Speaker
Description
Transversely polarized $\Lambda$-hyperons were observed in unpolarized p+p and p+A collisions more than 50 years ago. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Such measurements in heavy-ion collisions will advance our understanding of the origin of transverse polarization and its connection to global polarization.
In this talk, we present the measurements of transverse polarization of $\Lambda$ hyperons in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 3$ GeV. The data taken with the STAR detector in fixed-target experiments provide access to a large Feynman-x ($x_F = p_{\Lambda}^{z}/p_{\mathrm{beam}}$) range up to 0.8. The dependence of transverse polarization on collision centrality, $x_F$, and transverse momentum $p_T$ will be reported. We will also discuss the implications of these measurements for understanding the global polarization behavior in the high-baryon-density region.
