High-p_T Pion Quenching versus anti+Baryon Enhancement in Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

Abstract

Jet quenching of quarks and gluons in central A+A collisions suppresses the high-p_T meson production and exposes novel baryon dynamics that we attribute to (gluonic) baryon junctions. This mechanism predicts baryon enhancement in a finite moderate-p_T window that decreases with increasing impact parameter. We also extend recent calculations of the transverse momentum behavior of p/pi^+ and p-bar/pi^- to other baryon species and show that a similar pattern is expected for the K^-/Lambda and K^+/bar{Lambda} ratios. Within the framework of the model constant p-bar/p and bar{Lambda}/Lambda ratios are found in central Au+Au collisions at RHIC energies up to p_T ~= 4 - 5 GeV.