Charged meson rapidity distributions in central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}$ = 200 GeV

• Published in: Physical review letters 2005, Vol.94, p.162301-1-162301-4
• Main Authors: Bearden, I.G., Beavis, D., Besliu, C., Budick, B., Boggild, H., Chasman, C., Christensen, C.H., Christiansen, P., Cibor, J., Debbe, R., Enger, E., Gaardhoje, J.J., Germinario, M., Hagel, K., Hansen, O., Holm, A., Holme, A.K., Ito, H., Jipa, A., Jundt, F., Jordre, J.I., Jorgensen, C.E., Karabowicz, R., Kim, E.J., Kozik, T., Larsen, T.M., Lee, J.H., Lee, Y.K., Lovhoiden, G., Majka, Z., Makeev, A., Mikelsen, M., Murray, M., Natowitz, J., Nielsen, B.S., Norris, J., Olchanski, K., Ouerdane, D., Planeta, R., Rami, F., Ristea, C., Röhrich, D., Samset, B.H., Sandberg, D., Sanders, S.J., Sheetz, R.A., Staszel, P., Tveter, T.S., Videbaek, F., Wada, R., Yin, Z., Zgura, I.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Nuclear Experiment; Physics
• ISSN: 0031-9007; 1079-7114
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.162301

We have measured rapidity densities $dN/dy$ of $\pi^{\pm}$ and $K^{\pm}$ over a broad rapidity range (-0.1 < y < 3.5) for central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{^{s}NN}$ = 200 GeV. These data have significant implications for the chemistry and dynamics of the dense system that is initially created in the collisions. The full phase-space yields are $1660\pm15\pm133(\pi^{+})$, $1683\pm16\pm135(\pi^{-})$, $286\pm5\pm23(K^{+})$ and $242\pm4\pm19(K^{-})$. The systematics of the strange to non--strange meson ratios are found to track the variation of the baryo-chemical potential with rapidity and energy. Landau--Carruthers hydrodynamic is found to describe the bulk transport of the pions in the longitudinal direction.