arXiv · 1205.5759
Measurement of Direct Photons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
Abstract
We report the measurement of direct photons at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 200 GeV. The direct photon signal was extracted for the transverse-momentum range of 4 GeV/c < p_T < 22 GeV/c, using a statistical method to subtract decay photons from the inclusive-photon sample. The direct-photon nuclear-modification factor R_AA was calculated as a function of p_T for different Au+Au collision centralities using the measured p+p direct-photon spectrum and compared to theoretical predictions. R_AA was found to be consistent with unity for all centralities over the entire measured p_T range. Theoretical models that account for modifications of initial-direct-photon production due to modified-parton-distribution functions in Au and the different isospin composition of the nuclei, predict a modest change of R_AA from unity and are consistent with the data. Models with compensating effects of the quark-gluon plasma on high-energy photons, such as suppression of jet-fragmentation photons and induced-photon bremsstrahlung from partons traversing the medium, are also consistent with this measurement.
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S. Afanasiev, C. Aidala, N. N. Ajitanand, Y. Akiba, A. Al-Jamel, J. Alexander, K. Aoki, L. Aphecetche, R. Armendariz, S. H. Aronson, R. Averbeck, T. C. Awes, B. Azmoun, V. Babintsev, A. Baldisseri, K. N. Barish, P. D. Barnes, B. Bassalleck, S. Bathe, S. Batsouli, V. Baublis, F. Bauer, A. Bazilevsky, S. Belikov, R. Bennett, Y. Berdnikov, M. T. Bjorndal, J. G. Boissevain, H. Borel, K. Boyle, M. L. Brooks, D. S. Brown, D. Bucher, H. Buesching, V. Bumazhnov, G. Bunce, J. M. Burward-Hoy, S. Butsyk, S. Campbell, J. -S. Chai, S. Chernichenko, C. Y. Chi, J. Chiba, M. Chiu, I. J. Choi, T. Chujo, V. Cianciolo, C. R. Cleven, Y. Cobigo, B. A. Cole, M. P. Comets, M. Connors, P. Constantin, M. Csanád, T. Csörgő, T. Dahms, K. Das, G. David, H. Delagrange, A. Denisov, D. d'Enterria, A. Deshpande, E. J. Desmond, O. Dietzsch, A. Dion, J. L. Drachenberg, O. Drapier, A. Drees, A. K. Dubey, A. Durum, V. Dzhordzhadze, Y. V. Efremenko, J. Egdemir, A. Enokizono, H. En'yo, B. Espagnon, S. Esumi, D. E. Fields, F. Fleuret, S. L. Fokin, B. Forestier, Z. Fraenkel, J. E. Frantz, A. Franz, A. D. Frawley, Y. Fukao, S. -Y. Fung, S. Gadrat, F. Gastineau, M. Germain, A. Glenn, M. Gonin, J. Gosset, Y. Goto, R. Granier de Cassagnac, N. Grau, S. V. Greene, M. Grosse Perdekamp, T. Gunji, H. -Å. Gustafsson. 2012-05-25. Measurement of Direct Photons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.109.152302
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