The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider measured $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons at midrapidity in U$+$U collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=192$ GeV in a wide transverse momentum range. Measurements were performed in the $\pi^0(\eta)\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ decay modes. A strong suppression of $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ meson production at high transverse momentum was observed in central U$+$U collisions relative to binary scaled $p$$+$$p$ results. Yields of $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons measured in U$+$U collisions show similar suppression pattern to the ones measured in Au$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV for similar numbers of participant nucleons. The $\eta$/$\pi^0$ ratios do not show dependence on centrality or transverse momentum, and are consistent with previously measured values in hadron-hadron, hadron-nucleus, nucleus-nucleus, and $e^+e^-$ collisions.
We present measured J/psi production rates in d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV over a broad range of transverse momentum (p_T=0-14 GeV/c) and rapidity (-2.2<y<2.2). We construct the nuclear-modification factor R_dAu for these kinematics and as a function of collision centrality (related to impact parameter for the R_dAu collision). We find that the modification is largest for collisions with small impact parameters, and observe a suppression (R_dAu<1) for p_T<4 GeV/c at positive rapidities. At negative rapidity we observe a suppression for p_T<2 GeV/c then an enhancement (R_dAu>1) for p_T>2 GeV/c. The observed enhancement at negative rapidity has implications for the observed modification in heavy-ion collisions at high p_T.
The PHENIX experiement has measured the electron-positron pair mass spectrum from 0 to 8 GeV/c^2 in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. The contributions from light meson decays to e^+e^- pairs have been determined based on measurements of hadron production cross sections by PHENIX. They account for nearly all e^+e^- pairs in the mass region below 1 GeV/c^2. The e^+e^- pair yield remaining after subtracting these contributions is dominated by semileptonic decays of charmed hadrons correlated through flavor conservation. Using the spectral shape predicted by PYTHIA, we estimate the charm production cross section to be 544 +/- 39(stat) +/- 142(syst) +/- 200(model) \mu b, which is consistent with QCD calculations and measurements of single leptons by PHENIX.
J/Psi production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV has been Measured in the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) over a rapidity range of -2.2 < y < 2.2 and a transverse momentum range of 0 < pT < 9 GeV/c. The statistics available allow a detailed measurement of both the pT and rapidity distributions and are sufficient to constrain production models. The total cross section times branching ratio determined for J/Psi production is B_{ll} sigma_pp^J/psi = 178 +/- 3(stat) +/- 53(syst) +/- 18(norm) nb.
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Flow harmonics ($\textit{v}_{n}$) of the Fourier expansion for the azimuthal distributions of hadrons are commonly employed to quantify the azimuthal anisotropy of particle production relative to the collision symmetry planes. While lower order Fourier coefficients ($\textit{v}_{2}$ and $\textit{v}_{3}$) are more directly related to the corresponding eccentricities of the initial state, the higher-order flow harmonics ($\textit{v}_{n>3}$) can be induced by a mode-coupled response to the lower-order anisotropies, in addition to a linear response to the same-order anisotropies. These higher-order flow harmonics and their linear and mode-coupled contributions can be used to more precisely constrain the initial conditions and the transport properties of the medium in theoretical models. The multiparticle azimuthal cumulant method is used to measure the linear and mode-coupled contributions in the higher-order anisotropic flow, the mode-coupled response coefficients, and the correlations of the event plane angles for charged particles as functions of centrality and transverse momentum in Au+Au collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy \roots = 200 GeV. The results are compared to similar LHC measurements as well as to several viscous hydrodynamic calculations with varying initial conditions.
Global polarization of $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ hyperons has been measured for the first time in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$ = 200 GeV. The measurements of the $\Xi^-$ and $\bar{\Xi}^+$ hyperon polarization have been performed by two independent methods, via analysis of the angular distribution of the daughter particles in the parity violating weak decay $\Xi\rightarrow\Lambda+\pi$, as well as by measuring the polarization of the daughter $\Lambda$-hyperon, polarized via polarization transfer from its parent. The polarization, obtained by combining the results from the two methods and averaged over $\Xi^-$ and $\bar{\Xi}^+$, is measured to be $\langle P_\Xi \rangle = 0.47\pm0.10~({\rm stat.})\pm0.23~({\rm syst.})\,\%$ for the collision centrality 20%-80%. The $\langle P_\Xi \rangle$ is found to be slightly larger than the inclusive $\Lambda$ polarization and in reasonable agreement with a multi-phase transport model (AMPT). The $\langle P_\Xi \rangle$ is found to follow the centrality dependence of the vorticity predicted in the model, increasing toward more peripheral collisions. The global polarization of $\Omega$, $\langle P_\Omega \rangle = 1.11\pm0.87~({\rm stat.})\pm1.97~({\rm syst.})\,\%$ was obtained by measuring the polarization of daughter $\Lambda$ in the decay $\Omega \rightarrow \Lambda + K$, assuming the polarization transfer factor $C_{\Omega\Lambda}=1$.
We have studied tbar-t production using multijet final states in pbar-p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.8 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of 110.3 pb(-1). Each of the top quarks with these final states decays exclusively to a bottom quark and a W boson, with the W bosons decaying into quark-antiquark pairs. The analysis has been optimized using neural networks to achieve the smallest expected fractional uncertainty on the tbar-t production cross section, and yields a cross section of 7.1 +/- 2.8(stat.) +/- 1.5(syst.) pb, assuming a top quark mass of 172.1 GeV/c^(2). Combining this result with previous D0 measurements, where one or both of the W bosons decay leptonically, gives a tbar t production cross section of 5.9 +/- 1.2(stat) +/- 1.1(syst) pb.
We present the first large-acceptance measurement of event-wise mean transverse momentum mean p_t fluctuations for Au-Au collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-momentum collision energy sqrt{s_{NN}} = 130 GeV. The observed non-statistical mean p_t fluctuations substantially exceed in magnitude fluctuations expected from the finite number of particles produced in a typical collision. The r.m.s. fractional width excess of the event-wise mean p_t distribution is 13.7 +/- 0.1(stat) +/- 1.3(syst)% relative to a statistical reference, for the 15% most-central collisions and for charged hadrons within pseudorapidity range |eta|<1, 2pi azimuth and 0.15 < p_t < 2 GeV/c. The width excess varies smoothly but non-monotonically with collision centrality, and does not display rapid changes with centrality which might indicate the presence of critical fluctuations. The reported mean p_t fluctuation excess is qualitatively larger than those observed at lower energies and differs markedly from theoretical expectations. Contributions to mean p_t mean fluctuations from semi-hard parton scattering in the initial state and dissipation in the bulk colored medium are discussed.
The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured 2nd and 3rd order Fourier coefficients of the azimuthal distributions of direct photons emitted at midrapidity in Au$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV for various collision centralities. Combining two different analysis techniques, results were obtained in the transverse momentum range of $0.4<p_{T}<4.0$ GeV/$c$. At low $p_T$ the second-order coefficients, $v_2$, are similar to the ones observed in hadrons. Third order coefficients, $v_3$, are nonzero and almost independent of centrality. These new results on $v_2$ and $v_3$, combined with previously published results on yields, are compared to model calculations that provide yields and asymmetries in the same framework. Those models are challenged to explain simultaneously the observed large yield and large azimuthal anisotropies.
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