Search

The production of $\rho$ , $\omega$ and $\phi$ vector-mesons, detected through their $\mu\mu$ decay channel, is studied in p-W, S-S, S-Cu and S-U reactions at 200 GeV/c per nucleon incident momentum. Their inclusive cross-sections are determined in various transverse momentum intervals and their dependence on the projectile and target mass numbers is investigated. The relative yield $B_{\mu\mu}\sigma_{\phi}/(B_{\mu\mu}\sigma_{\rho} + B_{\mu\mu}\sigma_{\omega})$ is measured, both as a function of the transverse momentum, p T , and of the collision centrality. While this ratio exhibits no significant dependence with p T , it clearly increases with the centrality of the collision. Effective temperatures deduced from the transverse mass spectra, $d\sigma/dM_T$ , lead to values of $T_{\rho + \omega}$ equal or slightly higher than $T_{\phi}$ . Both these effective temperatures smoothly increase from p-W to S-U reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]