Rho Meson Diffraction off Au Nuclei

TL;DR

This paper reports the first measurement of the diffraction pattern of rho mesons elastically scattered off gold nuclei at RHIC, providing insights into nuclear structure relevant for future electron-ion collider experiments.

Contribution

It presents the first extraction of the momentum transfer distribution for rho mesons diffractively scattered off gold nuclei at RHIC energies.

Findings

Diffraction pattern consistent with coherent scattering off Au nuclei

Provides nuclear size information relevant for electron-ion collider preparations

First such measurement at RHIC energies

Abstract

The STAR Ultra Peripheral Collisions program has collected a substantial sample of $\rho$ mesons and for the first time at RHIC energies it has been able to extract the distribution of momentum transfer t from diffractive elastic scattering off the Au ion. The resulting diffraction pattern is consistent with coherent scattering off a nuclear object the size of the Au nuclei. Measurements of this nature can offer insights and guidance to the ongoing preparations for the new electron ion programs.