Study of jet fragmentation in p+p collisions at 200 GeV in the STAR experiment

The measurement of jet fragmentation functions in p+p collisions at 200 GeV is of great interest because it provides a baseline to study jet quenching in heavy-ion collisions. It is expected that jet quenching in nuclear matter modifies the jet energy and multiplicity distributions, as well as the jet hadrochemical composition. Therefore, a systematic study of the fragmentation functions for charged hadrons and identified particles is a goal both in p+p and Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Studying fragmentation functions for identified particles is interesting in p+p by itself because it provides a test of NLO calculations at RHIC energies. We present a systematic comparison of jet energy spectra and fragment distributions using different jet-finding algorithms in p+p collisions in STAR. Fragmentation functions of charged and neutral strange particles are also reported for different jet energies.     

Charge fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at RHIC energy

A hadron and string cascade model, JPCIAE, together with the corresponding Monte Carlo event generator, has been employed in this paper to investigate further the charge fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at Snn = 130 GeV. The default JPCIAE calculations are in good agreement with PHENIX and STAR data. We found that the thermal predictions for the π gas, the resonance π gas and quark matter deviate, respectively, from the corresponding dynamical simulations from the JPCIAE model. The discrepancies were also found between the π charge fluctuations and the charge fluctuations of all species of hadrons. However the charge fluctuations for "π from ρ and ω decay" and for all the hadrons from resonance decay are close to each other, indicating the correlation between positively and negatively charged hadrons is not sensitive to the species of hadrons. This work shows further that it is questionable to use the charge fluctuations as a signature of QGP.     

Open charm production from d + Au collisions in STAR

Charmed hadrons are interesting observables in heavy ion collisions. They are becoming more accessible to experimental scrutiny at RHIC energies due to the increased production cross-section of charm with the larger centre-of-mass energy available at RHIC compared to SPS. One source of interest in charm production is due to the fact that gluon fusion dominates the charm production cross-section at high energy. Hence, a measurement of charm hadrons is directly sensitive to the gluon distributions of the colliding particles. In addition, any measurement of production at RHIC, and more importantly any observed suppression, must be compared to the overall production of pairs. A systematic study of charmed hadrons in all collision systems available at RHIC is therefore an invaluable experimental tool in the characterization of the matter produced at RHIC. In particular, d + Au collisions are a necessary step for the comparison of any possible modification of charm production in Au + Au collisions. We present preliminary results on D meson production from d + Au collisions in STAR at = 200 . Arrival of the final proofs: 26 July 2005 PACS: 13.20.Fc, 13.25.Ft, 25.75.-q, 24.85. + p     

高能重离子碰撞中正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏研究

用强子和弦级联模型,JPCIAE及相应的Monte Carlo事例产生器,研究相对论性核–核碰撞中有限快度区间内正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏与能量、中心度、共振态衰变及快度间隔的关系.JPCIAE模型能够较好地符合CERN/SPS能区Pb+Pb碰撞的实验结果.本文还用此模型预言了RHIC能区Au+Au碰撞和ALICE能区Pb+Pb碰撞中的正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏.可以看出碰撞能量、中心度、共振态衰变及快度间隔对正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏的影响都不大.     

Systematics of elliptic flow in heavy-ion collisions

We analyze elliptic flow from SIS to RHIC energies systematically in a realistic dynamical cascade model. We compare our results with the recent data from STAR and PHOBOS collaborations on elliptic flow of charged particles at midrapidity in Au+ Au collisions at RHIC. In the analysis of elliptic flow at RHIC energy, we find a good fitting with data at 1.5 times a scaling factor to our model, which characterizes that the model is required to have extra pressure generated from the subsequent parton scattering after the initial minijet production. In energy dependence of elliptic flow, we notice re-hardening nature at RHIC energies. Both these two observations would probably imply the possible formation of quark-gluon plasma.     

