Recent Highlights from the PHENIX Heavy-Ion Program at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advancements in the PHENIX Heavy-Ion Program at RHIC, highlighting detector upgrades, key probes like direct photons and heavy flavor, and new evidence of collective phenomena in small systems.

Contribution

It summarizes recent experimental findings and detector improvements that enhance understanding of quark-gluon plasma and collective effects in small collision systems.

Findings

Evidence for quark-gluon plasma formation in A+A collisions.

Detection of collective phenomena in small systems like d+Au and p+Pb.

Enhanced capabilities for studying direct photons and heavy flavor observables.

Abstract

Over the last decade it has been established that a quark-gluon plasma (QGP) is formed in ultrarelativistic A+A collisions at RHIC energies. In recent years, detector upgrades have enabled the detailed study of this hot and dense matter. Important probes, among others, are direct photons and heavy flavor observables. Although the RHIC d+Au program was originally undertaken to study initial state and cold nuclear matter effects, recent measurements at both RHIC (d+Au) and the LHC (p+Pb) have found evidence for collective phenomena in these small systems.