Energy dependence of transverse particle production from SPS to RHIC

Transverse momentum spectra up to 4.5GeV/c were measured around midrapidity in Pb+Pb collisions at √ sNN = 17.3GeV, for π±, p, p̄ and K±, by the NA49 experiment. The nuclear modification factors RAA, RAA/pA and RCP were extracted and are compared to RHIC results at √ sNN = 200GeV. The modification factor RAA shows a rapid increase with transverse momentum in the covered region. The modification factors RAA/pA and RCP shows a saturation well below unity in the π± channel. The extracted RCP values follow the 200GeV RHIC results closely in the available transverse momentum range for all particle species, except for π±. For π± above 2.5GeV/c transverse momentum, the measured suppression is smaller than that observed at RHIC. The K+/π+ and K−/π− ratios were also extracted from the data and are compared to the 200GeV RHIC results. The values of the former ratio is above, whereas the values of the latter ratio is slightly below the 200GeV RHIC points.