Narrowing of the balance function with centrality in Au+Au collisions at the square root of SNN = 130 GeV

The balance function is a new observable based on the principle that charge is locally conserved when particles are pair produced. Balance functions have been measured for charged particle pairs and identified charged pion pairs in Au+Au collisions at the square root of SNN = 130 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider using STAR. Balance functions for peripheral collisions have widths consistent with model predictions based on a superposition of nucleon-nucleon scattering. Widths in central collisions are smaller, consistent with trends predicted by models incorporating late hadronization.     

Balance functions at RHIC

The balance function is based on the principle that charge is locally conserved when particles are pair produced. Balance functions have been measured for all charged pairs, identified pion pairs, and identified charged kaon pairs in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200$ GeV and p+p collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200$ GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider using STAR. Balance functions for all charged particles from Au+Au scale smoothly with centrality to the p+p value. Balance functions for charged particles and pions are narrower in central collisions than in peripheral collisions consistent with trends predicted by models incorporating the concept of late hadronization. Balance functions for kaon pairs represent a strangeness balance. Balance functions for kaons are narrower than those for pion pairs and may show less dependence on centrality.     

Antiproton and charged kaon production in \sqrt {s_{NN} } = 130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHICGeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC

Preliminary results on antiproton and charged kaon spectra and the net-proton number at mid-rapidity are reported for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 130$ GeV as measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. Inverse slope parameters of the transverse mass distributions increase with the collision centrality, consistent with a strong radial flow. The antiproton and charged kaon extrapolated yields, normalized to the uncorrected negatively charged hadron yield, increase with the collision centrality. A finite but small number of net-baryons is found to be present at mid-rapidity.     

Fluctuations and correlations in STAR

The study of correlations and fluctuations can provide evidence for the production of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Various theories predict that the production of a QGP phase in relativistic heavy-ion collisions could produce significant event-by-event correlations and fluctuations in transverse momentum, multiplicity, etc. Some of the recent results using STAR at RHIC will be presented along with results from other experiments at RHIC. The focus is on forward-backward multiplicity correlations, balance function, charge and transverse-momentum fluctuations, and correlations.     

Clocking hadronization at RHIC

The RHIC accelerator collided Au on Au beams at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 130$ GeV in the summer of 2000. To study these collisions, the RHIC experiments have been using a number of observables. One new observable in the field of relativistic heavy ions is the balance function. The balance function can be used to measure the correlation of charged particle pairs in rapidity. The rapidity separation of a particle pair that is created at the same point indicates the time of hadronization for that pair. Preliminary balance function analyses of STAR data are reported. The calculation of a balance function for hadron gas simulations (HIJING) is also discussed in this paper. These preliminary results indicate that the balance function is a useful observable in heavy-ion collisions.     

Effect of Ergodic and Non-Ergodic Fluctuations on a Charge Diffusing in a Stochastic Magnetic Field

In this paper, we study the basic problem of a charged particle in a stochastic magnetic field. We consider dichotomous fluctuations of the magnetic field where the sojourn time in one of the two states are distributed according to a given waiting-time distribution either with Poisson or non-Poisson statistics, including as well the case of distributions with diverging mean time between changes of the field, corresponding to an ergodicity breaking condition. We provide analytical and numerical results for all cases evaluating the average and the second moment of the position and velocity of the particle. We show that the field fluctuations induce diffusion of the charge with either normal or anomalous properties, depending on the statistics of the fluctuations, with distinct regimes from those observed, e.g., in standard Continuous-Time Random Walk models.     

The study of longitudinal properties of the charge balance function

The charge balance function is studied in Au + Au collisions at ?[`(s_NN )]\surd \overline {s_{NN} } GeV using the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. Within the acceptance of the STAR TPC, it is found that the balance function is independent of the position of pseudorapidity windows with equal-size. It is also demonstrated for the first time at RHIC that the balance function divided by a scaling factor related to pseudorapidity is independent of the width and position of the pseudorapidity window. Moreover, Such a scaled balance function is further found to exist in the subset of particles with the same restricted transverse-momentum range.     

NeXSPheRIO results on elliptic flow and directed flow for Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at RHIC

Hydrodynamics has been rather successful at describing results obtained in relativistic nuclear collisions at RHIC. Here we show results obtained with NeXSPheRIO on Au+Au collisions and the less studied Cu+Cu collisions. We study elliptic flow and its connection with eccentricity suggested by PHOBOS, as well as present elliptic flow fluctuations. We also show results for directed flow and compare with PHOBOS and STAR data.     

