Orateur
Agnieszka Sorensen
(FRIB)
Description
We perform a finite-size scaling analysis of net-proton number cumulants in Au+Au collisions at center-of-mass energies between 2.4 GeV and 54.4 GeV to search for evidence of a critical point in the QCD phase diagram. We show that for 7.7 GeV and above, the data as a function of rapidity bin width exhibits scale invariance, satisfying the conditions for a finite-size scaling analysis. We use model simulations to verify the applicability of this approach, then apply it to data and find evidence for a critical point near the baryon chemical potential of μB ≈ 625 MeV. This is the first analysis of experimental data to locate the critical point in a range consistent with recent theoretical predictions.
Auteur principal
Agnieszka Sorensen
(FRIB)
