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Title: Significant in-medium {eta}{sup '} mass reduction in {radical}(s{sub NN}) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Abstract

In high-energy heavy ion collisions a hot and dense medium is formed, where the U{sub A}(1) or chiral symmetry may temporarily be restored. As a consequence, the mass of the {eta}{sup '}(958) mesons may be reduced to its quark model value, and the abundance of {eta}{sup '} mesons at low p{sub T} may be enhanced by more than a factor of 10. The intercept parameter {lambda}{sub *} of the charged pion Bose Einstein correlations provides a sensitive observable of the possibly enhanced {eta}{sup '} abundance. We have analyzed {lambda}{sub *}(m{sub T}) data from {radical}(s{sub N{sub N}})=200 GeV central Au+Au reactions measured at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), using extensive Monte Carlo simulations based on six popular models for hadronic multiplicities. Based on the combined STAR and PHENIX data set, and on various systematic investigations of resonance multiplicities and model parameters, we conclude that in {radical}(s{sub N{sub N}})=200 GeV central Au+Au reactions the mass of the {eta}{sup '} meson is reduced by {Delta}m{sub {eta}}{sup '*}>200 MeV, at the 99.9% confidence level in the considered model class. Such a significant {eta}{sup '} mass modification may indicate the restoration of the U{sub A}(1) symmetry in a hot and dense hadronic mattermore » and the return of the ninth ''prodigal'' Goldstone boson. A similar analysis of NA44 S+Pb data at top CERN Super Proton Synchroton (SPS) energies showed no significant in-medium {eta}{sup '} mass modification.« less

Authors:
;  [1];  [2]
  1. MTA KFKI RMKI, H-1515 Budapest 114, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary)
  2. Department of Physics, Harvard University, 17 Oxford St, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21502496
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 83; Journal Issue: 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.83.054903; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Journal ID: ISSN 0556-2813
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS; BNL; BROOKHAVEN RHIC; CHIRAL SYMMETRY; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; ETA PRIME-958 MESONS; GEV RANGE 100-1000; GOLD; GOLDSTONE BOSONS; HEAVY ION REACTIONS; MASS; MEV RANGE 100-1000; MONTE CARLO METHOD; MULTIPLICITY; PIONS; PROTONS; QUARK MODEL; REDUCTION; RESONANCE; ACCELERATORS; ATOM COLLISIONS; BARYONS; BOSONS; CALCULATION METHODS; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; COLLISIONS; COMPOSITE MODELS; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; ELEMENTS; ENERGY RANGE; FERMIONS; GEV RANGE; HADRONS; HEAVY ION ACCELERATORS; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; MESONS; METALS; MEV RANGE; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; NUCLEAR REACTIONS; NUCLEONS; PARTICLE MODELS; POSTULATED PARTICLES; PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS; SIMULATION; STORAGE RINGS; SYMMETRY; TRANSITION ELEMENTS; US AEC; US DOE; US ERDA; US ORGANIZATIONS

Citation Formats

Vertesi, R, Sziklai, J, Csoergo, T, and MTA KFKI RMKI, H-1515 Budapest 114, P.O. Box 49. Significant in-medium {eta}{sup '} mass reduction in {radical}(s{sub NN}) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVC.83.054903.
Vertesi, R, Sziklai, J, Csoergo, T, & MTA KFKI RMKI, H-1515 Budapest 114, P.O. Box 49. Significant in-medium {eta}{sup '} mass reduction in {radical}(s{sub NN}) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVC.83.054903
Vertesi, R, Sziklai, J, Csoergo, T, and MTA KFKI RMKI, H-1515 Budapest 114, P.O. Box 49. 2011. "Significant in-medium {eta}{sup '} mass reduction in {radical}(s{sub NN}) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVC.83.054903.
@article{osti_21502496,
title = {Significant in-medium {eta}{sup '} mass reduction in {radical}(s{sub NN}) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider},
author = {Vertesi, R and Sziklai, J and Csoergo, T and MTA KFKI RMKI, H-1515 Budapest 114, P.O. Box 49},
abstractNote = {In high-energy heavy ion collisions a hot and dense medium is formed, where the U{sub A}(1) or chiral symmetry may temporarily be restored. As a consequence, the mass of the {eta}{sup '}(958) mesons may be reduced to its quark model value, and the abundance of {eta}{sup '} mesons at low p{sub T} may be enhanced by more than a factor of 10. The intercept parameter {lambda}{sub *} of the charged pion Bose Einstein correlations provides a sensitive observable of the possibly enhanced {eta}{sup '} abundance. We have analyzed {lambda}{sub *}(m{sub T}) data from {radical}(s{sub N{sub N}})=200 GeV central Au+Au reactions measured at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), using extensive Monte Carlo simulations based on six popular models for hadronic multiplicities. Based on the combined STAR and PHENIX data set, and on various systematic investigations of resonance multiplicities and model parameters, we conclude that in {radical}(s{sub N{sub N}})=200 GeV central Au+Au reactions the mass of the {eta}{sup '} meson is reduced by {Delta}m{sub {eta}}{sup '*}>200 MeV, at the 99.9% confidence level in the considered model class. Such a significant {eta}{sup '} mass modification may indicate the restoration of the U{sub A}(1) symmetry in a hot and dense hadronic matter and the return of the ninth ''prodigal'' Goldstone boson. A similar analysis of NA44 S+Pb data at top CERN Super Proton Synchroton (SPS) energies showed no significant in-medium {eta}{sup '} mass modification.},
doi = {10.1103/PHYSREVC.83.054903},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21502496}, journal = {Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics},
issn = {0556-2813},
number = 5,
volume = 83,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Sun May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}