Open charm measurements in NA61/SHINE at CERN SPS

The measurements of open charm production was proposed as an important tool to investigate the properties of hot and dense matter formed in nucleus-nucleus collisions as well as to provide the means for model independent interpretation of the existing data on $\text{J}/\psi$ suppression. Recently, the experimental setup of the NA61/SHINE experiment was supplemented with a Vertex Detector which was motivated by the importance and the possibility of the first direct measurements of open charm meson production in heavy ion collisions at SPS energies. First test data taken in December 2016 on Pb+Pb collisions at 150$A$ GeV/$c$ allowed to validate the general concept of D$^0$ meson detection via its D$^0 \to \pi^+ + K^-$ decay channel and delivered a first indication of open charm production. The physics motivation of open charm measurements at SPS energies, pilot results on open charm production, and finally, the future plans of open charm measurements in the NA61/SHINE experiment after LS2 are presented.Comment: Quark Matter 2018 proceedings Submitted to Nuclear Physics

Photo-emission rate of sQGP at finite density

We calculate the thermal spectral function of SYM plasma with finite density using holographic technique. We take the RN-AdS black hole as the dual gravity theory. In the presence of charge, vector modes of gravitational and electromagnetic perturbation are coupled with each other. By introducing master variables for these modes, we solve the coupled system and calculate spectral function. We also calculated photoemission rate of SYM plasma from spectral function for light like momentum, AC conductivity and their density dependence. The suppression of the conductivity in high density is noticed, which might be yet another mechanism for the Jet quenching phenomena in RHIC experiment.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figure

A percolation transition in Yang-Mills matter at finite number of colours

We examine baryonic matter at quark chemical potential of the order of the confinement scale, \mu_q\sim \lqcd. In this regime, quarks are supposed to be confined but baryons are close to the ``tightly packed limit'' where they nearly overlap in configuration space. We show that this system will exhibit a percolation phase transition {\em when varied in the number of colours} $N_c$: at high $N_c$, large distance correlations at quark level are possible even if the quarks are essentially confined. At low $N_c$, this does not happen. We discuss the relevance of this for dense nuclear matter, and argue that our results suggest a new ``phase transition'', varying $N_c$ at constant $\mu_q$.Comment: Accepted for publication, Physical Review Letters. Title changed from original, "Quarkyonic percolation at finite number of colors", at the request of the edito

The rapidity dependence of the proton-to-pion ratio in Au+Au and p+p collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 62.4 and 200 GeV

The BRAHMS measured proton-to-pion ratios in Au+Au and p+p collisions at \rootsnn{62.4} and \rootsnn{200} are presented as a function of transverse momentum and collision centrality within the pseudo-rapidity range 0 < eta < 3.8 The results for Au+Au at sqrt(sNN) = 200 GeV are compared with predictions from models which incorporate hydro-dynamics, hadron rescattering and jet production, in the eta interval covered. In Au+Au collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 200 GeV, eta ~ 2.2, and at sqrt(sNN) = 62.4 GeV, eta = 0, the bulk medium can be characterized by the common value of \mi_B ~ 65 MeV. The p/pi ratios measured for these two selections display a striking agreement in the pT range covered (up to 2.2 GeV/c). At a collision energy of 62.4 GeV and at forward pseudo-rapidity we found a crossing point of p/pi+ ratios measured in central and semi-peripheral Au+Au and in p+p reactions. The crossing occurs in the narrow eta bin around value of 3.2, simultaneously in the whole covered pT range (0.3 GeV/c < pT < 2 GeV/c).Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures - To appear in the conference proceedings for Quark Matter 2009, March 30 - April 4, Knoxville, Tennessee Included corrections indicated in internal review report. Minor correction to Fig.

