2008/04/30 by Stanley J. Brodsky, A. M. Sickles, Anne Sickles · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #High-Energy Particle Collisions Research #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2008.07.108
published as Phys.Lett.B668:111-115,2008 · submitted to Physics Letters B
arxiv created 2008/07/01 · openalex publication_date 2008/08/23 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
We show that the QCD color transparency of higher-twist contributions to inclusive hadroproduction cross sections, where baryons are produced directly in a short-distance subprocess, can explain several remarkable features of high-pT baryon production in heavy ion collisions which have recently been observed at RHIC: (a) the anomalous increase of the proton-to-pion ratio with centrality, (b) the increased power-law fall-off at fixed xT=2pT/s of the charged particle production cross section in high centrality nuclear collisions, and (c) the anomalous decrease of the number of same-side hadrons produced in association with a proton trigger as the centrality increases. We show that correlations between opposite-side hyperons and kaons can provide a clear signature of higher-twist contributions. These phenomena emphasize the importance of understanding hadronization at the amplitude level in QCD illustrate how heavy ion collisions can provide sensitive tools for interpreting and testing fundamental properties of QCD.