Identified particle distributions in pp and Au+Au collisions at square root of (sNN)=200 GeV

Transverse mass and rapidity distributions for charged pions, charged kaons, protons, and antiprotons are reported for square root of [sNN]=200 GeV pp and Au+Au collisions at Relativistic Heary Ion Collider (RHIC). Chemical and kinetic equilibrium model fits to our data reveal strong radial flow and long duration from chemical to kinetic freeze-out in central Au+Au collisions. The chemical freeze-out temperature appears to be independent of initial conditions at RHIC energies.     

Non-identical particle correlations in STAR

The correlation function of non-identical particles is sensitive to the relative space-time asymmetries in particle emission. Analysing pion-kaon, pion-proton and kaon-proton correlation functions, measured in the Au+Au collisions by the STAR experiment at RHIC, we show that pions, kaons and protons are not emitted at the same average space-time coordinates. The shifts between pion, kaon and proton sources are consistent with the picture of a transverse collective flow. Results of the first measurement of proton-lambda correlations at STAR are in agreement with recent CERN and AGS data.     

Searching for quark-gluon plasma (QGP) bubble effects at RHIC/LHC

Since the early eighties, we have shared with van Hove the following view: If a quark-gluon plasma were produced in high energy heavy ion colliders, then its hadronization products would likely come from small bubbles of plasma localized in phase space. We develop a model based on HIJING, to which we added a ring of adjoining multiple bubbles in the central rapidity region. Our simulations were designed to be tested by the forthcoming RHIC STAR detector data for 65 GeV/n Au colliding with 65 GeV/n Au. We took into account background and resonance effects to allow a direct comparison to be made with the data. Later 100 GeV/n Au colliding with 100 GeV/n Au and LHC data could also test these ideas. We used two charged particle correlations as a sensitive method to test for bubbles.Received: 18 December 2002, Revised: 17 April 2003, Published online: 1 August 2003S.J. Lindenbaum, M. Kramer: This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886 and the City College of New York Physics Department     

Charged particle density distributions in Au + Au collisions at relativistic heavy-ion collider energies

Charged particle pseudorapidity distributions have been measured in Au+ Au collisions using the BRAHMS detector at RHIC. The results are presented as a function of the collision centrality and the center of mass energy. They are compared to the predictions of different parton scattering models and the important role of hard scattering processes at RHIC energies is discussed. Keywords. Relativistic heavy-ion collisions; charged hadron production; pseudorapidity distributions; centrality dependence; hard scattering processes.     

PACIAE model capability in describing net proton moments

PACIAE 2.0, a parton and hadron cascade model, is employed to investigate the dependence of the moments of net proton event distributions on reaction energies varying from RHIC to LHC energy in p + p collisions. It is found that net proton moments and moment products are sensitive to the collision energy except the moment product k?? ² which is almost independent of the collision energy. The PACIAE results are in line with experimental data.     

Event-by-event net charge fluctuations

We present analyses of event-by-event dynamical net charge fluctuations measured in 130 and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions with the STAR detector. The dynamical net charge fluctuations are evaluated using the ν _+-,dyn observable. Dynamical fluctuations measured in Au+Au collisions at 130 and 200 GeV are finite, and exceed charge conservation limits. They deviate from a perfect 1/N scaling and provide an indication that the collision dynamics varies with collision centrality.     

AGS和RHIC能区核-核碰撞中的领头粒子效应与双柱模型

在总结双柱模型计算结果的基础上, 用该模型对交变梯度同步加速器(AGS)和相对论性重离子对撞机(RHIC)能区核－核碰撞中的领头粒子效应进行了统一分析. 结果表明:在AGS和RHIC能区, 不同中心性核－核碰撞中带电粒子(赝)快度分布的不同, 主要由领头粒子的贡献影响; 如果扣除领头粒子的贡献, 不同中心性核－核碰撞中带电粒子的(赝)快度分布有相同的形状.