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Measurement of inclusive J/ψ polarization in p + p collisions at √s=200 GeV by the STAR experiment
(2020)
We report on new measurements of inclusive 𝐽/𝜓 polarization at midrapidity in 𝑝+𝑝 collisions at √𝑠=200 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The polarization parameters, 𝜆𝜃, 𝜆𝜙, and 𝜆𝜃𝜙, are measured as a function of transverse momentum (𝑝T) in both the helicity and Collins-Soper (CS) reference frames within 𝑝T<10 GeV/𝑐. Except for 𝜆𝜃 in the CS frame at the highest measured 𝑝T, all three polarization parameters are consistent with 0 in both reference frames without any strong 𝑝T dependence. Several model calculations are compared with data, and the one using the Color Glass Condensate effective field theory coupled with nonrelativistic QCD gives the best overall description of the experimental results, even though other models cannot be ruled out due to experimental uncertainties.
We report on the measurement of the Central Exclusive Production of charged particle pairs h+h− (h = π, K, p) with the STAR detector at RHIC in proton-proton collisions at √s = 200 GeV. The charged particle pairs produced in the reaction pp → p′ + h+h− + p′ are reconstructed from the tracks in the central detector and identified using the specific energy loss and the time of flight method, while the forward-scattered protons are measured in the Roman Pot system. Exclusivity of the event is guaranteed by requiring the transverse momentum balance of all four final-state particles. Differential cross sections are measured as functions of observables related to the central hadronic final state and to the forward-scattered protons. They are measured in a fiducial region corresponding to the acceptance of the STAR detector and determined by the central particles’ transverse momenta and pseudorapidities as well as by the forward-scattered protons’ momenta. This fiducial region roughly corresponds to the square of the four-momentum transfers at the proton vertices in the range 0.04 GeV2 < −t1, −t2 < 0.2 GeV2, invariant masses of the charged particle pairs up to a few GeV and pseudorapidities of the centrally-produced hadrons in the range |η| < 0.7. The measured cross sections are compared to phenomenological predictions based on the Double Pomeron Exchange (DPE) model. Structures observed in the mass spectra of π+π− and K+K− pairs are consistent with the DPE model, while angular distributions of pions suggest a dominant spin-0 contribution to π+π− production. For π+π− production, the fiducial cross section is extrapolated to the Lorentz-invariant region, which allows decomposition of the invariant mass spectrum into continuum and resonant contributions. The extrapolated cross section is well described by the continuum production and at least three resonances, the f0(980), f2(1270) and f0(1500), with a possible small contribution from the f0(1370). Fits to the extrapolated differential cross section as a function of t1 and t2 enable extraction of the exponential slope parameters in several bins of the invariant mass of π+π− pairs. These parameters are sensitive to the size of the interaction region.
We report on the first measurements of J/ψ production at very low transverse momentum (pT< 0.2 GeV/c) in hadronic Au+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV and U+U collisions at √sNN = 193 GeV. Remarkably, the inferred nuclear modification factor of J/ψ at mid-rapidity in Au+Au (U+U) collisions reaches about 24 (52) for pT< 0.05 GeV/c in the 60-80% collision centrality class. This noteworthy enhancement cannot be explained by hadronic production accompanied by cold and hot medium effects. In addition, the dN/dt distribution of J/ψ for the very low pT range is presented for the first time. The distribution is consistent with that expected from the Au nucleus and shows a hint of interference. Comparison of the measurements to theoretical calculations of coherent production shows that the excess yield can be described reasonably well and reveals a partial disruption of coherent production in semi-central collisions, perhaps due to the violent hadronic interactions. Incorporating theoretical calculations, the results strongly suggest that the dramatic enhancement of J/ψ yield observed at extremely low pT originates from coherent photon-nucleus interactions. In particular, coherently produced J/ψ's in violent hadronic collisions may provide a novel probe of the quark-gluon-plasma.
