Precision Measurement of the Longitudinal Double-Spin Asymmetry for Inclusive Jet Production in Polarized Proton Collisions at √s= 200GeV

We report a new measurement of the midrapidity inclusive jet longitudinal double-spin asymmetry, ALL, in polarized pp collisions at center-of-mass energy √s = 200 GeV. The STAR data place stringent constraints on polarized parton distribution functions extracted at next-to-leading order from global analyses of inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), semi-inclusive DIS, and RHIC pp data. The measured asymmetries provide evidence at the 3σ level for positive gluon polarization in the Bjorken-x region x \u3e 0.05

Inclusive Charged Hadron Elliptic Flow in Au + Au Collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 7.7-39 GeV

A systematic study is presented for centrality, transverse momentum pT, and pseudorapidity (η) dependence of the inclusive charged hadron elliptic flow v2 at midrapidity (|η| \u3c 1.0) in Au + Au collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, and 39 GeV. The results obtained with different methods, including correlations with the event plane reconstructed in a region separated by a large pseudorapidity gap and four-particle cumulants (v2{4}), are presented to investigate nonflow correlations and v2 fluctuations. We observe that the difference between v2{2} and v2{4} is smaller at the lower collision energies. Values of v2, scaled by the initial coordinate space eccentricity, v2/ϵ, as a function of pT are larger in more central collisions, suggesting stronger collective flow develops in more central collisions, similar to the results at higher collision energies. These results are compared to measurements at higher energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider √ˢᴺᴺ = 62.4 and 200 GeV) and at the Large Hadron Collider (Pb + Pb collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 2.76 TeV). The v2(pT) values for fixed pT rise with increasing collision energy within the pT range studied (\u3c2 GeV/c). A comparison to viscous hydrodynamic simulations is made to potentially help understand the energy dependence of v2(pT). We also compare the v2 results to UrQMD and AMPT transport model calculations, and physics implications on the dominance of partonic versus hadronic phases in the system created at beam energy scan energies are discussed

Beam Energy Dependence of Moments of the Net-Charge Multiplicity Distributions in Au + Au Collisions at RHIC

We report the first measurements of the moments-mean (M), variance (σ2), skewness (S), and kurtosis (κ)-of the net-charge multiplicity distributions at midrapidity in Au + Au collisions at seven energies, ranging from √ˢᶰᶰ = 7.7 to 200 GeV, as a part of the Beam Energy Scan program at RHIC. The moments are related to the thermodynamic susceptibilities of net charge, and are sensitive to the location of the QCD critical point. We compare the products of the moments, σ2/M, Sσ, and κσ2, with the expectations from Poisson and negative binomial distributions (NBDs). The Sσ values deviate from the Poisson baseline and are close to the NBD baseline, while the κσ2 values tend to lie between the two. Within the present uncertainties, our data do not show nonmonotonic behavior as a function of collision energy. These measurements provide a valuable tool to extract the freeze-out parameters in heavy-ion collisions by comparing with theoretical models. © American Physical Societ

Dielectron Mass Spectra from Au plus Au Collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 GeV

We report the STAR measurements of dielectron (e+e-) production at midrapidity ( |yee| \u3c 1) in Au + Au collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 GeV. The measurements are evaluated in different invariant mass regions with a focus on 0.30-0.76 (ρ-like), 0.76-0.80 (ω-like), and 0.98-1.05 (ɸ-like) GeV/c2. The spectrum in the ω-like and ɸ-like regions can be well described by the hadronic cocktail simulation. In the ρ-like region, however, the vacuum ρ spectral function cannot describe the shape of the dielectron excess. In this range, an enhancement of 1.77 ±0.11(stat) ± 0.24(syst) ± 0.33(cocktail) is determined with respect to the hadronic cocktail simulation that excludes the ρ meson. The excess yield in the ρ-like region increases with the number of collision participants faster than the ω and ɸ yields. Theoretical models with broadened rho contributions through interactions with constituents in the hot QCD medium provide a consistent description of the dilepton mass spectra for the measurement presented here and the earlier data at the Super Proton Synchrotron energies

Jet-Hadron Correlations in √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 GeV p + p and Central Au + Au Collisions

