DOE OSTI2024
The PHENIX experiment measured the centrality dependence of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlation functions in $\sqrt{π {πβ’π}}$ = 200 GeV Au + Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The data are well represented by LΓ©vy-stable source distributions. The extracted source parameters are the correlation-strength parameter π, the LΓ©vy index of stability πΌ, and the LΓ©vy-scale parameter π
as a function of transverse mass π π and centrality. The πβ‘(π π ) parameter is constant at larger values of π π , but decreases as π π decreases. The LΓ©vy-scale parameter π
β‘(π π ) decreases with π π and exhibits proportionality to the length scale of the nuclear overlap region. The LΓ©vy exponent πΌβ‘(π π ) is independent of π π within uncertainties in each investigated centrality bin, but shows a clear centrality dependence. At all centralities, the LΓ©vy exponent πΌ is significantly different from that of Gaussian (πΌ = 2) or Cauchy (πΌ = 1) source distributions. Comparisons to the predictions of Monte-Carlo simulations of resonance-decay chains show that, in all but the most peripheral centrality class (50%β60%), the obtained results are inconsistent with the measurements, unless a significant reduction of the in-medium mass of the πβ² meson is included. Finally, in each centrality class, the best value of the in-medium πβ² mass is compared to the mass of the π meson, as well as to several theoretical predictions that consider restoration of U π΄β’ (1) symmetry in hot hadronic matter.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICSβ