Hadronic scattering effects on $ψ(2S)$ suppression in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
In this work we estimate the $N_{ψ(2S)} / N_{J/ψ}$ yield ratio in heavy-ion collisions, considering the interactions of the $ψ(2S) $ and $J/ψ$ states with light mesons in the hadron gas formed at the late stages of these collisions. Starting from the appropriate effective Lagrangians, we first compute the thermally-averaged cross sections for the production and absorption of the mentioned states, and then use them as input in the rate equations to determine the time evolution of $N_{ψ(2S)}$, $N_{J/ψ}$ and $N_{ψ(2S)} / N_{J/ψ}$. The main conclusion of our study is that the $ψ(2S) $ and $J/ψ$ multiplicities do not change much in the hadron gas phase and that the $ψ(2S)$ is more absorbed than the $J/ψ$. The obtained final ratio is in qualitative agreement with experimental data.