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

• Published in: St. Petersburg Polytechnical University Journal. Physics and Mathematics 2021-09, Vol.14 (3)
• Main Authors: Mitrankova Mariia, Bannikov Egor, Berdnikov Alexander, Berdnikov Yaroslav, Dubov Alexander, Kotov Dmitry, Mitrankov Iurii
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; rus
• Subjects: cold nuclear matter effect; nuclear modification factor; quark-gluon plasma
• ISSN: 2405-7223
• DOI: 10.18721/JPM.14312

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.