An analysis of φ-meson production in the collisions of proton beams with aluminum and gold nuclei at energies of 200 GeV

Abstract

In the paper, φ-meson production in the relativistic collisions at energies of 200 GeV measured by the PHENIX experiment (RHIC) has been studied. Phi-mesons’ nuclear modification factors were calculated for the mentioned interactions under conditions identical to the experimental ones, using different theoretical models, the results being compared. The accounting for the formation phase of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in simulation was established to agree well with experiment for the p + Au collisions and disagree for the p + Al ones. This result could indicate an insufficient size of the interaction system of the latter to form QGP at an energy of 200 GeV and the sufficiency of the created minimum conditions for its formation in the former interaction system.

Keywords

• quark-gluon plasma
• cold nuclear matter effect
• nuclear modification factor