Direct photons at low pTp_{T} measured in PHENIX

Direct photon spectra measured at small $p_T$ in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV are presented. Several measurement techniques including statistical subtraction, tagging, and internal and external conversion were applied and found to produce consistent results. The p+p and d+Au results are found to be in very good agreement with pQCD predictions over the entire $p_T$ range. No excess of direct photons in Au+Au collisions with respect to binary scaled d+Au data is observed within systematic errors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, proceedings for Quark Matter 200

Excitation functions of baryon anomaly and freeze-out properties at RHIC-PHENIX

The intermediate $p_T$ region (2 - 5 GeV/$c$) in central Au+Au collisions at RHIC has a rich physics content. The (anti)proton to pion ratio at the intermediate $p_T$ gives us a powerful tool to investigate the bulk properties of the hot and dense matter created at RHIC and their hadronization processes. We present the preliminary results of identified charged hadron spectra at the lower beam energies at RHIC. The excitation function of (anti)proton to pion ratios from SPS to RHIC are shown. We also discuss the onset of the baryon enhancement at the high energy heavy ion collisions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Quark Matter 2006 conference proceeding

Hadron Production at Intermediate pTp_T at RHIC

Large proton and antiproton enhancement with respect to pions has been observed at intermediate transverse momentum $p_T \approx$ 2-5 GeV/$c$ in Au+Au collisions at RHIC. To investigate the possible source of this anomaly, the production of $\phi$ mesons and two particle angular correlations triggered by mid-$p_T$ baryons or mesons are studied. We also present the first measurement of proton and antiproton production at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 62.4$ GeV in Au+Au collisions, which aims to study the energy dependence of the observed baryon enhancement.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, proceedings of Hot Quarks 2004 workshop, Taos Valley, New Mexico, 18-24 Jul 2004,, to be published in J. Phys.

An assessment of J/Psi formation in the light of initial RHIC data

Predictions of J/Psi formation at RHIC via "off-diagonal" combinations of charm and anticharm quarks in a region of color deconfinement are confronted with initial data from the PHENIX collaboration. We find that the measured centrality behavior places significant constraints on the various parameters which control model calculations of J/Psi formation. Within present statistical and systematic uncertainties, one can map out a region of parameter space within which the contribution of formation in a deconfined phase is allowed. As these uncertainties decrease and new data from d-Au interactions becomes available, it is expected that definitive tests for the presence of this formation mechanism will be possible. We anticipate that the rapidity and transverse momentum spectra will prove decisive for a final determination.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, presented at SQM2003, March 12-17, 2003. To be published in J. Phys.

Measurement of long-range angular correlations and azimuthal anisotropies in high-multiplicity p plus Au collisions at root S-NN=200 GeV

We present measurements of long-range angular correlations and the transverse momentum dependence of elliptic flow v(2) in high-multiplicity p + Au collisions at root S-NN = 200 GeV. A comparison of these results to previous measurements in high-multiplicity d + Au and He-3+Au collisions demonstrates a relation between v(2) and the initial collision eccentricity epsilon(2), suggesting that the observed momentum-space azimuthal anisotropies in these small systems have a collective origin and reflect the initial geometry. Good agreement is observed between the measured v(2) and hydrodynamic calculations for all systems, and an argument disfavoring theoretical explanations based on initial momentum-space domain correlations is presented. The set of measurements presented here allows us to leverage the distinct intrinsic geometry of each of these systems to distinguish between different theoretical descriptions of the long-range correlations observed in small collision systems.Peer reviewe

Baryonic Effect on chi_cJ Suppression in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC Energies

We predict that initially produced chi_cJ mesons at low transverse momentum in the central rapidity region are almost dissociated by nucleons and antinucleons in hadronic matter produced in central Au+Au collisions at RHIC energies sqrt {s_{NN}}= 130 and 200 GeV. In calculations the nucleon and antinucleon distributions in hadronic matter are results of evolution from their freeze-out distributions which well fit the experimental p_T spectra of proton and antiproton. Any measured chi_cJ mesons at low p_T are generated from deconfined matter and give an explicit proof of regeneration mechanism (recombination mechanism).Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, Latex, a discussion added to the referenc

Measurements of Multiparticle Correlations in d plus Au Collisions at 200, 62.4, 39, and 19.6 GeV and p plus Au Collisions at 200 GeV and Implications for Collective Behavior

Recently, multiparticle-correlation measurements of relativistic p/d(3)He + Au, p + Pb, and even p + p collisions show surprising collective signatures. Here, we present beam-energy-scan measurements of two, four-, and six-particle angular correlations in d + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200, 62.4, 39, and 19.6 GeV. We also present measurements of two-and four-particle angular correlations in p + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. We find the four-particle cumulant to be real valued for d + Au collisions at all four energies. We also find that the four-particle cumulant in p + Au has the opposite sign as that in d + Au. Further, we find that the six-particle cumulant agrees with the four-particle cumulant in d + Au collisions at 200 GeV, indicating that nonflow effects are subdominant. These observations provide strong evidence that the correlations originate from the initial geometric configuration, which is then translated into the momentum distribution for all particles, commonly referred to as collectivity.Peer reviewe

Measurement of leptonic and hadronic decays of omega- and phi-mesons at RHIC by PHENIX

The PHENIX experiment at RHIC measured production of the \omega- and \phi- mesons in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at \sqrt{s_NN} = 63 and 200 GeV. Particle properties were studied using hadronic and di-electron decay channels. Transverse momentum (mass) spectra measured in different decay modes are found to be in agreement with each other within the errors. Nuclear modification factors R_{AA} measured for both mesons are consistent with results previously obtained for other neutral mesons. Position of the meson mass peaks and their widths reconstructed in hadronic decay channels are in agreement with their properties measured in vacuum.Comment: QM2006 proceedings 4 pages, 3 plot

Nuclear Dependence of the Transverse-Single-Spin Asymmetry for Forward Neutron Production in Polarized p plus A Collisions at root S-NN=200 GeV

During 2015, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) provided collisions of transversely polarized protons with Au and Al nuclei for the first time, enabling the exploration of transverse-single-spin asymmetries with heavy nuclei. Large single-spin asymmetries in very forward neutron production have been previously observed in transversely polarized p+p collisions at RHIC, and the existing theoretical framework that was successful in describing the single-spin asymmetry in p+p collisions predicts only a moderate atomic-mass-number (A) dependence. In contrast, the asymmetries observed at RHIC in p+A collisions showed a surprisingly strong A dependence in inclusive forward neutron production. The observed asymmetry in p+Al collisions is much smaller, while the asymmetry in p+Au collisions is a factor of 3 larger in absolute value and of opposite sign. The interplay of different neutron production mechanisms is discussed as a possible explanation of the observed A dependence.Peer reviewe

Highlights from PHENIX - II

This contribution highlights recent results from the PHENIX Collaboration at RHIC with emphasis on those obtained through lepton and photon measurements in PHENIX.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, presented at the 20th International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions - "Quark Matter 2008", Jaipur, India, February 4-10, 200