27 Search Results

This article presents measurements of inclusive J/ψ production at midrapidity (|y| < 1.0) in Au+Au collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$$ = 54.4 GeV with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. A suppression of the J/ψ yield, quantified using the nuclear modification factors (R_AA, R_CP), is observed with respect to the scaled production p + p in collisions. The dependence of R_AA on collision centrality and J/ψ transverse momentum is measured with improved precision compared to previous measurements at 39 and 62.4 GeV, while the centrality dependence of R_CP is measured and compared to the same results at 39, 62.4,more » and 200 GeV. In central collisions, no significant collision energy dependence of R_AA is found within uncertainties for collision energies between 17.3 and 200 GeV. Two transport model calculations that include dissociation and regeneration contributions are consistent with the experimental results within uncertainties. Although no significant collision energy dependence of the J/ψ suppression in high energy heavy-ion collisions up to $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$$ = 200 GeV is observed within uncertainties, the newly measured results at 54.4 GeV Au+Au collisions provide additional constraints on theoretical calculations of the hot medium evolution and cold nuclear matter effects.« less

Rapidity-odd directed flow v₁ measurements are presented for $K^±$ and $$K^0_S$$ in Au + Au collisions for $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ from 3.0 to 3.9 GeV with the STAR experiment. For comparison, v₁ of π^±, protons, and Λ from the same collisions are also discussed. The mid-rapidity v₁ slope dv₁/dy|_y=0 for protons and Λ is positive in these collisions. On the other hand, v₁ slope of kaons exhibits a strong dependence: negative at p_T < 0.6 GeV/c and positive at higher p_T. A similar p_T dependence is also evident for the v₁ slope of charged pions. Compared to the spectator-removed calculations in Au+Aumore » collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 3.0–3.9 GeV, the JAM model demonstrates a pronounced shift of the v₁ slopes of mesons towards the negative direction. It suggests that the shadowing effect of the spectators plays an important role in the observed kaon anti-flow at low p_T in the high baryon density region of non-central collisions.« less

The correlation between the mean transverse momentum, [p_T], and the squared anisotropic flow, $$v^2_n$$, on an event-by-event basis has been suggested to be influenced by the initial conditions in heavy-ion collisions. We present measurements of the variances and covariance of [p_T] and $$v^2_n$$, along with their dimensionless ratio, for Au+Au collisions at various beam energies: $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 14.6, 19.6, 27, 54.4, and 200 GeV. Our measurements reveal a distinct energy-dependent behavior in the variances and covariances. In addition, the dimensionless ratio displays a similar behavior across different beam energies. We compare our measurements with hydrodynamic models and similar measurements frommore » Pb+Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These findings provide valuable insights into the beam energy dependence of the specific shear viscosity (η/s) and initial-state effects, allowing for differentiating between different initial-state models.« less

The first results of K*(892)^± production at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s}$$= 13 TeV as a function of the event multiplicity are presented. The K*(892)^± has been reconstructed via its hadronic decay channel K*(892)^± → π^± + K$$^0_{\textrm{S}}$$ using the ALICE detector at the LHC. For each multiplicity class, the differential transverse momentum (p_T) spectrum, the mean transverse momentum ⟨p_T⟩, the p_T-integrated yield (dN/dy), and the ratio of the K*(892)^± to K$$^0_{\textrm{S}}$$ yields are reported. These are consistent with previous K*(892)⁰ resonance results with a higher level of precision. Comparisons with phenomenological models such as PYTHIA6,more » PYTHIA8, EPOS-LHC, and DIPSY are also discussed. For the first time, a significant K*(892)^±/K$$^0_{\textrm{S}}$$ suppression in pp collisions is observed at a 7σ level passing from low to high multiplicity events. The ratios of the p_T-differential yields of K*(892)^± and K$$^0_{\textrm{S}}$$ in high and low multiplicity events are also presented along with their double ratio. For p_T ≲ 2 GeV/c this double ratio persists below unity by more than 3σ suggesting that the suppression affects mainly low p_T resonances. The measured decreasing trend of the K*(892)^±/K$$^0_{\textrm{S}}$$ ratio with increasing multiplicity, which in heavy-ion collisions is typically attributed to the rescattering of decay particles of the short-lived resonances, is reproduced by the EPOS-LHC model without the use of hadronic afterburners.« less

In this letter, the first measurement of the femtoscopic correlation of protons and $Σ^+$ hyperons is presented and used to study the p–$Σ^+$ interaction. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector in high-multiplicity triggered pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s}$$ = 13 TeV. The $Σ^+$ hyperons are reconstructed using a missing-mass approach in the decay channel to p + π⁰ with π⁰ → $γγ$, while both $Σ^+$ and protons are identified using a machine learning approach. These techniques result in a high reconstruction efficiency and purity, which allows the measurement of the p–$Σ^+$ correlation function for the first time. Thanks tomore » the high significance achieved in the p–$Σ^+$ correlation signal, it is possible to discriminate between the predictions of different models of the N–$$Σ$$ interaction and to accomplish a first determination of the p–$Σ^+$ scattering parameters.« less