J/ψ suppression has long been considered a sensitive signature of the formation of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. In this letter, we present the first measurement of inclusive J/ψ production at mid-rapidity through the dimuon decay channel in Au+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV with the STAR experiment. These measurements became possible after the installation of the Muon Telescope Detector was completed in 2014. The J/ψ yields are measured in a wide transverse momentum (pT) range of 0.15 GeV/c to 12 GeV/c from central to peripheral collisions. They extend the kinematic reach of previous measurements at RHIC with improved precision. In the 0-10% most central collisions, the J/ψ yield is suppressed by a factor of approximately 3 for pT > 5 GeV/c relative to that in p + p collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The J/ψ nuclear modification factor displays little dependence on pT in all centrality bins. Model calculations can qualitatively describe the data, providing further evidence for the color-screening effect experienced by J/ψ mesons in the QGP.
We present the first measurement of the proton–Ω correlation function in heavy-ion collisions for the central (0–40%) and peripheral (40–80%) Au + Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). Predictions for the ratio of peripheral collisions to central collisions for the proton–Ω correlation function are sensitive to the presence of a nucleon– bound state. These predictions are based on the proton– interaction extracted from (2 + 1)-flavor lattice QCD calculations at the physical point. The measured ratio of the proton–Ω correlation function between the peripheral (small system) and central (large system) collisions is less than unity for relative momentum smaller than 40 MeV/c. Comparison of our measured correlation ratio with theoretical calculation slightly favors a proton– bound system with a binding energy of ∼ 27 MeV.
Quark interactions with topological gluon configurations can induce chirality imbalance and local parity violation in quantum chromodynamics. This can lead to electric charge separation along the strong magnetic field in relativistic heavy-ion collisions – the chiral magnetic effect (CME). We report measurements by the STAR collaboration of a CME-sensitive observable in p + Au and d + Au collisions at 200 GeV, where the CME is not expected, using charge-dependent pair correlations relative to a third particle. We observe strong charge-dependent correlations similar to those measured in heavy-ion collisions. This bears important implications for the interpretation of the heavy-ion data.
Large-scale molecular profiling studies in recent years have shown that central nervous system (CNS) tumors display a much greater heterogeneity in terms of molecularly distinct entities, cellular origins and genetic drivers than anticipated from histological assessment. DNA methylation profiling has emerged as a useful tool for robust tumor classification, providing new insights into these heterogeneous molecular classes. This is particularly true for rare CNS tumors with a broad morphological spectrum, which are not possible to assign as separate entities based on histological similarity alone. Here, we describe a molecularly distinct subset of predominantly pediatric CNS neoplasms (n = 60) that harbor PATZ1 fusions. The original histological diagnoses of these tumors covered a wide spectrum of tumor types and malignancy grades. While the single most common diagnosis was glioblastoma (GBM), clinical data of the PATZ1-fused tumors showed a better prognosis than typical GBM, despite frequent relapses. RNA sequencing revealed recurrent MN1:PATZ1 or EWSR1:PATZ1 fusions related to (often extensive) copy number variations on chromosome 22, where PATZ1 and the two fusion partners are located. These fusions have individually been reported in a number of glial/glioneuronal tumors, as well as extracranial sarcomas. We show here that they are more common than previously acknowledged, and together define a biologically distinct CNS tumor type with high expression of neural development markers such as PAX2, GATA2 and IGF2. Drug screening performed on the MN1:PATZ1 fusion-bearing KS-1 brain tumor cell line revealed preliminary candidates for further study. In summary, PATZ1 fusions define a molecular class of histologically polyphenotypic neuroepithelial tumors, which show an intermediate prognosis under current treatment regimens.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly heritable neuropsychiatric disease characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and depression. BD shows substantial clinical and genetic overlap with other psychiatric disorders, in particular schizophrenia (SCZ). The genes underlying this etiological overlap remain largely unknown. A recent SCZ genome wide association study (GWAS) by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium identified 128 independent genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The present study investigated whether these SCZ-associated SNPs also contribute to BD development through the performance of association testing in a large BD GWAS dataset (9747 patients, 14278 controls). After re-imputation and correction for sample overlap, 22 of 107 investigated SCZ SNPs showed nominal association with BD. The number of shared SCZ-BD SNPs was significantly higher than expected (p = 1.46x10-8). This provides further evidence that SCZ-associated loci contribute to the development of BD. Two SNPs remained significant after Bonferroni correction. The most strongly associated SNP was located near TRANK1, which is a reported genome-wide significant risk gene for BD. Pathway analyses for all shared SCZ-BD SNPs revealed 25 nominally enriched gene-sets, which showed partial overlap in terms of the underlying genes. The enriched gene-sets included calcium- and glutamate signaling, neuropathic pain signaling in dorsal horn neurons, and calmodulin binding. The present data provide further insights into shared risk loci and disease-associated pathways for BD and SCZ. This may suggest new research directions for the treatment and prevention of these two major psychiatric disorders.
