K*0(892) and phi(1020) resonance production at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper investigates the production of K*0(892) and phi(1020) resonances in high-energy heavy-ion collisions at RHIC, providing insights into the hadronic medium properties and particle interactions during the collision evolution.

Contribution

It presents the first comprehensive measurement of K*0(892) and phi(1020) resonance production across various collision systems and energies at RHIC, analyzing their spectra, yields, and anisotropies.

Findings

Resonance yields vary with collision centrality and energy.

Differences in resonance lifetimes affect their observed suppression.

Resonance measurements reveal information about the hadronic phase duration.

Abstract

The measurement of resonance production in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions provides a glimpse of the hadronic medium properties and its evolution at different stages. Resonances decaying into hadrons are used to estimate the time span and hadronic interaction cross section in the hadronic phase between chemical and kinetic freeze-out. Specifically, the comparison of K*0(892) and phi(1020) resonances is interesting as the lifetimes of these particles differ by about a factor of 10. Moreover, the nuclear modification factor and azimuthal anisotropy measurements of mesonic resonances, which measure parton energy loss in medium and reflect partonic collectivity, can also probe particle-species and mass ordering. The K*0(892) and phi(1020) resonance production at mid-rapidity (|y|<0.5), measured in high energy (Au+Au, Cu+Cu, d+Au and p+p) collisions at RHIC with STAR experiment, reconstructed by their hadronic decay in Kpi and KK, respectively, are discussed. Mesons' spectra, yields, mean transverse momentum, nuclear modification factor, and azimuthal anisotropy are discussed as a function of centrality and collision energy.