Meson-baryon systems with strangeness content provide a unique laboratory for investigating the strong interaction and testing theoretical models of hadron structure and dynamics. In this work, the measured correlation functions for oppositely charged $$Ξ$$-K and $$Ξ$$ − 𝜋 pairs obtained in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $$\sqrt{𝑠}$$ = 13 TeV at the LHC are presented. For the first time, high-precision data on the $$Ξ$$-K interaction are delivered at small relative momenta. The scattering lengths, extracted via the Lednický–Lyuboshits expression of the pair wavefunction, indicate a repulsive and a shallow attractive strong interaction for the $$Ξ$$-K and $$Ξ$$ − 𝜋 systems, respectively.more » The $$Ξ$$(1620) and $$Ξ$$(1690) states are observed in the $$Ξ$$ − 𝜋 correlation function and their properties, mass and width, are determined. These measurements are in agreement with other available results. Such high-precision data can help refine the understanding of these resonant states, provide stronger constraints for chirally motivated potentials, and address the key challenge of describing the coupled-channel dynamics that may give rise to molecular configurations .« less

The intense photon fluxes from relativistic nuclei provide an opportunity to study photonuclear interactions in ultraperipheral collisions. In particular, it allows for the investigations of excited, light-flavour vector mesons. The measurement of coherently photoproduced 𝜋⁺𝜋⁻𝜋⁺𝜋⁻ final states in ultraperipheral Pb–Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 5.02 TeV is presented for the first time. The cross section, d𝜎/d𝑦, times the branching ratio (𝜌 → 𝜋⁺𝜋⁺𝜋⁻𝜋⁻) is found to be 47.8 ± 2.3 (stat.) ± 7.7 (syst.) mb in the rapidity interval |𝑦| < 0.5. The invariant mass distribution is not well described with a single Breit-Wigner resonance without an interference term. Includingmore » in- terference with a non-resonant contribution results in the mass and width values being too far from those reported in PDG, while the production of two interfering resonances, 𝜌(1450) and 𝜌(1700), also provides a good description of the data. The values of the masses (𝑚) and widths (Γ) of the resonances extracted from the fit assuming two interfering resonances are 𝑚₁ = 1385 ± 14 (stat.) ± 3 (syst.) MeV/𝑐², Γ₁ = 431 ± 36 (stat.) ± 82 (syst.) MeV/𝑐², 𝑚₂ = 1663 ± 13 (stat.) ± 22 (syst.) MeV/𝑐² and Γ₂ = 357 ± 31 (stat.) ± 49 (syst.) MeV/𝑐², respectively. The measured cross sections times the branching ratios are compared to recent theoretical predictions.« less

The polarization of Λ, $$\overline{Λ}$$, $$Ξ$$^–, and $$\overline{Ξ}$$⁺ hyperons along the angular momentum of the system has been measured in isobar collisions of Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 200 GeV with the STAR detector at RHIC. The polarization dependence on collision centrality exhibits an increasing trend in more peripheral collisions. Λ and $$\overline{Λ}$$ polarization dependence on the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity have been investigated, but no significant dependence was observed. The polarizations of Λ and $$\overline{Λ}$$ are found to be consistent with each other, indicating little contribution of the spin-magnetic coupling to the measured polarization. Comparison to previously measuredmore » polarization in Au+Au collisions show no obvious system size dependence. The results are qualitatively consistent with hydrodynamic calculations including contributions from shear-induced polarization and thermal vorticity. For the first time in heavy-ion collisions, the dependence of the global polarization on the hyperon’s emission azimuthal angle relative to the second-order event plane has been measured, indicating stronger polarization for the in-plane emitted hyperons at the level of 2.4σ significance in 20–50 % centrality. The $$Ξ$$ hyperon polarization measurements via polarization transfer analysis yield finite positive values with 2.9σ significance in 20–50 % centrality, slightly larger compared to the inclusive Λ polarization.« less

The coherent J∕𝜓 photoproduction cross section is measured for the first time at midrapidity in peripheral to semicentral Pb − Pb collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 5.02 TeV. The centrality differential cross section d𝜎∕d𝑦 is reported for the centrality range 40–90%, together with the doubly-differential cross section d²𝜎∕d𝑦d𝑝_T, extracted in two peripheral centrality classes. The J∕𝜓 mesons are reconstructed in the dielectron channel, in the rapidity interval |𝑦| < 0.9 using the ALICE central barrel detectors. The J∕𝜓 cross section at midrapidity is statistically compatible to the earlier ALICE measurement at forward rapidity and at the same centre-of-mass energy, and showsmore » only a mild centrality dependence over the covered range. Several sets of theoretical calculations taking into account the hadronic overlap in the collisions but ignoring possible final-state effects from a hot expanding medium are found to give a fairly good description of the current measurements within uncertainties.« less

This work reports femtoscopic correlations of p – – p ($$\overline{p}$$ – – $$\overline{p}$$) and p – – d ($$\overline{p}$$ – – $$\overline{d}$$) pairs measured in Pb–Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$ = 5.02 TeV in the ALICE Collaboration. A fit to the measured proton-proton correlation functions allows one to extract the dependence of the nucleon femtoscopic radius of the particle-emitting source on the pair transverse mass (m_T) and on the average charge particle multiplicity $$\langle$$dN_ch/dη$$\rangle$$^1/3 for three centrality intervals (0–10%, 10 – – 30 %, 30 – – 50 %). In both cases, the expected power-law andmore » linear scalings are observed, respectively. The measured p–d correlations can be described by both two- and three-body calculations, indicating that the femtoscopy observable is not sensitive to the short-distance features of the dynamics of the p-(p-n) system, due to the large inter-particle distances in Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC. Indeed, in this study, the minimum measured femtoscopic source sizes for protons and deuterons have a minimum value at 2.73$$^{+0.05}_{–0.05}$$ and 3.10$$^{+1.04}_{–0.86}$$ fm, respectively, for the 30–50% centrality collisions. Moreover, the m_T-scaling obtained for the p–p and p–d systems is compatible within 1σ of the uncertainties. These findings provide new input for fundamental studies on the production of light (anti)nuclei under extreme conditions.« less