No Arabic abstract
A new framework for evaluating hydrodynamic models of relativistic heavy ion collisions has been developed. This framework, a Comprehesive Heavy Ion Model Evaluation and Reporting Algorithm (CHIMERA) has been implemented by augmenting UVH 2+1D viscous hydrodynamic model with eccentricity fluctuations, pre-equilibrium flow, and the Ultra-relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamic (UrQMD) hadronic cascade. A range of initial temperatures and shear viscosity to entropy ratios were evaluated for four initial profiles, $N_{part}$ and $N_{coll}$ scaling with and without pre-equilibrium flow. The model results were compared to pion spectra, elliptic flow, and femtoscopic radii from 200 GeV Au+Au collisions for the 0--20% centrality range.Two sets of initial density profiles, $N_{part}$ scaling with pre-equilibrium flow and $N_{coll}$ scaling without were shown to provide a consistent description of all three measurements.
We report the STAR measurements of dielectron ($e^+e^-$) production at midrapidity ($|y_{ee}|<$1) in Au+Au collisions at $sqrt{s_{rm NN}}$ = 200,GeV. The measurements are evaluated in different invariant mass regions with a focus on 0.30-0.76 ($rho$-like), 0.76-0.80 ($omega$-like), and 0.98-1.05 ($phi$-like) GeV/$c^{2}$. The spectrum in the $omega$-like and $phi$-like regions can be well described by the hadronic cocktail simulation. In the $rho$-like region, however, the vacuum $rho$ spectral function cannot describe the shape of the dielectron excess. In this range, an enhancement of 1.77$pm$0.11(stat.)$pm$0.24(sys.)$pm$0.33(cocktail) is determined with respect to the hadronic cocktail simulation that excludes the $rho$ meson. The excess yield in the $rho$-like region increases with the number of collision participants faster than the $omega$ and $phi$ yields. Theoretical models with broadened $rho$ contributions through interactions with constituents in the hot QCD medium provide a consistent description of the dilepton mass spectra for the measurement presented here and the earlier data at the Super Proton Synchrotron energies.
We present first measurements of the $phi$-meson elliptic flow ($v_{2}(p_{T})$) and high statistics $p_{T}$ distributions for different centralities from $sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. In minimum bias collisions the $v_{2}$ of the $phi$ meson is consistent with the trend observed for mesons. The ratio of the yields of the $Omega$ to those of the $phi$ as a function of transverse momentum is consistent with a model based on the recombination of thermal $s$ quarks up to $p_{T}sim 4$ GeV/$c$, but disagrees at higher momenta. The nuclear modification factor ($R_{CP}$) of $phi$ follows the trend observed in the $K^{0}_{S}$ mesons rather than in $Lambda$ baryons, supporting baryon-meson scaling. Since $phi$-mesons are made via coalescence of seemingly thermalized $s$ quarks in central Au+Au collisions, the observations imply hot and dense matter with partonic collectivity has been formed at RHIC.
Measurements of anisotropic flow Fourier coefficients ($v_n$) for inclusive charged particles and identified hadrons $pi^{pm}$, $K^{pm}$, $p$, and $bar{p}$ produced at midrapidity in Cu+Au collisions at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV are presented. The data were collected in 2012 by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The particle azimuthal distributions with respect to different order symmetry planes $Psi_n$, for $n$~=~1, 2, and 3 are studied as a function of transverse momentum $p_T$ over a broad range of collisions centralities. Mass ordering, as expected from hydrodynamic flow, is observed for all three harmonics. The charged-particle results are compared to hydrodynamical and transport model calculations. We also compare these Cu$+$Au results with those in Cu$+$Cu and Au$+$Au collisions at the same $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$, and find that the $v_2$ and $v_3$, as a function of transverse momentum, follow a common scaling with $1/(varepsilon_n N_{rm part}^{1/3})$.
We present measurements of $e^+e^-$ production at midrapidity in Au$+$Au collisions at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$ = 200 GeV. The invariant yield is studied within the PHENIX detector acceptance over a wide range of mass ($m_{ee} <$ 5 GeV/$c^2$) and pair transverse momentum ($p_T$ $<$ 5 GeV/$c$), for minimum bias and for five centrality classes. The ee yield is compared to the expectations from known sources. In the low-mass region ($m_{ee}=0.30$--0.76 GeV/$c^2$) there is an enhancement that increases with centrality and is distributed over the entire pair pt range measured. It is significantly smaller than previously reported by the PHENIX experiment and amounts to $2.3pm0.4({rm stat})pm0.4({rm syst})pm0.2^{rm model}$ or to $1.7pm0.3({rm stat})pm0.3({rm syst})pm0.2^{rm model}$ for minimum bias collisions when the open-heavy-flavor contribution is calculated with {sc pythia} or {sc mc@nlo}, respectively. The inclusive mass and $p_T$ distributions as well as the centrality dependence are well reproduced by model calculations where the enhancement mainly originates from the melting of the $rho$ meson resonance as the system approaches chiral symmetry restoration. In the intermediate-mass region ($m_{ee}$ = 1.2--2.8 GeV/$c^2$), the data hint at a significant contribution in addition to the yield from the semileptonic decays of heavy-flavor mesons.
We present measurements of electrons and positrons from the semileptonic decays of heavy-flavor hadrons at midrapidity ($|y|<$ 0.35) in Au$+$Au collisions at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=62.4$ GeV. The data were collected in 2010 by the PHENIX experiment that included the new hadron-blind detector. The invariant yield of electrons from heavy-flavor decays is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range $1<p_T^e<5$ GeV/$c$. The invariant yield per binary collision is slightly enhanced above the $p$$+$$p$ reference in Au$+$Au 0%--20%, 20%--40% and 40%--60% centralities at a comparable level. This may be a result of the interplay between initial-state Cronin effects, final-state flow, and energy loss for heavy-quark production at this low beam energy. The $v_2$ of electrons from heavy-flavor decays is nonzero when averaged between $1.3<p_T^e<2.5$ GeV/$c$ from $0<{rm centrality}<40$% collisions at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=62.4$ GeV. For 20%--40% centrality collisions, the $v_2$ at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=62.4$ GeV is smaller than that for heavy flavor decays at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. The $v_2$ of the electrons from heavy-flavor decay at the lower beam energy is also smaller than $v_2$ for pions. Both results indicate that the heavy-quarks interact with the medium formed in these collisions, but they may not be at the same level of thermalization with the medium as observed at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV.