Identified charged pion, kaon, and proton spectra are used to explore the system size dependence of bulk freeze-out properties in Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=200 and 62.4 GeV. The data are studied with hydrodynamically-motivated Blast-wave and statistical model frameworks in order to characterize the freeze-out properties of the system. The dependence of freeze-out parameters on beam energy and collision centrality is discussed. Using the existing results from Au+Au and $pp$ collisions, the dependence of freeze-out parameters on the system size is also explored. This multi-dimensional systematic study furthers our understanding of the QCD phase diagram revealing the importance of the initial geometrical overlap of the colliding ions. The analysis of Cu+Cu collisions, which expands the system size dependence studies from Au+Au data with detailed measurements in the smaller system, shows that the bulk freeze-out properties of charged particles studied here scale with the total charged particle multiplicity at mid-rapidity, suggesting the relevance of initial state effects.

We present strange particle spectra and yields measured at mid-rapidity in $\sqrt{\text{s}}=200$ GeV proton-proton ($p+p$) collisions at RHIC. We find that the previously observed universal transverse mass ($\mathrm{m_{T}}\equiv\sqrt{\mathrm{p_{T}}^{2}+\mathrm{m}^{2}}$) scaling of hadron production in $p+p$ collisions seems to break down at higher \mt and that there is a difference in the shape of the \mt spectrum between baryons and mesons. We observe mid-rapidity anti-baryon to baryon ratios near unity for $\Lambda$ and $\Xi$ baryons and no dependence of the ratio on transverse momentum, indicating that our data do not yet reach the quark-jet dominated region. We show the dependence of the mean transverse momentum (\mpt) on measured charged particle multiplicity and on particle mass and infer that these trends are consistent with gluon-jet dominated particle production. The data are compared to previous measurements from CERN-SPS, ISR and FNAL experiments and to Leading Order (LO) and Next to Leading order (NLO) string fragmentation model predictions. We infer from these comparisons that the spectral shapes and particle yields from $p+p$ collisions at RHIC energies have large contributions from gluon jets rather than quark jets.

We have observed exclusive production of K + K − and K S O K S O pairs and the excitation of the f′(1515) tensor meson in photon-photon collisions. Assuming the f′ to be production in a helicity 2 state, we determine Λ( f ′ → γγ) B( f ′ → K K ) = 0.11 ± 0.02 ± 0.04 keV . The non-strange quark of the f′ is found to be less than 3% (95% CL). For the θ(1640) we derive an upper limit for the product Λ(θ rarr; γγ K K ) < 0.03 keV (95% CL ) .

We present the results of an elliptic flow analysis of Cu+Cu collisions recorded with the STAR detector at 62.4 and 200GeV. Elliptic flow as a function of transverse momentum is reported for different collision centralities for charged hadrons and strangeness containing hadrons $K_{S}^{0}$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$, $\phi$ in the midrapidity region $|eta|<1.0$. Significant reduction in systematic uncertainty of the measurement due to non-flow effects has been achieved by correlating particles at midrapidity, $|\eta|<1.0$, with those at forward rapidity, $2.5<|\eta|<4.0$. We also present azimuthal correlations in p+p collisions at 200 GeV to help estimating non-flow effects. To study the system-size dependence of elliptic flow, we present a detailed comparison with previously published results from Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV. We observe that $v_{2}$($p_{T}$) of strange hadrons has similar scaling properties as were first observed in Au+Au collisions, i.e.: (i) at low transverse momenta, $p_T<2GeV/c$, $v_{2}$ scales with transverse kinetic energy, $m_{T}-m$, and (ii) at intermediate $p_T$, $2<p_T<4GeV/c$, it scales with the number of constituent quarks, $n_q$. We have found that ideal hydrodynamic calculations fail to reproduce the centrality dependence of $v_{2}$($p_{T}$) for $K_{S}^{0}$ and $\Lambda$. Eccentricity scaled $v_2$ values, $v_{2}/\epsilon$, are larger in more central collisions, suggesting stronger collective flow develops in more central collisions. The comparison with Au+Au collisions which go further in density shows $v_{2}/\epsilon$ depend on the system size, number of participants $N_{part}$. This indicates that the ideal hydrodynamic limit is not reached in Cu+Cu collisions, presumably because the assumption of thermalization is not attained.

