Recent Results from the PHENIX Experiment at RHIC: Exploring the QCD Medium

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Nuclear Physics A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2011.05.021· OSTI ID:1034079

Nouicer, R

We review some important results from the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. They were obtained in a unique environment for studying QCD bulk matter at temperatures and densities that surpass the limits where hadrons exist as individual entities, so raising to prominence the quark-gluon degrees of freedom. We present measurements of nuclear modification factors for neutral pions, light favors (strange hadrons), direct-photons and non-photonic electrons from decays of particles carrying charm or beauty quarks. We interpret the large suppression of hadron production at high transverse momenta as resulting from a large energy loss by the precursor parton on its path through the dense matter, primarily driven by gluon radiation. This dense QCD matter responds to energy loss in a pattern consistent with that expected from a hydrodynamic fluid. Further, its elliptic flow measurements suggest that the hadronization of bulk partonic matter exhibits collectivity with effective partonic degrees of freedom. The results are shown as a function of transverse momentum, centrality in different collision systems and energies.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE - OFFICE OF SCIENCE
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC02-98CH10886
• OSTI ID: 1034079
• Report Number(s): BNL-96500-2011-JA; R&D Project: PO 003; KB0201021; TRN: US1200739
• Journal Information: Nuclear Physics A, Vol. 862-863; ISSN 0375-9474
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
DEGREES OF FREEDOM
ELECTRONS
GLUONS
HADRONS
HYDRODYNAMICS
MODIFICATIONS
PIONS
PRECURSOR
PRODUCTION
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
QUARKS
QUENCHING
SILICON
TRANSVERSE MOMENTUM
relativistic heavy ion collider