Data on the mean multiplicity of strange hadrons produced in minimum bias proton--proton and central nucleus--nucleus collisions at momenta between 2.8 and 400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled. The multiplicities for nucleon--nucleon interactions were constructed. The ratios of strange particle multiplicity to participant nucleon as well as to pion multiplicity are larger for central nucleus--nucleus collisions than for nucleon--nucleon interactions at all studied energies. The data at AGS energies suggest that the latter ratio saturates with increasing masses of the colliding nuclei. The strangeness to pion multiplicity ratio observed in nucleon--nucleon interactions increases with collision energy in the whole energy range studied. A qualitatively different behaviour is observed for central nucleus--nucleus collisions: the ratio rapidly increases when going from Dubna to AGS energies and changes little between AGS and SPS energies. This change in the behaviour can be related to the increase in the entropy production observed in central nucleus-nucleus collisions at the same energy range. The results are interpreted within a statistical approach. They are consistent with the hypothesis that the Quark Gluon Plasma is created at SPS energies, the critical collision energy being between AGS and SPS energies.
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The transverse momentum and rapidity distributions of net protons and negatively charged hadrons have been measured for minimum bias proton-nucleus and deuteron-gold interactions, as well as central oxygen-gold and sulphur-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon. The rapidity density of net protons at midrapidity in central nucleus-nucleus collisions increases both with target mass for sulphur projectiles and with the projectile mass for a gold target. The shape of the rapidity distributions of net protons forward of midrapidity for d+Au and central S+Au collisions is similar. The average rapidity loss is larger than 2 units of rapidity for reactions with the gold target. The transverse momentum spectra of net protons for all reactions can be described by a thermal distribution with `temperatures' between 145 +- 11 MeV (p+S interactions) and 244 +- 43 MeV (central S+Au collisions). The multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons increases with the mass of the colliding system. The shape of the transverse momentum spectra of negatively charged hadrons changes from minimum bias p+p and p+S interactions to p+Au and central nucleus-nucleus collisions. The mean transverse momentum is almost constant in the vicinity of midrapidity and shows little variation with the target and projectile masses. The average number of produced negatively charged hadrons per participant baryon increases slightly from p+p, p+A to central S+S,Ag collisions.
Results on charged pion and kaon production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 20A and 30A GeV are presented and compared to data at lower and higher energies. A rapid change of the energy dependence is observed around 30A GeV for the yields of pions and kaons as well as for the shape of the transverse mass spectra. The change is compatible with the prediction that the threshold for production of a state of deconfined matter at the early stage of the collisions is located at low SPS energies.
Measurements of the invariant cross section Ed3σd3p are presented for the production of hadrons (π, K, p, and p¯) at large transverse momentum (p⊥) by 200-, 300-, and 400-GeV protons incident on H2, D2, Be, Ti, and W targets. The measurements were made at a laboratory angle of 77 mrad, which corresponds to angles near 90° in the c.m. system of the incident proton and a single nucleon at rest. The range in p⊥ for the data is 0.77≤p⊥≤6.91 GeV/c, corresponding to values of the scaling variable x⊥=2p⊥s from 0.06 to 0.64. For p−p collisions, the pion cross sections can be represented in the region x⊥>35 by the form (1p⊥n)(1−x⊥)b, with n=8 and b=9. The ratio of π+ to π− production grows as a function of x⊥ to a value larger than 2 at x⊥≳0.5. The ratios of the production of K+ and protons to π+ and of K− and antiprotons to π− also scale with x⊥ for p−p collisions. The K±, p, and p¯ fitted values for n and b are given. Particle ratios are also presented for D2, Be, Ti, and W targets and the dependences on atomic weight (A) are discussed.
The yields and average transverse momenta of pions, kaons, and antiprotons produced at the Fermilab p¯p collider at s=300, 540, 1000, and 1800 GeV are presented and compared with data from the energies reached at the CERN collider. We also present data on the dependence of average transverse momentum 〈pt〉 and particle ratios as a function of charged particle density dNcdη; data for particle densities as high as six times the average value, corresponding to a Bjorken energy density 6 GeV/fm3, are reported. These data are relevant to the search for quark-gluon phase of QCD.
This Letter reports measurements of the ratios of $\pi$, K, and p production at large values of transverse momentum in $\pi^- −p$ collisions. The charge ratios, such as $\frac {\pi^−} {\pi^+}$, $\frac {K^−} {K^+}$, and $\frac {\overline{p}}{p}$ are seen to be quite different from those measured in p −p collisions. These ratios are sensitive tests of hard-scattering models, and are compared with theoretical predictions. The particle ratios have also been studied as a function of center-of-mass angle ($\theta^*$) at $\theta^*$ = 90°, 77°, and 60°.
A search for the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) critical point was performed by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, using dynamical fluctuations of unlike particle pairs. Heavy-ion collisions were studied over a large range of collision energies with homogeneous acceptance and excellent particle identification, covering a significant range in the QCD phase diagram where a critical point may be located. Dynamical $K\pi$, $p\pi$, and $Kp$ fluctuations as measured by the STAR experiment in central 0-5\% Au+Au collisions from center-of-mass collision energies $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7 to 200 GeV are presented. The observable $\rm \nu_{dyn}$ was used to quantify the magnitude of the dynamical fluctuations in event-by-event measurements of the $K\pi$, $p\pi$, and $Kp$ pairs. The energy dependences of these fluctuations from central 0-5\% Au+Au collisions all demonstrate a smooth evolution with collision energy.
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