Men and women differ substantially regarding height, weight, and body fat. Interestingly, previous work detecting genetic effects for waist-to-hip ratio, to assess body fat distribution, has found that many of these showed sex-differences. However, systematic searches for sex-differences in genetic effects have not yet been conducted. Therefore, we undertook a genome-wide search for sexually dimorphic genetic effects for anthropometric traits including 133,723 individuals in a large meta-analysis and followed promising variants in further 137,052 individuals, including a total of 94 studies. We identified seven loci with significant sex-difference including four previously established (near GRB14/COBLL1, LYPLAL1/SLC30A10, VEGFA, ADAMTS9) and three novel anthropometric trait loci (near MAP3K1, HSD17B4, PPARG), all of which were significant in women, but not in men. Of interest is that sex-difference was only observed for waist phenotypes, but not for height or body-mass-index. We found no evidence for sex-differences with opposite effect direction for men and women. The PPARG locus is of specific interest due to its link to diabetes genetics and therapy. Our findings demonstrate the importance of investigating sex differences, which may lead to a better understanding of disease mechanisms with a potential relevance to treatment options.
Measurement of cold nuclear matter effects for inclusive J/ψ in p+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV
(2022)
Measurement by the STAR experiment at RHIC of the cold nuclear matter (CNM) effects experienced by inclusive J/ψ at mid-rapidity in 0-100% p+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV is presented. Such effects are quantified utilizing the nuclear modification factor, RpAu, obtained by taking a ratio of J/ψ yield in p+Au collisions to that in p+p collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The differential J/ψ yield in both p+p and p+Au collisions is measured through the dimuon decay channel, taking advantage of the trigger capability provided by the Muon Telescope Detector in the RHIC 2015 run. Consequently, the J/ψ RpAu is derived within the transverse momentum (pT) range of 0 to 10 GeV/c. A suppression of approximately 30% is observed for pT < 2 GeV/c, while J/ψ RpAu becomes compatible with unity for pT greater than 3 GeV/c, indicating the J/ψ yield is minimally affected by the CNM effects at high pT. Comparison to a similar measurement from 0-20% central Au+Au collisions reveals that the observed strong J/ψ suppression above 3 GeV/c is mostly due to the hot medium effects, providing strong evidence for the formation of the quark-gluon plasma in these collisions. Several model calculations show qualitative agreement with the measured J/ψ RpAu, while their agreement with the J/ψ yields in p+p and p+Au collisions is worse.
We report on the measurements of directed flow v1 and elliptic flow v2 for hadrons (π±, K ±, K0 S , p, φ, Λ and ) from Au+Au collisions at √sN N = 3 GeV and v2 for (π±, K ±, p and p) at 27 and 54.4 GeV with the STAR experiment. While at the two higher energy midcentral collisions the numberof-constituent-quark (NCQ) scaling holds, at 3 GeV the v2 at midrapidity is negative for all hadrons and the NCQ scaling is absent. In addition, the v1 slopes at midrapidity for almost all observed hadrons are found to be positive, implying dominant repulsive baryonic interactions. The features of negative v2 and positive v1 slope at 3 GeV can be reproduced with a baryonic mean-field in transport model calculations. These results imply that the medium in such collisions is likely characterized by baryonic interactions.
