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.

Cross sections for mid-rapidity production of direct photons in p+p collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are reported for 3 < p_T < 16 GeV/c. Next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD (pQCD) describes the data well for p_T > 5 GeV/c, where the uncertainties of the measurement and theory are comparable. We also report on the effect of requiring the photons to be isolated from parton jet energy. The observed fraction of isolated photons is well described by pQCD for p_T > 7 GeV/c.

We have measured direct photons for $p_T<5~$GeV/$c$ in minimum bias and 0\%--40\% most central events at midrapidity for Cu$+$Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. The $e^{+}e^{-}$ contribution from quasi-real direct virtual photons has been determined as an excess over the known hadronic contributions in the $e^{+}e^{-}$ mass distribution. A clear enhancement of photons over the binary scaled $p$$+$$p$ fit is observed for $p_T<4$ GeV/$c$ in Cu$+$Cu data. The $p_T$ spectra are consistent with the Au$+$Au data covering a similar number of participants. The inverse slopes of the exponential fits to the excess after subtraction of the $p$$+$$p$ baseline are 285$\pm$53(stat)$\pm$57(syst)~MeV/$c$ and 333$\pm$72(stat)$\pm$45(syst)~MeV/$c$ for minimum bias and 0\%--40\% most central events, respectively. The rapidity density, $dN/dy$, of photons demonstrates the same power law as a function of $dN_{\rm ch}/d\eta$ observed in Au$+$Au at the same collision energy.

We present inclusive charged hadron elliptic flow v_2 measured over the pseudorapidity range |\eta| < 0.35 in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. Results for v_2 are presented over a broad range of transverse momentum (p_T = 0.2-8.0 GeV/c) and centrality (0-60%). In order to study non-flow effects that are not correlated with the reaction plane, as well as the fluctuations of v_2, we compare two different analysis methods: (1) event plane method from two independent sub-detectors at forward (|\eta| = 3.1-3.9) and beam (|\eta| > 6.5) pseudorapidities and (2) two-particle cumulant method extracted using correlations between particles detected at midrapidity. The two event-plane results are consistent within systematic uncertainties over the measured p_T and in centrality 0-40%. There is at most 20% difference of the v_2 between the two event plane methods in peripheral (40-60%) collisions. The comparisons between the two-particle cumulant results and the standard event plane measurements are discussed.

A measurement of direct photons in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV is presented. A photon excess above background from pi^0 --> gamma+gamma, eta --> gamma+gamma, and other decays is observed in the transverse momentum range 5.5 < p_T < 7 GeV/c. The result is compared to a next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculation. Within errors, good agreement is found between the QCD calculation and the measured result.

The properties of jets produced in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV are measured using the method of two particle correlations. The trigger particle is a leading particle from a large transverse momentum jet while the associated particle comes from either the same jet or the away-side jet. Analysis of the angular width of the near-side peak in the correlation function determines the jet fragmentation transverse momentum j_T . The extracted value, sqrt(<j_T^2>)= 585 +/- 6(stat) +/- 15(sys) MeV/c, is constant with respect to the trigger particle transverse momentum, and comparable to the previous lower sqrt(s) measurements. The width of the away-side peak is shown to be a convolution of j_T with the fragmentation variable, z, and the partonic transverse momentum, k_T . The <z> is determined through a combined analysis of the measured pi^0 inclusive and associated spectra using jet fragmentation functions measured in e^+e^-. collisions. The final extracted values of k_T are then determined to also be independent of the trigger particle transverse momentum, over the range measured, with value of sqrt(<k_T^2>) = 2.68 +/- 0.07(stat) +/- 0.34(sys) GeV/c.

Fast parton probes produced by hard scattering and embedded within collisions of large nuclei have shown that partons suffer large energy loss and that the produced medium may respond collectively to the lost energy. We present measurements of neutral pion trigger particles at transverse momenta p^t_T = 4-12 GeV/c and associated charged hadrons (p^a_T = 0.5-7 GeV/c) as a function of relative azimuthal angle Delta Phi at midrapidity in Au+Au and p+p collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. These data lead to two major observations. First, the relative angular distribution of low momentum hadrons, whose shape modification has been interpreted as a medium response to parton energy loss, is found to be modified only for p^t_T &lt; 7 GeV/c. At higher p^t_T, the data are consistent with unmodified or very weakly modified shapes, even for the lowest measured p^a_T. This observation presents a quantitative challenge to medium response scenarios. Second, the associated yield of hadrons opposite to the trigger particle in Au+Au relative to that in p+p (I_AA) is found to be suppressed at large momentum (IAA ~ 0.35-0.5), but less than the single particle nuclear modification factor (R_AA ~0.2).

The PHENIX collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) reports measurements of azimuthal dihadron correlations near midrapidity in $d$$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=200 GeV. These measurements complement recent analyses by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) involving central $p$$+$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=5.02 TeV, which have indicated strong anisotropic long-range correlations in angular distributions of hadron pairs. The origin of these anisotropies is currently unknown. Various competing explanations include parton saturation and hydrodynamic flow. We observe qualitatively similar, but larger, anisotropies in $d$$+$Au collisions compared to those seen in $p$$+$Pb collisions at the LHC. The larger extracted $v_2$ values in $d$$+$Au collisions at RHIC are consistent with expectations from hydrodynamic calculations owing to the larger expected initial-state eccentricity compared with that from $p$$+$Pb collisions. When both are divided by an estimate of the initial-state eccentricity the scaled anisotropies follow a common trend with multiplicity that may extend to heavy ion data at RHIC and the LHC, where the anisotropies are widely thought to arise from hydrodynamic flow.

We report the observation at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) of suppression of back-to-back correlations in the direct photon+jet channel in Au+Au relative to p+p collisions. Two-particle correlations of direct photon triggers with associated hadrons are obtained by statistical subtraction of the decay photon-hadron background. The initial momentum of the away-side parton is tightly constrained, because the parton-photon pair exactly balance in momentum at leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD), making such correlations a powerful probe of the in-medium parton energy loss. The away-side nuclear suppression factor, I_AA, in central Au+Au collisions, is 0.32 +/- 0.12(stat) +/- 0.09(syst) for hadrons of 3 < p_T < 5 in coincidence with photons of 5 < p_T < 15 GeV/c. The suppression is comparable to that observed for high-p_T single hadrons and dihadrons. The direct photon associated yields in p+p collisions scale approximately with the momentum balance, z_T = p_T^hadron/p_T^photon, as expected for a measure of the away-side parton fragmentation function. We compare to Au+Au collisions for which the momentum balance dependence of the nuclear modification should be sensitive to the path-length dependence of parton energy loss.

Neutral-pion, pi^0, spectra were measured at midrapidity (|y|<0.35) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 39 and 62.4 GeV and compared to earlier measurements at 200 GeV in the 1<p_T<10 GeV/c transverse-momentum (p_T) range. The high-p_T tail is well described by a power law in all cases and the powers decrease significantly with decreasing center-of-mass energy. The change of powers is very similar to that observed in the corresponding p+p-collision spectra. The nuclear-modification factors (R_AA) show significant suppression and a distinct energy dependence at moderate p_T in central collisions. At high p_T, R_AA is similar for 62.4 and 200 GeV at all centralities. Perturbative-quantum-chromodynamics calculations that describe R_AA well at 200 GeV, fail to describe the 39 GeV data, raising the possibility that the relative importance of initial-state effects and soft processes increases at lower energies. A conclusion that the region where hard processes are dominant is reached only at higher p_T, is also supported by the x_T dependence of the x_T-scaling power-law exponent.