We report precision measurements of hypernuclei ${}^3_\Lambda \rm{H}$ and ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$ lifetimes obtained from Au+Au collisions at \snn = 3.0 GeV and 7.2 GeV collected by the STAR experiment at RHIC, and the first measurement of ${}^3_\Lambda \rm{H}$ and ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$ mid-rapidity yields in Au+Au collisions at \snn = 3.0 GeV. ${}^3_\Lambda \rm{H}$ and ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$, being the two simplest bound states composed of hyperons and nucleons, are cornerstones in the field of hypernuclear physics. Their lifetimes are measured to be $221\pm15(\rm stat.)\pm19(\rm syst.)$ ps for ${}^3_\Lambda \rm{H}$ and $218\pm6(\rm stat.)\pm13(\rm syst.)$ ps for ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$. The $p_T$-integrated yields of ${}^3_\Lambda \rm{H}$ and ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$ are presented in different centrality and rapidity intervals. It is observed that the shape of the rapidity distribution of ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$ is different for 0--10% and 10--50% centrality collisions. Thermal model calculations, using the canonical ensemble for strangeness, describes the ${}^3_\Lambda \rm{H}$ yield well, while underestimating the ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$ yield. Transport models, combining baryonic mean-field and coalescence (JAM) or utilizing dynamical cluster formation via baryonic interactions (PHQMD) for light nuclei and hypernuclei production, approximately describe the measured ${}^3_\Lambda \rm{H}$ and ${}^4_\Lambda \rm{H}$ yields. Our measurements provide means to precisely assess our understanding of the fundamental baryonic interactions with strange quarks, which can impact our understanding of more complicated systems involving hyperons, such as the interior of neutron stars or exotic hypernuclei.

The results of a study of the annihilation reactions n p → θπ + and n p → ωπ + are reported; the data were collected by the OBELIX apparatus, with antineutrons annihilating in flight (momenta from ∼ 50 MeV/ c to 405 MeV/ c ). Annihilation frequencies and annihilation cross sections have been deduced, for both channels, as a function of antineutron momentum. From the cross section ratio, a substantial deviation from OZI rule expectations is observed. An s s quark content in the nucleon offers a fairly plausible explanation for such an effect.

We report the first measurements of a complete second-order cumulant matrix of net-charge, net-proton, and net-kaon multiplicity distributions for the first phase of the beam energy scan program at RHIC. This includes the centrality and, for the first time, the pseudorapidity window dependence of both diagonal and off-diagonal cumulants in Au+Au collisions at \sNN~= 7.7-200 GeV. Within the available acceptance of $|\eta|<0.5$, the cumulants grow linearly with the pseudorapidity window. Relative to the corresponding measurements in peripheral collisions, the ratio of off-diagonal over diagonal cumulants in central collisions indicates an excess correlation between net-charge and net-kaon, as well as between net-charge and net-proton. The strength of such excess correlation increases with the collision energy. The correlation between net-proton and net-kaon multiplicity distributions is observed to be negative at \sNN~= 200 GeV and change to positive at the lowest collision energy. Model calculations based on non-thermal (UrQMD) and thermal (HRG) production of hadrons cannot explain the data. These measurements will help map the QCD phase diagram, constrain hadron resonance gas model calculations, and provide new insights on the energy dependence of baryon-strangeness correlations. An erratum has been added to address the issue of self-correlation in the previously considered efficiency correction for off-diagonal cumulant measurement. Previously considered unidentified (net-)charge correlation results ($\sigma^{11}_{Q,p}$ and $\sigma^{11}_{Q,k})$ are now replaced with identified (net-)charge correlation ($\sigma^{11}_{Q^{PID},p}$ and $\sigma^{11}_{Q^{PID},k}$)

Inclusive ϕ meson production has been measured for 100 GeV/c and 200 GeV/c incident π−,\(\bar p\) andK−, and for 120 GeV/c and 200 GeV/c incident π+,p andK+, using a Be target. A total of 630,000 ϕ mesons has been recorded in the kinematic range 0<xF<0.4. Presented are the differential cross sectionsdσ/dxF anddσ/dpT2. The longitudinal momentum distributions show that the strange valence quarks of the incidentK mesons play an important role in ϕ meson production, even at smallxF. The decay angular distribution of the ϕ meson is evaluated in the Gottfried-Jackson frame and is expressed in the elements of the density matrix. There is a small but significant cos2θGJ dependence for smallpT, which decreases for increasingpT.

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