Higher-order Proton Cumulants in Au+Au Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 3 GeV from RHIC-STAR

TL;DR

This paper reports on measurements of higher-order proton cumulants in Au+Au collisions at 3 GeV, providing insights into baryon number fluctuations and the potential location of the QCD critical point.

Contribution

First measurement of higher-order proton cumulants at 3 GeV in heavy-ion collisions, exploring baryon number fluctuations and critical point implications.

Findings

C4/C2 ratio consistent with baryon number conservation

Data suggest hadronic interactions dominate at this energy

Implications for the existence of the QCD critical point at higher energies

Abstract

In these proceedings, we present the higher-order cumulants of proton multiplicity distributions of the fixed-target (FXT) run in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 3.0 GeV. The cumulant ratios are presented as a function of centrality and collision energy. The proton cumulant ratio C4/C2 is consistent with fluctuations driven by baryon number conservation and indicates an energy regime dominated by hadronic interactions. These data imply that the QCD critical point could exist at energies higher than 3 GeV if created in heavy-ion collisions.