Anomalous centrality evolution of two-particle angular correlations from Au-Au collisions at root s(NN)=62 and 200 GeV
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We present two-dimensional (2D) two-particle angular correlations measured with the STAR detector on relative pseudorapidity and azimuth for charged particles from Au-Au collisions at sNN=62 and 200 GeV with transverse momentum pt0.15 GeV/c, ||1, and 2 in azimuth. Observed correlations include a same-side (relative azimuth 2) 2D peak, a closely related away-side azimuth dipole, and an azimuth quadrupole conventionally associated with elliptic flow. The same-side 2D peak and away-side dipole are explained by semihard parton scattering and fragmentation (minijets) in proton-proton and peripheral nucleus-nucleus collisions. Those structures follow N-N binary-collision scaling in Au-Au collisions until midcentrality, where a transition to a qualitatively different centrality trend occurs within one 10% centrality bin. Above the transition point the number of same-side and away-side correlated pairs increases rapidly relative to binary-collision scaling, the width of the same-side 2D peak also increases rapidly ( elongation), and the width actually decreases significantly. Those centrality trends are in marked contrast with conventional expectations for jet quenching in a dense medium. The observed centrality trends are compared to perturbative QCD predictions computed in hijing, which serve as a theoretical baseline, and to the expected trends for semihard parton scattering and fragmentation in a thermalized opaque medium predicted by theoretical calculations and phenomenological models. We are unable to reconcile a semihard parton scattering and fragmentation origin for the observed correlation structure and centrality trends with heavy-ion collision scenarios that invoke rapid parton thermalization. If the collision system turns out to be effectively opaque to few-GeV partons the present observations would be inconsistent with the minijet picture discussed here. 2012 American Physical Society.