}^{\rm dir}/d\eta$ is a smooth function of $dN_{\rm ch}/d\eta$ and can be well described as proportional to $(dN_{\rm ch}/d\eta)^\alpha$ with $\alpha{\sim}$1.25. This new scaling behavior holds for a wide range of beam energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and Large Hadron Collider, for centrality selected samples, as well as for different, $A$$+$$A$ collision systems. At a given beam energy the scaling also holds for high $p_T$ ($>5$\,GeV/$c$) but when results from different collision energies are compared, an additional $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$-dependent multiplicative factor is needed to describe the integrated-direct-photon yield.