Transverse-Momentum Spectra in Au+Au and d+Au Collisions at sNN=200GeV and the Pseudorapidity Dependence of High-pT Suppression

Abstract
We present spectra of charged hadrons from Au+Au and d+Au collisions at sNN=200   GeV measured with the BRAHMS experiment at RHIC. The spectra for different collision centralities are compared to spectra from p+p¯ collisions at the same energy scaled by the number of binary collisions. The resulting ratios (nuclear modification factors) for central Au+Au collisions at η=0 and η=2.2 evidence a strong suppression in the high pT region (>2GeV/c). In contrast, the d+Au nuclear modification factor (at η=0) exhibits an enhancement of the high pT yields. These measurements indicate a high energy loss of the high pT particles in the medium created in the central Au+Au collisions. The lack of suppression in d+Au collisions makes it unlikely that initial state effects can explain the suppression in the central Au+Au collisions.
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