Determination of the Quark Content of Scalar Mesons Using Hydrodynamical Flow in Heavy Ion Collisions

Abstract

We study the possibility of determining the quark content of the scalar mesons a0(980) and f0(980) through their hydrodynamical flow signature in relativistic heavy ion collisions. Utilizing the constituent quark scaling of hydrodynamic flow, we find that the tetraquark a0(980) or f0(980) mesons will have a v_2 of 0.38 at transverse momentum of 6 GeV/c in 20-60% central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. The feasibility of measuring a0(980)-->pi0 + eta and f0(980)-->pi+ + pi- into the PHENIX and STAR detectors at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is also discussed. Even though the mid-rapidity cross sections for these mesons at high-pT are non-negligible, their broad mass range will make them difficult to detect in both p+p and Au+Au collisions.