Measurement of isolated prompt photon production in $p$+$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV with the sPHENIX detector

Abstract

The differential cross section of isolated prompt photon production is measured as a function of photon transverse energy ($E_{\mathrm{T}}^3$) in proton--proton ($p$+$p$) collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV. The data were recorded in $2024$ with the sPHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Photons are reconstructed in $|\hat{I}{\cdot }^3|<0.7$ and $12<E_{\mathrm{T}}^3<32$ GeV using the electromagnetic calorimeter, and an isolation requirement is imposed using both the electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters. The measured cross section is compared with the PYTHIA Monte Carlo event generator and perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) calculations at next-to-leading and next-to-next-to-leading order. The pQCD calculations are consistent with the result within the quoted uncertainties. This measurement provides a test of pQCD calculations for a process with sensitivity to the gluon parton distribution function of the proton and establishes the $p$+$p$ baseline for forthcoming sPHENIX measurements of isolated prompt photons in heavy-ion collisions.

26 pages total, 10 figures, 1 table. All figures and tables can be found at https://www.sphenix.bnl.gov/PublicResults/sPH-JET-2026-02