Scaling p_T distributions for p and \bar{p} produced in Au+Au collisions at RHIC

Abstract

With the experimental data from STAR and PHENIX on the centrality dependence of the $p_T$ spectra of protons and anti-protons produced at mid-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV, we show that for protons and anti-protons there exists a scaling distribution independent of the colliding centrality. The scaling functions can also describe data from BRAHMS for both proton and anti-proton spectra at $y=2.2$ and 3.2. The scaling behaviors are shown to be incompatible with the usual string fragmentation scenario for particle production.