Identified baryon and meson distributions at large transverse momenta from Au+Au collisions at sNN=200a GeV

Abstract

Transverse momentum spectra of π±, p, and p up to 12 GeV/c at midrapidity in centrality selected Au+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV are presented. In central Au+Au collisions, both and p(p) show significant suppression with respect to binary scaling at pT 4 GeV/c. Protons and antiprotons are less suppressed than ±, in the range 1.5a pT 6 GeV/c. The -/I + and p/p ratios show at most a weak pT dependence and no significant centrality dependence. The p/Ï€ ratios in central Au+Au collisions approach the values in p+p and d+Au collisions at pT 5 GeV/c. The results at high pT indicate that the partonic sources of ±, p, and p have similar energy loss when traversing the nuclear medium. © 2006 The American Physical Society.