In high-energy heavy-ion collisions, partonic collectivity is evidenced by the constituent quark number scaling of elliptic flow anisotropy for identified hadrons. A breaking of this scaling and dominance of baryonic interactions is found for identified hadron collective flow measurements in √sNN = 3 GeV Au+Au collisions. In this paper, we report measurements of the first- and second-order azimuthal anisotropic parameters, v1 and v2, of light nuclei (d, t, 3He, 4He) produced in √sNN = 3 GeV Au+Au collisions at the STAR experiment. An atomic mass number scaling is found in the measured v1 slopes of light nuclei at mid-rapidity. For the measured v2 magnitude, a strong rapidity dependence is observed. Unlike v2 at higher collision energies, the v2 values at mid-rapidity for all light nuclei are negative and no scaling is observed with the atomic mass number. Calculations by the Jet AA Microscopic Transport Model (JAM), with baryonic mean-field plus nucleon coalescence, are in good agreement with our observations, implying baryonic interactions dominate the collective dynamics in 3 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC.
The STAR Collaboration reports measurements of the transverse single-spin asymmetry (TSSA) of inclusive 𝜋0 at center-of-mass energies (√𝑠) of 200 GeV and 500 GeV in transversely polarized proton-proton collisions in the pseudo-rapidity region 2.7 to 4.0. The results at the two different energies show a continuous increase of the TSSA with Feynman-𝑥, and, when compared to previous measurements, no dependence on √𝑠 from 19.4 GeV to 500 GeV is found. To investigate the underlying physics leading to this large TSSA, different topologies have been studied. 𝜋0 with no nearby particles tend to have a higher TSSA than inclusive 𝜋0. The TSSA for inclusive electromagnetic jets, sensitive to the Sivers effect in the initial state, is substantially smaller, but shows the same behavior as the inclusive 𝜋0 asymmetry as a function of Feynman-𝑥. To investigate final-state effects, the Collins asymmetry of 𝜋0 inside electromagnetic jets has been measured. The Collins asymmetry is analyzed for its dependence on the 𝜋0 momentum transverse to the jet thrust axis and its dependence on the fraction of jet energy carried by the 𝜋0. The asymmetry was found to be small in each case for both center-of-mass energies. All the measurements are compared to QCD-based theoretical calculations for transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions. Some discrepancies are found, which indicates new mechanisms might be involved.
Measurement of cold nuclear matter effects for inclusive J/ψ in p+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV
(2022)
Measurement by the STAR experiment at RHIC of the cold nuclear matter (CNM) effects experienced by inclusive J/ψ at mid-rapidity in 0-100\% p+Au collisions at sNN−−−√ = 200 GeV is presented. Such effects are quantified utilizing the nuclear modification factor, RpAu, obtained by taking a ratio of J/ψ yield in p+Au collisions to that in p+p collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The differential J/ψ yield in both p+p and p+Au collisions is measured through the dimuon decay channel, taking advantage of the trigger capability provided by the Muon Telescope Detector in the RHIC 2015 run. Consequently, the J/ψ RpAu is derived within the transverse momentum (pT) range of 0 to 10 GeV/c. A suppression of approximately 30% is observed for pT<2 GeV/c, while J/ψ RpAu becomes compatible with unity for pT greater than 3 GeV/c, indicating the J/ψ yield is minimally affected by the CNM effects at high pT. Comparison to a similar measurement from 0-20% central Au+Au collisions reveals that the observed strong J/ψ suppression above 3 Gev/c is mostly due to the hot medium effects, providing strong evidence for the formation of the quark-gluon plasma in these collisions. Several model calculations show qualitative agreement with the measured J/ψ RpAu, while their agreement with the J/ψ yields in p+p and p+Au collisions is worse.
