New results from the PHOBOS experiment Original Research Article

Over the past five years, PHOBOS has collected data on p+p, d+Au, Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions, covering a wide range of collision energy, collision centrality and system size. Using these data, we have identified scaling features that are common for all types of high-energy collisions, as well as collective effects that are unique to the conditions created in collisions of relativistic nuclei. In this paper, we will focus on recent results obtained for collisions of Cu nuclei. Both in terms of universal features of particle production, and in the development of truly collective effects, the results for Cu nuclei confirm and extend our present understanding of nuclear collisions at the highest energies. In addition, we will describe recent unique results on multiplicity fluctuations and particle production at very low transverse momenta.