Searching for the QCD Critical Point Using Particle Ratio Fluctuations and Higher Moments of Multiplicity Distributions

Dynamical fluctuations in global conserved quantities such as baryon number, strangeness, or charge may be observed near a QCD critical point. Results from new measurements of dynamical $K/\pi$, $p/\pi$, and $K/p$ ratio fluctuations are presented. The commencing of a QCD critical point search at RHIC has extended the reach of possible measurements of dynamical $K/\pi$, $p/\pi$, and $K/p$ ratio fluctuations from Au+Au collisions to lower energies. The STAR experiment has performed a comprehensive study of the energy dependence of these dynamical fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at the energies $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 39, 62.4, and 200 GeV. New results are compared to previous measurements and to theoretical predictions from several models. The measured dynamical $K/\pi$ fluctuations are found to be independent of collision energy, while dynamical $p/\pi$ and $K/p$ fluctuations have a negative value that increases toward zero at top RHIC energy. Fluctuations of the higher moments of conserved quantities (net-proton and net-charge) distributions, which are predicted to be sensitive to the presence of a critical point, are also presented.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the 21st International Conference On Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (Quark Matter 2011), Annecy, France, May 23 - May 28, 201

Forward-backward correlations in nucleus-nucleus collisions: baseline contributions from geometrical fluctuations

We discuss the effects of initial collision geometry and centrality bin definition on correlation and fluctuation observables in nucleus-nucleus collisions. We focus on the forward-backward correlation coefficient recently measured by the STAR Collaboration in Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Our study is carried out within two models: the Glauber Monte Carlo code with a `toy' wounded nucleon model and the hadron-string dynamics (HSD) transport approach. We show that strong correlations can arise due to averaging over events in one centrality bin. We, furthermore, argue that a study of the dependence of correlations on the centrality bin definition as well as the bin size may distinguish between these `trivial' correlations and correlations arising from `new physics'.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Strongly Intensive Measures for Multiplicity Fluctuations

The recently proposed two families of strongly intensive measures of fluctuations and correlations are studied within Hadron-String-Dynamics (HSD) transport approach to nucleus-nucleus collisions. We consider the measures $\Delta^{K\pi}$ and $\Sigma^{K\pi}$ for kaon and pion multiplicities in Au+Au collisions in a wide range of collision energies and centralities. These strongly intensive measures appear to cancel the participant number fluctuations. This allows to enlarge the centrality window in the analysis of event-by-event fluctuations up to at least of 10% most central collisions. We also present a comparison of the HSD results with the data of NA49 and STAR collaborations. The HSD describes $\Sigma^{K\pi}$ reasonably well. However, the HSD results depend monotonously on collision energy and do not reproduce the bump-deep structure of $\Delta^{K\pi}$ observed from the NA49 data in the region of the center of mass energy of nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}= 8\div 12$ GeV. This fact deserves further studies. The origin of this `structure' is not connected with simple geometrical or limited acceptance effects, as these effects are taken into account in the HSD simulations

Strangelet search at RHIC

Two position sensitive Shower Maximum Detector (SMDs) for Zero-Degree Calorimeters (ZDCs) were installed by STAR before run 2004 at both upstream and downstream from the interaction point along the beam axis where particles with small rigidity are swept away by strong magnetic field. The ZDC-SMDs provides information about neutral energy deposition as a function of transverse position in ZDCs. We report the preliminary results of strangelet search from a triggered data-set sampling 100 million Au+Au collisions at top RHIC energy.Comment: Strange Quark Matter 2004 conference proceedin

Strangelet Search in AuAu Collisions at 200 GeV

We have searched for strangelets in a triggered sample of 61 million central (top 4%) Au+Au collisions at \sNN = 200 GeV near beam rapidities at the STAR detector. We have sensitivity to metastable strangelets with lifetimes of order $\geq 0.1 ns$, in contrast to limits over ten times longer in AGS studies and longer still at the SPS. Upper limits of a few 10^{-6} to 10^{-7} per central Au+Au collision are set for strangelets with mass ${}^{>}_{\sim}30$ GeV/c^{2}.Comment: As publishe

Longitudinal double-spin asymmetry for inclusive jet production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV

We report a new STAR measurement of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry A_LL for inclusive jet production at mid-rapidity in polarized p+p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 200 GeV. The data, which cover jet transverse momenta 5 < p_T < 30 GeV/c, are substantially more precise than previous measurements. They provide significant new constraints on the gluon spin contribution to the nucleon spin through the comparison to predictions derived from one global fit of polarized deep-inelastic scattering measurements.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures + 1 tabl

Studies of di-jet survival and surface emission bias in Au+Au collisions via angular correlations with respect to back-to-back leading hadrons

We report first results from an analysis based on a new multi-hadron correlation technique, exploring jet-medium interactions and di-jet surface emission bias at RHIC. Pairs of back-to-back high transverse momentum hadrons are used for triggers to study associated hadron distributions. In contrast with two- and three-particle correlations with a single trigger with similar kinematic selections, the associated hadron distribution of both trigger sides reveals no modification in either relative pseudo-rapidity or relative azimuthal angle from d+Au to central Au+Au collisions. We determine associated hadron yields and spectra as well as production rates for such correlated back-to-back triggers to gain additional insights on medium properties.Comment: By the STAR Collaboration. 6 pages, 2 figure

System-Size Independence of Directed Flow Measured at the BNL Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider

We measure directed flow (ν_1) for charged particles in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at √S_(NN)=200 and 62.4 GeV, as a function of pseudorapidity (η), transverse momentum (p_t), and collision centrality, based on data from the STAR experiment. We find that the directed flow depends on the incident energy but, contrary to all available model implementations, not on the size of the colliding system at a given centrality. We extend the validity of the limiting fragmentation concept to ν_1 in different collision systems, and investigate possible explanations for the observed sign change in ν_1(p_t)