Update on Counting Valence Quarks at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper updates the analysis of nuclear modification factors at RHIC and LHC using new STAR data, incorporating AKK fragmentation functions and minor model adjustments to better understand hadron production and quark composition.

Contribution

It introduces an updated model analysis with new experimental data, refining the understanding of hadron production mechanisms at high energies.

Findings

Confirmation that NMF for the f_0 meson can reveal its quark structure

Use of AKK fragmentation functions improves model accuracy

Minor adjustments to coalescence contributions enhance fit to data

Abstract

We update our former analysis of the Nuclear Modification Factors (NMF) for different hadron species at RHIC and LHC. This update is motivated by the new experimental data from STAR which presents differences with the preliminary data used to fix some of the parameters in our model. The main change is the use of AKK fragmentation functions for the hard part of the spectrum and minor adjustments of the coalescence (soft) contribution. We confirm that observation of the NMF for the f_0 meson can shed light on its quark composition.