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Title: Centrality dependence of strangeness enhancement in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions: A core-corona effect

Abstract

In ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions, the multiplicity of multistrange baryons per participating nucleon increases with centrality in a different fashion for different systems and energies. At RHIC, for copper+copper (CuCu) collisions the increase is much steeper than for gold-gold (AuAu) collisions. We show that this system size dependence is due to a core-corona effect: the relative importance of the corona as compared to the core (thermalized matter) contribution varies and the contribution of a corona nucleon to the multiplicity differs from that of a core nucleon. {phi} mesons follow--as all hadrons--the same trend, but the difference between core and corona multiplicity is relatively small, and therefore the CuCu and AuAu results are quite similar. This simple geometrical explanation makes also a strong case in favor of the validity of Glauber geometry in the peripheral regions of ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions, which is crucial for understanding the early evolution of the system.

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. SUBATECH, Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et des Technologies Associees, Universite de Nantes, IN2P3/CNRS, Ecole des Mines de Nantes, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, F-44072 Nantes, Cedex 03 (France)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21289940
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 79; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.79.064907; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0556-2813
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS; BROOKHAVEN RHIC; COLLISIONS; COPPER; GOLD; HEAVY ION REACTIONS; MULTIPLICITY; NUCLEONS; PHI MESONS; RELATIVISTIC RANGE; STRANGENESS

Citation Formats

Aichelin, J, and Werner, K. Centrality dependence of strangeness enhancement in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions: A core-corona effect. United States: N. p., 2009. Web. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVC.79.064907.
Aichelin, J, & Werner, K. Centrality dependence of strangeness enhancement in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions: A core-corona effect. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVC.79.064907
Aichelin, J, and Werner, K. 2009. "Centrality dependence of strangeness enhancement in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions: A core-corona effect". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVC.79.064907.
@article{osti_21289940,
title = {Centrality dependence of strangeness enhancement in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions: A core-corona effect},
author = {Aichelin, J and Werner, K},
abstractNote = {In ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions, the multiplicity of multistrange baryons per participating nucleon increases with centrality in a different fashion for different systems and energies. At RHIC, for copper+copper (CuCu) collisions the increase is much steeper than for gold-gold (AuAu) collisions. We show that this system size dependence is due to a core-corona effect: the relative importance of the corona as compared to the core (thermalized matter) contribution varies and the contribution of a corona nucleon to the multiplicity differs from that of a core nucleon. {phi} mesons follow--as all hadrons--the same trend, but the difference between core and corona multiplicity is relatively small, and therefore the CuCu and AuAu results are quite similar. This simple geometrical explanation makes also a strong case in favor of the validity of Glauber geometry in the peripheral regions of ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions, which is crucial for understanding the early evolution of the system.},
doi = {10.1103/PHYSREVC.79.064907},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21289940}, journal = {Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics},
issn = {0556-2813},
number = 6,
volume = 79,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009},
month = {Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009}
}