Centrality dependence of high p_T suppression in Au+Au collisions suggest quark matter formation · arXivDesk
nucl-th/0312069Dec 17, 2003Revised vesrion 5 pages, 3 figures. After careful analysis, I come to conclude that STAR data possibly indicate quark matter formation in central Au+Au collisions
Centrality dependence of high pT suppression in Au+Au collisions suggest quark matter formation
In a pQCD-based model, we have analyzed the STAR data on the high pT suppression of charged hadrons, in Au+Au collisions at s=200 GeV. In the jet quenching or the energy loss picture, pT
Nearby in the stack
spectra of charged hadrons as well as the
pT
dependence of nuclear modification factor, in all the centrality ranges, are well explained, with nearly a constant relative energy loss,
ΔE/E=0.56±0.03
. Centrality independence of relative energy loss indicate that the matter produced in central and in peripheral collisions are different, otherwise relative energy loss would have shown strong centrality dependence. Qualitatively, centrality independence of relative energy loss can be understood, if in central Au+Au collisions deconfined matter is produced and the matter remain confined in peripheral collisions.