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

We report measurements of charmonium sequential suppression in Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}$ = 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 $\pm$ 0.10 (stat) $\pm$ 0.03 (syst) $\pm$ 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.

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Journal
Physical Review Letters
Published
2026-03-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/ghzh-kv8z
Primary Topic
High-Energy Particle Collisions Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

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

the STAR Collaboration
Physical Review Letters
High-Energy Particle Collisions Research
article

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

the STAR Collaboration
article en

Abstract

We report measurements of charmonium sequential suppression in Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm {NN}}}$ = 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 $\pm$ 0.10 (stat) $\pm$ 0.03 (syst) $\pm$ 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.

Physical Review LettersVol. 136(12)
Eötvös Loránd University (HU), Warsaw University of Technology (PL), Lovely Professional University (IN), Creighton University (US), University of Science and Technology of China (CN), Jagiellonian University (PL), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IN), Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (IN), Argonne National Laboratory (US), State University of New York (US), University of Kentucky (US), University of Jammu (IN), University of Tsukuba (JP), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US), Valparaiso University (US), Kent State University (US), Shandong University (CN), National Institute of Technology Durgapur (IN), Chongqing University (CN), National Institute of Science Education and Research (IN), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali (IN), Wayne State University (US), University of Tarapacá (CL), Lehigh University (US), South China Normal University (CN), United States Naval Academy (US), Ball State University (US), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Brookhaven National Laboratory (US), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Heidelberg University (DE), Fudan University (CN), Temple College (US), Mitchell Institute (US), Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (DE), University of California System (US), Sejong University (KR), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IN), Guangxi Normal University (CN), Huzhou Normal University (CN), Technische Universität Darmstadt (DE), Yale University (US), Southern Connecticut State University (US), University of Illinois Chicago (US), Central China Normal University (CN), Max Planck Institute for Physics (DE), Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (NL), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Berhampur (IN), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati (IN), Czech Academy of Sciences, Nuclear Physics Institute (CZ), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Wuhan University of Science and Technology (CN), University of Houston (US), Czech Technical University in Prague (CZ), University of Calabria (IT), Texas Southern University (US), Panjab University (IN), The Ohio State University (US), Indiana University (US), Abilene Christian University (US), AGH University of Krakow (PL), Rice University (US), Lanzhou University (CN), American University in Cairo (EG), Temple University (US), Academia Sinica (TW), Heidelberg University (US), Michigan State University (US), Texas A&M University (US), National Cheng Kung University (TW), Tsinghua University (CN)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, National Research Foundation, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, National Research Foundation of Korea, Emberi Eroforrások Minisztériuma, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, National Science and Technology Council, Office of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Research, Development and Innovation Office, Nuclear Physics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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High-Energy Particle Collisions Research
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