Scaling properties in bulk and p(T)-dependent particle production near midrapidity in relativistic heavy ion collisions

The centrality dependence of the midrapidity charged-particle multiplicity density (|η| < 1) is presented for Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at RHIC over a broad range of collision energies. The multiplicity measured in the Cu + Cu system is found to be similar to that measured in the Au + Au system, for an equivalent Npart, with the observed factorization in energy and centrality still persistent in the smaller Cu + Cu system. The extent of the similarities observed for bulk particle production is tested by a comparative analysis of the inclusive transverse momentum distributions for Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions near midrapidity. It is found that, within the uncertainties of the data, the ratio of yields between the various energies for both Au + Au and Cu + Cu systems are similar and constant with centrality, both in the bulk yields and as a function of pT ,u p to at least 4 GeV/c. The effects of multiple nucleon collisions that strongly increase with centrality and energy appear to only play a minor role in bulk and intermediate transverse momentum particle production.