Azimuthal angular correlations of charged hadrons with respect to the axis of a reconstructed (trigger) jet in Au + Au and p + p collisions √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 GeV in STAR are presented. The trigger jet population in Au + Au collisions is biased toward jets that have not interacted with the medium, allowing easier matching of jet energies between Au + Au and p + p collisions while enhancing medium effects on the recoil jet. The associated hadron yield of the recoil jet is significantly suppressed at high transverse momentum (passoc/T) and enhanced at low passoc/T in 0%-20% central Au + Au collisions compared to p + p collisions, which is indicative of medium-induced parton energy loss in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

J/ψ Production at Low Pᵀ in Au + Au and Cu + Cu Collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 GeV With the STAR Detector

The J/ψ pT spectrum and nuclear modification factor (RAA) are reported for pT \u3c 5 GeV/c and |y| \u3c 1 from 0% to 60% central Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 GeV at STAR. A significant suppression of pT - integrated J/ψ production is observed in central Au + Au events. The Cu + Cu data are consistent with no suppression, although the precision is limited by the available statistics. RAA in Au + Au collisions exhibits a strong suppression at low transverse momentum and gradually increases with pT. The data are compared to high-pT STAR results and previously published BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider results. Comparing with model calculations, it is found that the invariant yields at low pT are significantly above hydrodynamic flow predictions but are consistent with models that include color screening and regeneration

Energy Dependence of Moments of Net-Proton Multiplicity Distributions at RHIC

We report the beam energy (√ˢᴺᴺ = 7.7-200 GeV) and collision centrality dependence of the mean (M), standard deviation (σ), skewness (S), and kurtosis (κ) of the net-proton multiplicity distributions in Au + Au collisions. The measurements are carried out by the STAR experiment at midrapidity (|y| \u3c 0.5) and within the transverse momentum range 0.4 \u3c pT \u3c 0.8 GeV/c in the first phase of the Beam Energy Scan program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. These measurements are important for understanding the quantum chromodynamic phase diagram. The products of the moments, Sσ and Kσ2, are sensitive to the correlation length of the hot and dense medium created in the collisions and are related to the ratios of baryon number susceptibilities of corresponding orders. The products of moments are found to have values significantly below the Skellam expectation and close to expectations based on independent proton and antiproton production. The measurements are compared to a transport model calculation to understand the effect of acceptance and baryon number conservation and also to a hadron resonance gas model

Measurement of Longitudinal Spin Asymmetries for Weak Boson Production in Polarized Proton-Proton Collisions at RHIC

We report measurements of single- and double-spin asymmetries for W± and Z/ɣ* boson production in longitudinally polarized p + p collisions at √s = 510 GeV by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The asymmetries for W± were measured as a function of the decay lepton pseudorapidity, which provides a theoretically clean probe of the proton\u27s polarized quark distributions at the scale of the W mass. The results are compared to theoretical predictions, constrained by polarized deep inelastic scattering measurements, and show a preference for a sizable, positive up antiquark polarization in the range 0.05 \u3c x \u3c 0.2

Fluctuations of Charge Separation Perpendicular to the Event Plane and Local Parity Violation in √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 GeV Au + Au Collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Previous experimental results based on data (~ 15 x 106 events) collected by the STAR detector at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider suggest event-by-event charge-separation fluctuations perpendicular to the event plane in noncentral heavy-ion collisions. Here we present the correlator previously used split into its two component parts to reveal correlations parallel and perpendicular to the event plane. The results are from a high-statistics 200-GeV Au + Au collisions data set (57 x 106 events) collected by the STAR experiment. We explicitly count units of charge separation from which we find clear evidence for more charge-separation fluctuations perpendicular than parallel to the event plane. We also employ a modified correlator to study the possible P-even background in same- and opposite-charge correlations, and find that the P-even background may largely be explained by momentum conservation and collective motion

Dielectron Azimuthal Anisotrophy at Mid-Rapidity in Au+Au Collisions at √ˢᶰᶰ = 200 GeV

We report on the first measurement of the azimuthal anisotropy v2 of dielectrons (e+e- pairs) at mid-rapidity from √ˢᶰᶰ = 200 GeV Au + Au collisions with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), presented as a function of transverse momentum pT for different invariant-mass regions. In the mass region Mee \u3c 1.1 GeV/c2 the dielectron v2measurements are found to be consistent with expectations from π0, η, ω, and Φ decay contributions. In the mass region 1.1 \u3c Mee \u3c 2.9 GeV/c2, the measured dielectron v2is consistent, within experimental uncertainties, with that from the c¯c contributions