23 research outputs found
High transverse momentum eta meson production in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of eta mesons in the range p_T~2-12
GeV/c have been measured at mid-rapidity (|\eta| < 0,35) by the PHENIX
experiment at RHIC in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV.
The eta mesons are reconstructed through their eta--> \gamma\gamma channel for
the three colliding systems as well as through the eta-->pi^0 pi+ pi- decay
mode in p+p and d+Au collisions. The nuclear modification factor in d+Au
collisions, R_dAu(p_T~1.0-1.1, suggests at most only modest p_T broadening
("Cronin enhancement"). In central Au+Au reactions, the eta yields are
significantly suppressed, with R_AuAu(pT)~0.2. The ratio of eta to pi^0 yields
is approximately constant as a function of p_T for the three colliding systems
in agreement with the high-p_T world average of R_eta/pi^0 \approx 0.5 in
hadron-hadron, hadron-nucleus, and nucleus-nucleus collisions for a wide range
of center-of-mass energies [sqrt(s_NN)~3-1800 GeV] as well as, for high scaled
momentum x_p, in e+e- annihilations at sqrt(s)=91.2 GeV. These results are
consistent with a scenario where high-p_T eta production in nuclear collisions
at RHIC is largely unaffected by initial-state effects, but where light-quark
mesons (pi^0;eta) are equally suppressed due to final-state interactions of the
parent partons in the dense medium produced in Au+Au reactions.Comment: 391 authors, NN pages text, RevTeX4, figures, tables. Submitted to
Physical Review C. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures
for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available
at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm