Observation of Charmonium Sequential Suppression in Heavy-Ion Collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

(STAR Collaboration)

doi:10.1103/ghzh-kv8z

Observation of Charmonium Sequential Suppression in Heavy-Ion Collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

(STAR Collaboration)

Texas A and M University
Czech Technical University in Prague
Univ of Mining and Metallurgy
Panjab University
VECC Kolkata
Kent State University
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Fudan University
Abilene Christian University
Universidad de Tarapacá
Shandong University
Iiser Berhampur
University of California, Riverside
Iiser Tirupati
University of Houston
University of Jammu
SUNY
Nuclear Physics Institute of the Cas
Ohio State University
Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yale University
University of California, Davis
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Purdue University
Indiana University Bloomington
National Institute of Technology, Durgapur
Guangxi Normal University
Tsinghua University
University of California at Los Angeles
University of California at Berkeley
Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE)
Heidelberg University
The American University in Cairo Cairo
Rice University
Tsukuba University
UIC ECE-CSN-Lab
Central China Normal University
University of Kentucky
Universite della Calabria
Southern Connecticut State University
Institute of Modern Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Valparaiso University
Huzhou University
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Academica Sinica
National Cheng Kung University
University of Science and Technology of China
Sejong University
Wayne State University
Temple University
Warsaw Institute of Technology
Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies
Lehigh University
Wuhan University of Science and Technology
South China Normal University
Texas Southern University
University of Texas at Austin
National Institute of Science Education and Research
Lovely Professional University
Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik
Creighton University
Iit Patna
Ball State University
Michigan State University
Argonne National Laboratory
United States Naval Academy
Chongqing University
Second Hospital of Lanzhou University

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3 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report measurements of charmonium sequential suppression in Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sNN=200 GeV with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The inclusive yield ratio of ψ(2S) to J/ψ as a function of transverse momentum is reported, along with the centrality dependence of the double ratio, defined as the ψ(2S) to J/ψ ratio in heavy-ion collisions relative to that in p+p collisions. In the 0-80% centrality class, the double ratio is found to be 0.41±0.10 (stat)±0.03 (syst)±0.02 (ref), lower than unity with a significance of 5.6 standard deviations. This provides experimental evidence that ψ(2S) is significantly more suppressed than J/ψ in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. This sequential suppression pattern seems to increase from peripheral to central collisions, but with no significant dependence on the transverse momentum.

Original language	English
Article number	122302
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	136
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/ghzh-kv8z
State	Published - 27 Mar 2026
Externally published	Yes

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10.1103/ghzh-kv8z

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@article{293d610dc3044ef686663019cca7cfde,

title = "Observation of Charmonium Sequential Suppression in Heavy-Ion Collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider",

abstract = "We report measurements of charmonium sequential suppression in Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sNN=200 GeV with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The inclusive yield ratio of ψ(2S) to J/ψ as a function of transverse momentum is reported, along with the centrality dependence of the double ratio, defined as the ψ(2S) to J/ψ ratio in heavy-ion collisions relative to that in p+p collisions. In the 0-80\% centrality class, the double ratio is found to be 0.41±0.10 (stat)±0.03 (syst)±0.02 (ref), lower than unity with a significance of 5.6 standard deviations. This provides experimental evidence that ψ(2S) is significantly more suppressed than J/ψ in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. This sequential suppression pattern seems to increase from peripheral to central collisions, but with no significant dependence on the transverse momentum.",

author = "\{(STAR Collaboration)\} and Aboona, \{B. E.\} and J. Adam and L. Adamczyk and I. Aggarwal and Aggarwal, \{M. M.\} and Z. Ahammed and Alshammri, \{A. K.\} and Aschenauer, \{E. C.\} and S. Aslam and J. Atchison and V. Bairathi and X. Bao and P. Barik and K. Barish and S. Behera and R. Bellwied and P. Bhagat and A. Bhasin and S. Bhatta and Bhosale, \{S. R.\} and J. Bielcik and J. Bielcikova and Brandenburg, \{J. D.\} and C. Broodo and Cai, \{X. Z.\} and H. Caines and \{Calder{\'o}n De La Barca S{\'a}nchez\}, M. and D. Cebra and J. Ceska and I. Chakaberia and P. Chaloupka and Chang, \{Y. S.\} and Z. Chang and A. Chatterjee and D. Chen and Chen, \{J. H.\} and Q. Chen and W. Chen and Z. Chen and J. Cheng and Y. Cheng and W. Christie and X. Chu and S. Corey and Crawford, \{H. J.\} and M. Csan{\'a}d and G. Dale-Gau and A. Das and \{De Souza Lemos\}, D. and S. Paul",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 American Physical Society.",

