Speaker
Isaac Upsal
(Ohio State University)
Description
Non-central heavy ion collisions provide a system with non-zero net angular momentum. If the spin degrees of freedom equilibrate in the fireball, then emitted particles are expected to exhibit a net spin. Lambda baryons are self analyzing, meaning proton daughters are emitted preferentially in the direction of the spin, making the $\Lambda$ an ideal candidate for the determination of the net spin of the produced particles. Net $\Lambda$ polarization has been predicted several times - Becattini et. all (arXiv:1304.4427v2 [nucl-th] 10 Jul 2013) recently predicted a maximum polarization of 7-9% via hydro – but it has not yet been observed. We will present preliminary measurements of net $\Lambda$ polarization from STAR.
Author
Isaac Upsal
(Ohio State University)
