The rapidity and centrality dependence of nuclear modification factors at RHIC - what does bulk particle production tell us about the nuclear medium?

Abstract

The BRAHMS experiment at RHIC has measured the production of charged hadrons as a function of pseudorapidity and transverse momentum in Au+Au, d+Au and p+p collisions at a common energy of sqrt(s_NN)=200GeV, and from these spectra we construct the nuclear modification factors for both ``hot'' and ``cold'' nuclear matter. In this contribution I will show how these factors evolve with pseudorapidity and collision centrality. We see a Cronin-like enhancement in d+Au collisions at midrapidity, going to a strong suppression at eta >= 2. In central Au+Au collisions we find a suppression both at mid- and forward rapidities that vanishes for peripheral collisions. We interpret this as signs of several different medium related effects modifying bulk particle production in Au+Au and d+Au collisions at RHIC energies.