In relativistic heavy-ion collisions, a global spin polarization, PH, of Λ and Λ¯ hyperons along the direction of the system angular momentum was discovered and measured across a broad range of collision energies and demonstrated a trend of increasing PH with decreasing sNN−−−√. A splitting between Λ and Λ¯ polarization may be possible due to their different magnetic moments in a late-stage magnetic field sustained by the quark-gluon plasma which is formed in the collision. The results presented in this study find no significant splitting at the collision energies of sNN−−−√=19.6 and 27 GeV in the RHIC Beam Energy Scan Phase II using the STAR detector, with an upper limit of PΛ¯−PΛ<0.24% and PΛ¯−PΛ<0.35%, respectively, at a 95% confidence level. We derive an upper limit on the naïve extraction of the late-stage magnetic field of B<9.4⋅1012 T and B<1.4⋅1013 T at sNN−−−√=19.6 and 27 GeV, respectively, although more thorough derivations are needed. Differential measurements of PH were performed with respect to collision centrality, transverse momentum, and rapidity. With our current acceptance of |y|<1 and uncertainties, we observe no dependence on transverse momentum and rapidity in this analysis. These results challenge multiple existing model calculations following a variety of different assumptions which have each predicted a strong dependence on rapidity in this collision-energy range.
The differential cross section for 𝑍0 production, measured as a function of the boson’s transverse momentum (𝑝T), provides important constraints on the evolution of the transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs). The transverse single spin asymmetry (TSSA) of the 𝑍0 is sensitive to one of the polarized TMDs, the Sivers function, which is predicted to have the opposite sign in 𝑝 + 𝑝 → 𝑊 ∕𝑍 + 𝑋 from that which enters in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. In this Letter, the STAR Collaboration reports the first measurement of the 𝑍0∕𝛾∗ differential cross section as a function of its 𝑝T in 𝑝+𝑝 collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 510 GeV, together with the 𝑍0∕𝛾∗ total cross section. We also report the measurement of 𝑍0∕𝛾∗ TSSA in transversely polarized 𝑝+𝑝 collisions at 510 GeV.
We report results on an elastic cross section measurement in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy s√=510 GeV, obtained with the Roman Pot setup of the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The elastic differential cross section is measured in the four-momentum transfer squared range 0.23≤−t≤0.67 GeV2. We find that a constant slope B does not fit the data in the aforementioned t range, and we obtain a much better fit using a second-order polynomial for B(t). The t dependence of B is determined using six subintervals of t in the STAR measured t range, and is in good agreement with the phenomenological models. The measured elastic differential cross section dσ/dt agrees well with the results obtained at s√=546~GeV for proton--antiproton collisions by the UA4 experiment. We also determine that the integrated elastic cross section within the STAR t-range is σfidel=462.1±0.9(stat.)±1.1(syst.)±11.6(scale) μb.
The STAR collaboration presents jet substructure measurements related to both the momentum fraction and the opening angle within jets in \pp and \AuAu collisions at \sqrtsn =200 GeV. The substructure observables include SoftDrop groomed momentum fraction (\zg), groomed jet radius (\rg), and subjet momentum fraction (\zsj) and opening angle (\tsj). The latter observable is introduced for the first time. Fully corrected subjet measurements are presented for \pp collisions and are compared to leading order Monte Carlo models. The subjet \tsj~distributions reflect the jets leading opening angle and are utilized as a proxy for the resolution scale of the medium in \AuAu collisions. We compare data from \AuAu collisions to those from \pp which are embedded in minimum-bias \AuAu events in order to include the effects of detector smearing and the heavy-ion collision underlying event. The subjet observables are shown to be more robust to the background than \zg~and \rg.
We observe no significant modifications of the subjet observables within the two highest-energy, back-to-back jets, resulting in a distribution of opening angles and the splittings that are vacuum-like. We also report measurements of the differential di-jet momentum imbalance (AJ) for jets of varying \tsj. We find no qualitative differences in energy loss signatures for varying angular scales in the range 0.1< \tsj <0.3, leading to the possible interpretation that energy loss in this population of high momentum di-jet pairs, is due to soft medium-induced gluon radiation from a single color-charge as it traverses the medium.