Measurements of Lambda, Lambda-bar and K-short from Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon in a large acceptance experiment

The main reason for studying relativistic heavy-ion collisions is to discover the phase transition from nuclear matter to the Quark-Gluon Plasma. Such a transition is predicted to occur under conditions of high temperature and density. The predicted state features deconfined quarks and gluons as the relevant degrees of freedom instead of colour-singlet hadrons. These new degrees of freedom should lead to an enhanced production of strange quarks which has directly observable consequences on the composition of the final state hadrons detected in such a collision. The NA49 experiment is able to measure hadronic production in central Pb+Pb collisions. It uses a Pb beam, of energy 158 GeV per nucleon, from the CERN SPS with a fixed Pb target. The experiment features four large tracking detectors which can measure the trajectories of charged particles. In this thesis the method of reconstructing neutral strange particles, Lambda, Lambda-bar and K-short from their charged decay products is described. The procedure for correcting the raw yields for losses due to the limited experimental acceptance and efficiency in reconstruction is explained. An estimate of some systematic errors is made. The resulting rapidity distributions, which span either side of mid-rapidity are peaked (with the possible exception of Lambda) and the transverse momentum spectra fit the Hagedorn distribution. The inverse slope parameters, T_Lambda = 274 ± 5 MeV, T_Lambda-bar = 279 ± 10 MeV and T_K = 238 ± 5 MeV are consistent with the picture of transverse flow observed in these collisions. These results are compared with other measurements

Azimuthal correlations of forward di-hadrons in d+Au collisions at RHIC in the Color Glass Condensate

We present a good description of recent experimental data on forward di-hadron azimuthal correlations measured in deuteron-gold collisions at RHIC, where monojet production has been observed. Our approach is based on the Color Glass Condensate effective theory for the small-x degrees of freedom of the nuclear wave function, including the use of non-linear evolution equations with running QCD coupling. Our analysis provides further evidence for the presence of saturation effects in RHIC data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in PR

Upsilon cross section in p+p collisions at STAR

The main focus of the heavy flavor program at RHIC is to investigate the properties of the dense matter produced in heavy-ion collisions by studying its effect on open heavy flavor and quarkonia production. This in turn requires a detailed understanding of their production in elementary p+p collisions so that the dense matter effects can be later unfolded. In this paper, we present the first mid-rapidity cross section measurement of bottomonium at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV with the STAR experiment. We compare our results with perturbative QCD calculations. A brief status on the study of charmonium in STAR is given.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. To appear in the proceedings of Quark Matter 2006 as a special issue of Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic

The first measurement of BB meson semi-leptonic decay contribution to non-photonic electrons at RHIC

We present the first measurement for the $B$ meson semi-leptonic decay contribution to non-photonic electrons at RHIC using non-photonic electron azimuthal correlations with charged hadrons in p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV from STAR.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Quark Matter 2006 Proceedings, to appear in J. Phys.

Physics with Identified Particles at STAR

New physics results with identified particles at STAR are presented. Measurements at low $p_T$ address bulk properties of the collision, while those at high $p_T$ address jet energy loss in the bulk matter produced. Between these extremes, measurements at intermediate $p_T$ address the interplay between jets and the bulk. We highlight: measurements of $v_2$ fluctuations as a new, sensitive probe of the initial conditions and the equation of state; correlations involving multi-strange particles, along with ratios of identified particles to test coalescence as a mechanism of particle production at intermediate $p_T$; three particle azimuthal correlation to search for conical emission; and the energy and particle-type dependence of hadron production at high $p_T$ to study quark and gluon jet energy loss.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. To appear in the proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (Quark Matter 2006), Shanghai, China, November 14-20, 200

Selected results on Strong and Coulomb-induced correlations from the STAR experiment

Using recent high-statistics STAR data from Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at full RHIC energy I discuss strong and Coulomb-induced final state interaction effects on identical ($\pi-\pi$) and non-identical ($\pi-\Xi$) particle correlations. Analysis of $\pi-\Xi$ correlations reveals the strong and Coulomb-induced FSI effects allowing for the first time to estimate space extension of $\pi$ and $\Xi$ sources and average shift between them. Source imaging technique providing clean separation of these effects from effects due to the source function itself is applied to one-dimensional relative momentum correlation function of identical pions. For low momentum pions and/or non-central collisions large departure from a single-Gaussian shape is observed

Anomalous centrality variation of minijet angular correlations in Au-Au collisions at 62 and 200 GeV from STAR

We have measured 2D autocorrelations for all charged hadrons in STAR with $p_{t}$ $>$ 0.15 GeV/c and $| \eta |$ $<$ 1 from Au+Au collisions at 62 and 200 GeV. The correlation structure is dominated by a peak centered at zero relative opening angles on $\eta$ and $\phi$ which we hypothesize is caused by minimum-bias jets (minijets). We observe a large excess of minijet correlations in more-central Au-Au collisions relative to binary-collision scaling (more correlated pairs than expected from surface emission or even volume emission). We also observe a sudden increase of the minijet peak amplitude and $\eta$ width relative to binary-collision scaling of scattered partons which occurs at an energy-dependent centrality point. There is a possible scaling of the transition point with transverse particle density.Comment: Quark Matter 2008 proceedings, submitted to Journal of Physics G. v2: added STAR Collaboration to author lis

K* production in Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_{NN}) = 62.4 GeV and 200 GeV in STAR

We report the measurements of $p_T$ spectra of $K^*$ up to intermediate $p_T$ region in mid-rapidity through its hadronic decay channel using the STAR detector in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$= 62.4 GeV and 200 GeV. Particle ratios such as $K^{*}/K$ and $K^{*}/\phi$ is used to understand the rescattering and regeneration effect on $K^{*}$ production in the hadronic medium. The $K^*$ $v_{2}$ measurement using a high statistics Au+Au 200 GeV dataset and nuclear modification factor measurement supports the quark coalescence model of particle production in the intermediate $p_T$ range.Comment: 5 page

Centrality dependence of the N(Ω)/N(ϕ)N(\Omega)/N(\phi) ratios and ϕ\phi v2v_{2} - a test of thermalization in Au+Au collisions at RHIC

We present the centrality dependence of the $N(\Omega)/N(\phi)$ ratios and $\phi$ $v_{2}$ measured in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The results are compared to measurements of other identified particles and recombination model expectations in order to gain insight into the partonic collectivity and possible thermalization of the produced medium.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Quark Matter 2006 conference proceeding

Recent results of the STAR high-energy polarized proton-proton program at RHIC at BNL

The STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is carrying out a spin physics program colliding transverse or longitudinal polarized proton beams at $\sqrt{s}=200-500$GeV to gain a deeper insight into the spin structure and dynamics of the proton. These studies provide fundamental tests of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). One of the main objectives of the STAR spin physics program is the determination of the polarized gluon distribution function through a measurement of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry, $A_{LL}$, for various processes. Recent results will be shown on the measurement of $A_{LL}$ for inclusive jet production, neutral pion production and charged pion production at $\sqrt{s}=200$GeV. In addition to these measurements involving longitudinal polarized proton beams, the STAR collaboration has performed several important measurements employing transverse polarized proton beams. New results on the measurement of the transverse single-spin asymmetry, $A_{N}$, for forward neutral pion production and the first measurement of $A_{N}$ for mid-rapidity di-jet production will be discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Invited talk given at the 17th International Spin Physics Symposium (SPIN 2006), October 2006, Kyoto, Japa