University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Measurement of transverse single-spin asymmetries in π0 and η Meson production in √s = 200 GEV p↑ + p collisions with sPHENIX

Mattson, Gregory

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132456

Description

Title
Measurement of transverse single-spin asymmetries in π0 and η Meson production in √s = 200 GEV p↑ + p collisions with sPHENIX
Author(s)
Mattson, Gregory
Issue Date
2025-08-27
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Riedl, Caroline
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Sickles, Anne
Committee Member(s)
  • Grosse Perdekamp, Matthias
  • Noronha, Jorge
  • Eckstein, James
Department of Study
Physics
Discipline
Physics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • nucleon structure
  • TSSA
  • transverse single-spin asymmetry
  • sPHENIX
Abstract
The sPHENIX experiment is a next-generation collider detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) designed for rare jet and heavy-flavor probes of Au + Au, p + Au, and polarized p + p collisions. The experiment includes a large acceptance, granular electromagnetic calorimeter and very high-rate data acquisition plus trigger system. In RHIC Run-24, sPHENIX sampled 107 pb−1 of collision data with transversely polarized protons at √s = 200 GeV using an efficient high-pT photon trigger. This dissertation describes the extraction of transverse single-spin asymmetries in inclusive production of π0 and η mesons decaying into two photons. Such observables are sensitive to multi-parton correlations in the proton, which are related to transverse-momentum dependent (TMD) effects. The new sPHENIX data set allows for significant extension of the kinematic range covered by previous RHIC mid-rapidity measurements. The results are corrected for background contributions and three different sources of systematic uncertainties are considered: the calculation method, the method of background subtraction, and contributions from possible false asymmetries due to instrumental effects. The results are presented and compared to existing measurements from the PHENIX experiment.
Graduation Semester
2025-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132456
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2025 Gregory Mattson

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