The PHENIX experiment at RHIC has measured transverse energy and charged particle multiplicity at mid-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 19.6, 130 and 200 GeV as a function of centrality. The presented results are compared to measurements from other RHIC experiments, and experiments at lower energies. The sqrt(s_NN) dependence of dE_T/deta and dN_ch/deta per pair of participants is consistent with logarithmic scaling for the most central events. The centrality dependence of dE_T/deta and dN_ch/deta is similar at all measured incident energies. At RHIC energies the ratio of transverse energy per charged particle was found independent of centrality and growing slowly with sqrt(s_NN). A survey of comparisons between the data and available theoretical models is also presented.
We have studied neutral final states produced in π−p collisions at momenta of 1.71, 1.89, 2.07, 2.27, and 2.46 GeVc, by observing the γ rays emitted. In particular, measurements are presented of (i) π−p→π0n, for which the Regge-pole fit at momenta ≥5.9 GeVc also agrees rather well here; (ii) π−p→η0n, for which the Regge model which fits at higher energies does not agree here; (iii) π−p→π0γn, in which there is some evidence for a diffraction dissociation process as well as ω0-meson production; (iv) π−p→π0π0n, which is dominated by production of N*0(1236)π0 and by peripheral production of pion pairs. In (iv), the former process is found to fit with the same Reggeized ρ-meson exchange model as charge-exchange scattering, while the latter gives indication of the s-wave ππ interaction. An account is given of new techniques, particularly in the data analysis, which were developed in the course of this work.
Anisotropies in the initial energy density distribution of the quark-gluon plasma created in high energy heavy ion collisions lead to anisotropies in the azimuthal distributions of the final-state particles known as collective flow. Fourier harmonic decomposition is used to quantify these anisotropies. The higher-order harmonics can be induced by the same order anisotropies (linear response) or by the combined influence of several lower order anisotropies (nonlinear response) in the initial state. The mixed higher-order anisotropic flow and nonlinear response coefficients of charged particles are measured as functions of transverse momentum and centrality in PbPb collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 2.76 and 5.02 TeV with the CMS detector. The results are compared with viscous hydrodynamic calculations using several different initial conditions, as well as microscopic transport model calculations. None of the models provides a simultaneous description of the mixed higher-order flow harmonics and nonlinear response coefficients.
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