Has saturation physics been observed in deuteron-gold collisions at RHIC?

Abstract

We have addressed the question of whether saturation (CGC) has been observed in deuteron-gold collisions at RHIC. We have made a detailed analysis of the Cronin peak characteristic of the nuclear modification factor measured for d-Au collisions at mid-rapidity. The Cronin peak which is obtained around $p_t\simeq 3$ GeV may be reproduced at the proper height only by boosting the saturation momentum by a huge non-perturbative additional component. At forward rapidity, we get a quantitative agreement with data, reproducing hadron production spectra and the $R_{CP}$ ratio using a recently developed description of the small-x physics.