Calibration of Pulse-Shape Discriminating NaI(Tl) Detectors

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Fusion of O16 + Ca40 at Elab(16O)=13.4 MeV/nucleon

Mass and velocity distributions have been measured for the evaporation residue and fusion-fission products from the O16+40Ca reaction at 214 MeV. Comparisons of Monte Carlo statistical evaporation simulations to the observed angle and mass dependences of the evaporation-residue velocity distributions were used to set limits on the maximum complete-fusion cross section and to extract information about the magnitude and character of incomplete-fusion processes. The extracted value of the complete fusion evaporation-residue cross section is discussed in the framework of previous results and existing models

Event Reconstruction in the PHENIX Central Arm Spectrometers

The central arm spectrometers for the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider have been designed for the optimization of particle identification in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The spectrometers present a challenging environment for event reconstruction due to a very high track multiplicity in a complicated, focusing, magnetic field. In order to meet this challenge, nine distinct detector types are integrated for charged particle tracking, momentum reconstruction, and particle identification. The techniques which have been developed for the task of event reconstruction are described.Comment: Accepted for publication in Nucl. Instrum. A. 34 pages, 23 figure

Fusion evaporation-residue cross sections for Si28+40Ca at E(28Si)=309, 397, and 452 MeV

Velocity distributions of mass-identified evaporation residues produced in the Si28+40Ca reaction have been measured at bombarding energies of 309, 397, and 452 MeV using time-of-flight techniques. These distributions were used to identify evaporation residues and to separate the complete-fusion and incomplete-fusion components. Angular distributions and upper limits for the total evaporation-residue and complete-fusion evaporation-residue cross sections were extracted at all three bombarding energies. The complete-fusion evaporation-residue cross sections and the deduced critical angular momenta are compared with earlier measurements and the predictions of existing models. The ratios of the complete-fusion evaporation-residue cross section to the total evaporation-residue cross section, along with those measured for the Si28+12C and Si28+28Si systems at the same energies, support the entrance-channel mass-asymmetry dependence of the incomplete-fusion evaporation-residue process reported earlier

Energy dependence of fusion evaporation-residue cross sections in the Si28+12C reaction

Fusion evaporation-residue cross sections for the Si28+12C reaction have been measured in the energy range 18≤Ec.m.≤136 MeV using time-of-flight techniques. Velocity distributions of mass-identified reaction products were used to identify evaporation residues and to determine the complete-fusion cross sections at high energies. The data are in agreement with previously established systematics which indicate an entrance-channel mass-asymmetry dependence of the incomplete-fusion evaporation-residue process. The complete-fusion evaporation-residue cross sections and the deduced critical angular momenta are compared with earlier measurements and the predictions of existing models

Proximity effect at superconducting Sn-Bi2Se3 interface

We have investigated the conductance spectra of Sn-Bi2Se3 interface junctions down to 250 mK and in different magnetic fields. A number of conductance anomalies were observed below the superconducting transition temperature of Sn, including a small gap different from that of Sn, and a zero-bias conductance peak growing up at lower temperatures. We discussed the possible origins of the smaller gap and the zero-bias conductance peak. These phenomena support that a proximity-effect-induced chiral superconducting phase is formed at the interface between the superconducting Sn and the strong spin-orbit coupling material Bi2Se3.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization

We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop (Vienna August 2005) Proceeding

Centrality Dependence of the High p_T Charged Hadron Suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV

PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p_T spectra from central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV. The truncated mean p_T decreases with centrality for p_T > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high p_T hadron production. For central collisions the yield at high p_T is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p+p data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e. for collisions with less than about 140 participating nucleons. The observed p_T and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions.Comment: 7 pages text, LaTeX, 6 figures, 2 tables, 307 authors, resubmitted to Phys. Lett. B. Revised to address referee concerns. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/phenix/WWW/run/phenix/papers.htm

Energy dependence of fusion evaporation-residue cross sections in the Si28+28Si reaction

Velocity distributions of mass-identified evaporation residues produced in the t28/rSi+28Si reaction have been measured at bombarding energies of 174, 215, 240, 309, 397, and 452 MeV using time-of-flight techniques. These distributions were used to identify evaporation residues and to separate the complete-fusion and incomplete-fusion components. Angular distributions and total cross sections were extracted at all six bombarding energies. The complete-fusion evaporation-residue cross sections and the deduced critical angular momenta are compared with lower energy data and the predictions of existing models