Understanding gluon density distributions and how they are modified in nuclei are among the most important goals in nuclear physics. In recent years, diffractive vector meson production measured in ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) at heavy-ion coll
iders has provided a new tool for probing the gluon density. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of $J/psi$ photoproduction off the deuteron in UPCs at the center-of-mass energy $sqrt{s_{_{rm NN}}}=200~rm GeV$ in d$+$Au collisions. The differential cross section as a function of momentum transfer $-t$ is measured. In addition, data with a neutron tagged in the deuteron-going Zero-Degree Calorimeter is investigated for the first time, which is found to be consistent with the expectation of incoherent diffractive scattering at low momentum transfer. Theoretical predictions based on the Color Glass Condensate saturation model and the gluon shadowing model are compared with the data quantitatively. A better agreement with the saturation model has been observed. With the current measurement, the results are found to be directly sensitive to the gluon density distribution of the deuteron and the deuteron breakup, which provides insights into the nuclear gluonic structure.
The chiral magnetic effect (CME) is predicted to occur as a consequence of a local violation of $cal P$ and $cal CP$ symmetries of the strong interaction amidst a strong electro-magnetic field generated in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Experimen
tal manifestation of the CME involves a separation of positively and negatively charged hadrons along the direction of the magnetic field. Previous measurements of the CME-sensitive charge-separation observables remain inconclusive because of large background contributions. In order to better control the influence of signal and backgrounds, the STAR Collaboration performed a blind analysis of a large data sample of approximately 3.8 billion isobar collisions of $^{96}_{44}$Ru+$^{96}_{44}$Ru and $^{96}_{40}$Zr+$^{96}_{40}$Zr at $sqrt{s_{rm NN}}=200$ GeV. Prior to the blind analysis, the CME signatures are predefined as a significant excess of the CME-sensitive observables in Ru+Ru collisions over those in Zr+Zr collisions, owing to a larger magnetic field in the former. A precision down to 0.4% is achieved, as anticipated, in the relative magnitudes of the pertinent observables between the two isobar systems. Observed differences in the multiplicity and flow harmonics at the matching centrality indicate that the magnitude of the CME background is different between the two species. No CME signature that satisfies the predefined criteria has been observed in isobar collisions in this blind analysis.
We report on the first multi-differential measurement of $phi$ meson and $Xi^{-}$ hyperon production as well as the $phi/K^-$ and $phi/Xi^-$ ratio in Au+Au collisions at ${sqrt{s_{rm NN}} = rm{3,GeV}}$ with the STAR experiment under its fixed targ et
configuration at RHIC. $phi$ mesons and $Xi^{-}$ hyperons are measured through their hadronic decay channels, $phirightarrow K^+K^-$ and $Xi^-rightarrow Lambdapi^-$. The transverse kinetic energy spectra of $K^-$, $phi$ and $Xi^{-}$ are presented in different centrality and rapidity intervals. The total production yields and the ratios within a $4pi$ coverage are calculated and compared to thermal model predictions. A calculation within the grand canonical ensemble framework shows a clear discrepancy from our measurement. Our data favor the canonical ensemble approach employing local strangeness conservation with a small strangeness correlation length ($r_c leq 4.2$ fm) in 0--10% central Au+Au collisions at ${sqrt{s_{rm NN}} = rm{3,GeV}}$.
We report on the measurements of directed flow $v_1$ and elliptic flow $v_2$ for hadrons ($pi^{pm}$, $K^{pm}$, $K_{S}^0$, $p$, $phi$, $Lambda$ and $Xi^{-}$) from Au+Au collisions at $sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 3 GeV and $v_{2}$ for ($pi^{pm}$, $K^{pm}$, $p$ and
$overline{p}$) at 27 and 54.4 GeV with the STAR experiment. While at the two higher energy midcentral collisions the number-of-constituent-quark (NCQ) scaling holds, at 3 GeV the midrapidity $v_{2}$ is negative for all hadrons and the NCQ scaling is absent. In addition, the midrapidity $v_1$ slopes for almost all observed hadrons are found to be positive, implying dominant repulsive baryonic interactions. The features of negative $v_2$ and positive $v_1$ slope at 3 GeV can be reproduced with a baryonic mean-field in transport model calculations. These results imply that in 3 GeV Au+Au collisions, the medium is characterized by baryonic interactions.
Global hyperon polarization, $overline{P}_mathrm{H}$, in Au+Au collisions over a large range of collision energy, $sqrt{s_mathrm{NN}}$, has recently been measured and successfully reproduced by hydrodynamic and transport models with intense fluid vor
ticity of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). While na{i}ve extrapolation of data trends suggests a large $overline{P}_mathrm{H}$ as the collision energy is reduced, the behavior of $overline{P}_mathrm{H}$ at small $sqrt{s_mathrm{NN}}<7.7$ GeV is unknown. Operating the STAR experiment in fixed-target mode, we have measured the polarization of $Lambda$ hyperons along the direction of global angular momentum in Au+Au collisions at $sqrt{s_mathrm{NN}}=3$ GeV. The observation of substantial polarization of $4.91pm0.81(rm stat.)pm0.15(rm syst.)$% in these collisions may require a reexamination of the viscosity of any fluid created in the collision, the thermalization timescale of rotational modes, and of hadronic mechanisms to produce global polarization.
The Breit-Wheeler process which produces matter and anti-matter from photon collisions is investigated experimentally through the observation of 6085 exclusive electron-positron pairs in ultra-peripheral Au+Au collisions at $sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV.
The measurements reveal a large fourth-order angular modulation of $cos{4Deltaphi}=(16.8pm2.5)%$ and smooth invariant mass distribution absent of vector mesons ($phi$, $omega$ and $rho$) at the experimental limit of $le 0.2%$ of the observed yields. The differential cross section as a function of $e^+e^-$ pair transverse momentum $P_perp$ peaks at low value with $sqrt{ langle P_perp^2 rangle } = 38.1pm0.9$ MeV and displays a significant centrality dependence. These features are consistent with QED calculations for the collision of linearly polarized photons quantized from the extremely strong electromagnetic fields generated by the highly charged Au nuclei at ultra-relativistic speed. The experimental results have implications for vacuum birefringence and for mapping the magnetic field which is important for emergent QCD phenomena.
