Rapidity and centrality dependence of particle production for identified hadrons in Cu+Cu collisions at sNN=200\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV

The BRAHMS collaboration has measured transverse momentum spectra of pions, kaons, protons and antiprotons at rapidities 0 and 3 for Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV. As the collisions become more central the collective radial flow increases while the temperature of kinetic freeze-out decreases. The temperature is lower and the radial flow weaker at forward rapidity. Pion and kaon yields with transverse momenta between 1.5 and 2.5 GeV/c are suppressed for central collisions relative to scaled $p+p$ collisions. This suppression, which increases as the collisions become more central is consistent with jet quenching models and is also present with comparable magnitude at forward rapidity. At such rapidities initial state effects may also be present and persistence of the meson suppression to high rapidity may reflect a combination of jet quenching and nuclear shadowing. The ratio of protons to mesons increases as the collisions become more central and is largest at forward rapidities.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures and 6 table

Rapidity dependence of deuteron production in Au+Au collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV

We have measured the distributions of protons and deuterons produced in high energy heavy ion Au+Au collisions at RHIC over a very wide range of transverse and longitudinal momentum. Near mid-rapidity we have also measured the distribution of anti-protons and anti-deuterons. We present our results in the context of coalescence models. In particular we extract the "volume of homogeneity" and the average phase-space density for protons and anti-protons. Near central rapidity the coalescence parameter $B_2(p_T)$ and the space averaged phase-space density $(p_T)$ are very similar for both protons and anti-protons. For protons we see little variation of either $B_2(p_T)$ or the space averaged phase-space density as the rapidity increases from 0 to 3. However both these quantities depend strongly on $p_T$ at all rapidities. These results are in contrast to lower energy data where the proton and anti-proton phase-space densities are different at $y$=0 and both $B_2$ and $f$ depend strongly on rapidity.Comment: Document updated after proofs received from PR

Strangeness enhancements at central rapidity in 40 A GeV/c Pb-Pb collisions

Results are presented on neutral kaon, hyperon and antihyperon production in Pb-Pb and p-Be interactions at 40 GeV/c per nucleon. The enhancement pattern follows the same hierarchy as seen in the higher energy data - the enhancement increases with the strangeness content of the hyperons and with the centrality of collision. The centrality dependence of the Pb-Pb yields and enhancements is steeper at 40 than at 158 A GeV/c. The energy dependence of strangeness enhancements at mid-rapidity is discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures and 3 tables. Presented at International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter (SQM2009), Buzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 27 Sept - 2 Oct 2009. Submitted to J.Phys.G: Nucl.Part.Phys, one reference adde

Nuclear Stopping in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 200 GeV

Transverse momentum spectra and rapidity densities, dN/dy, of protons, anti-protons, and net--protons (p-pbar) from central (0-5%) Au+Au collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 200 GeV were measured with the BRAHMS experiment within the rapidity range 0 < y < 3. The proton and anti-proton dN/dy decrease from mid-rapidity to y=3. The net-proton yield is roughly constant for y<1 at dN/dy~7, and increases to dN/dy~12 at y~3. The data show that collisions at this energy exhibit a high degree of transparency and that the linear scaling of rapidity loss with rapidity observed at lower energies is broken. The energy loss per participant nucleon is estimated to be 73 +- 6 GeV.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Evolution of the nuclear modification factors with rapidity and centrality in d+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV

We report on a study of the transverse momentum dependence of nuclear modification factors $R_{dAu}$ for charged hadrons produced in deuteron + gold collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}= 200$GeV, as a function of collision centrality and of the pseudorapidity ($\eta = 0,1,2.2,3.2$) of the produced hadrons. We find significant and systematic decrease of $R_{dAu}$ with increasing rapidity. The midrapidity enhancement and the forward rapidity suppression are more pronounced in central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. These results are relevant to the study of the possible onset of gluon saturation at RHIC energies.Comment: Four pages, four figures. Published in PRL. Figures 1 and 2 have been updated, and several changes made to the tex

Centrality dependence of the expansion dynamics in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c

Two-particle correlation functions of negatively charged hadrons from Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon have been measured by the WA97 experiment at the CERN SPS. A Coulomb correction procedure that assumes an expanding source has been implemented. Within the framework of an expanding thermalized source model the size and dynamical state of the collision fireball at freeze-out have been reconstructed as a function of the centrality of the collision. Less central collisions exhibit a different dynamics than central ones: both transverse and longitudinal expansion velocities are slower, the expansion duration is shorter and the system freezes out showing smaller dimensions and higher temperature.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, Te

Rapidity distributions around mid-rapidity of strange particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 AA GeV/c

The production at central rapidity of K0s, Lambda, Xi and Omega particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c has been measured by the NA57 experiment over a centrality range corresponding to the most central 53% of the inelastic Pb-Pb cross section. In this paper we present the rapidity distribution of each particle in the central rapidity unit as a function of the event centrality. The distributions are analyzed based on hydrodynamical models of the collisions.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figure

Charged particle densities from Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=130 GeV

We present charged particle densities as a function of pseudorapidity and collision centrality for the 197Au+197Au reaction at sqrt{s_{NN}}=130 GeV. An integral charged particle multiplicity of 3860+/-300 is found for the 5% most central events within the pseudorapidity range -4.7 <= eta <= 4.7. At mid-rapidity an enhancement in the particle yields per participant nucleon pair is observed for central events. Near to the beam rapidity, a scaling of the particle yields consistent with the ``limiting fragmentation'' picture is observed. Our results are compared to other recent experimental and theoretical discussions of charged particle densities in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures; to be published in Phys. Lett.

Recent Results from the BRAHMS Experiment

We present recent results obtained by the BRAHMS experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) for the systems of Au + Au and Cu + Cu at \rootsnn{200} and at 62.4 GeV, and p + p at \rootsnn{200}. Nuclear modification factors for Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions are presented. Analysis of anti-particle to particle ratios as a function of rapidity and collision energy reveal that particle populations at the chemical freeze-out stage for heavy-ion reactions at and above SPS energies are controlled by the baryon chemical potential. From the particle spectra we deduce significant radial expansion ($\beta \approx$ 0.75), as expected for systems created with a large initial energy density. We also measure the elliptic flow parameter $v_2$ versus rapidity and \ptn. We present rapidity dependent $p/\pi$ ratios within $0 < y < 3$ for Au + Au and Cu + Cu at \rootsnn{200}. \Raa is found to increase with decreasing collision energy, decreasing system size, and when going towards more peripheral collisions. However, \Raa shows only a very weak dependence on rapidity (for $0 < y < 3.2$), both for pions and protons.Comment: 16 pages and 14 figures, proceedings for plenary talk at Quark Matter 2005, Budapest, Hungar

Quark Gluon Plasma an Color Glass Condensate at RHIC? The perspective from the BRAHMS experiment

We review the main results obtained by the BRAHMS collaboration on the properties of hot and dense hadronic and partonic matter produced in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions at RHIC. A particular focus of this paper is to discuss to what extent the results collected so far by BRAHMS, and by the other three experiments at RHIC, can be taken as evidence for the formation of a state of deconfined partonic matter, the so called quark-gluon-plasma (QGP). We also discuss evidence for a possible precursor state to the QGP, i.e. the proposed Color Glass Condensate.Comment: 32 pages, 18 figure