Rapidity-dependent chemical potentials in a statistical approach

We present a single-freeze-out model with thermal and geometric parameters dependent on the position within the fireball and use it to describe the rapidity and transverse-momentum spectra of pions, kaons, protons, and antiprotons measured at RHIC at 200 GeV} by BRAHMS. THERMINATOR is used to perform the necessary simulation, which includes all resonance decays. The result of the fit to the data is the expected growth of the baryon and strange chemical potentials with the spatial rapidity\alpha_\parallel. The value of the baryon chemical potential at \alpha_\parallel ~ 3 is about 200 MeV, i.e. lies in the range of the highest SPS energies. The chosen geometry of the fireball has a decreasing transverse size as the magnitude of \alpha_\parallel is increased, which also corresponds to decreasing transverse flow. The strange chemical potential obtained from the fit to the K+/K- ratio is such that the local strangeness density in the fireball is compatible with zero. The resulting rapidity spectra of net protons are described qualitatively within the statistical approach. As a result of our study, the knowledge of the ``topography'' of the fireball is acquired, allowing for other analyses and predictions.Comment: 6 pages, tals at SQM 200

Recent Results from the BRAHMS Experiment

We present recent results obtained by the BRAHMS experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) for the systems of Au + Au and Cu + Cu at \rootsnn{200} and at 62.4 GeV, and p + p at \rootsnn{200}. Nuclear modification factors for Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions are presented. Analysis of anti-particle to particle ratios as a function of rapidity and collision energy reveal that particle populations at the chemical freeze-out stage for heavy-ion reactions at and above SPS energies are controlled by the baryon chemical potential. From the particle spectra we deduce significant radial expansion ($\beta \approx$ 0.75), as expected for systems created with a large initial energy density. We also measure the elliptic flow parameter $v_2$ versus rapidity and \ptn. We present rapidity dependent $p/\pi$ ratios within $0 < y < 3$ for Au + Au and Cu + Cu at \rootsnn{200}. \Raa is found to increase with decreasing collision energy, decreasing system size, and when going towards more peripheral collisions. However, \Raa shows only a very weak dependence on rapidity (for $0 < y < 3.2$), both for pions and protons.Comment: 16 pages and 14 figures, proceedings for plenary talk at Quark Matter 2005, Budapest, Hungar

Pseudorapidity distributions of charged particles from Au+Au collisions at the maximum RHIC energy, Sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV

We present charged particle densities as a function of pseudorapidity and collision centrality for the 197Au+197Au reaction at Sqrt{s_NN}=200 GeV. For the 5% most central events we obtain dN_ch/deta(eta=0) = 625 +/- 55 and N_ch(-4.7<= eta <= 4.7) = 4630+-370, i.e. 14% and 21% increases, respectively, relative to Sqrt{s_NN}=130 GeV collisions. Charged-particle production per pair of participant nucleons is found to increase from peripheral to central collisions around mid-rapidity. These results constrain current models of particle production at the highest RHIC energy.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; fixed fig. 5 caption; revised text and figures to show corrected calculation of and ; final version accepted for publicatio

Survey of present data on photon structure functions and resolved photon processes

Present data on the partonic content of the photon from LEP, TRISTAN and HERA accelerators are reviewed and the essential aspects of the underlying ideas and methods are pointed out. Results of the unpolarized photon structure function F_2 from DIS_{e gamma} experiments and on large p_T jet production processes in the resolved gamma-gamma collisions are presented for both real and virtual photons. The results of analysis of the hadronic final state accompanying the DIS_{e gamma} measurements, showing some discrepancies with the Monte Carlo models, are collected together and presented as a separate issue. Also results on the DIS_{e gamma} with leptonic final states are shown. The results from resolved real and virtual photon processes at HERA collider based on the single and double jet events, also charged particles and prompt photons, are presented. In the context of virtual photon processes the data for forward jet and forward particle production are included. In addition a short presentation of the recent data on the heavy quark content of the photon is given. Related topics - the polarized (spin dependent) structure functions for the real and virtual photon, the structure function of the electron and the photonic content of the proton are also shortly mentioned.Comment: latex, 220 pages, 195 ps figures; extended and updated version of hep-ph/9806291; to appear in Physics Report