year = "2026",

month = mar,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1103/ghzh-kv8z",

language = "English",

volume = "136",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

issn = "0031-9007",

publisher = "American Physical Society",

number = "12",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Observation of Charmonium Sequential Suppression in Heavy-Ion Collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

AU - (STAR Collaboration)

AU - Aboona, B. E.

AU - Adam, J.

AU - Adamczyk, L.

AU - Aggarwal, I.

AU - Aggarwal, M. M.

AU - Ahammed, Z.

AU - Alshammri, A. K.

AU - Aschenauer, E. C.

AU - Aslam, S.

AU - Atchison, J.

AU - Bairathi, V.

AU - Bao, X.

AU - Barik, P.

AU - Barish, K.

AU - Behera, S.

AU - Bellwied, R.

AU - Bhagat, P.

AU - Bhasin, A.

AU - Bhatta, S.

AU - Bhosale, S. R.

AU - Bielcik, J.

AU - Bielcikova, J.

AU - Brandenburg, J. D.

AU - Broodo, C.

AU - Cai, X. Z.

AU - Caines, H.

AU - Calderón De La Barca Sánchez, M.

AU - Cebra, D.

AU - Ceska, J.

AU - Chakaberia, I.

AU - Chaloupka, P.

AU - Chang, Y. S.

AU - Chang, Z.

AU - Chatterjee, A.

AU - Chen, D.

AU - Chen, J. H.

AU - Chen, Q.

AU - Chen, W.

AU - Chen, Z.

AU - Cheng, J.

AU - Cheng, Y.

AU - Christie, W.

AU - Chu, X.

AU - Corey, S.

AU - Crawford, H. J.

AU - Csanád, M.

AU - Dale-Gau, G.

AU - Das, A.

AU - De Souza Lemos, D.

AU - Paul, S.

PY - 2026/3/27

Y1 - 2026/3/27

N2 - We report measurements of charmonium sequential suppression in Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sNN=200 GeV with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The inclusive yield ratio of ψ(2S) to J/ψ as a function of transverse momentum is reported, along with the centrality dependence of the double ratio, defined as the ψ(2S) to J/ψ ratio in heavy-ion collisions relative to that in p+p collisions. In the 0-80% centrality class, the double ratio is found to be 0.41±0.10 (stat)±0.03 (syst)±0.02 (ref), lower than unity with a significance of 5.6 standard deviations. This provides experimental evidence that ψ(2S) is significantly more suppressed than J/ψ in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. This sequential suppression pattern seems to increase from peripheral to central collisions, but with no significant dependence on the transverse momentum.

AB - We report measurements of charmonium sequential suppression in Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sNN=200 GeV with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The inclusive yield ratio of ψ(2S) to J/ψ as a function of transverse momentum is reported, along with the centrality dependence of the double ratio, defined as the ψ(2S) to J/ψ ratio in heavy-ion collisions relative to that in p+p collisions. In the 0-80% centrality class, the double ratio is found to be 0.41±0.10 (stat)±0.03 (syst)±0.02 (ref), lower than unity with a significance of 5.6 standard deviations. This provides experimental evidence that ψ(2S) is significantly more suppressed than J/ψ in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. This sequential suppression pattern seems to increase from peripheral to central collisions, but with no significant dependence on the transverse momentum.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105034460352

U2 - 10.1103/ghzh-kv8z

DO - 10.1103/ghzh-kv8z

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105034460352

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 136

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 12

M1 - 122302

ER -

Observation of Charmonium Sequential Suppression in Heavy-Ion Collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

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