Comparisons of single identified hadron spectra in heavy ion collisions to models using Rivet*

A hot, dense medium, known as the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), is created in high-energy heavy ion collisions. This matter is thought to have existed shortly after the Big Bang. At the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the medium can be remade, but on a smaller scale. Transverse momentum spectra and yields of hadrons were measured by the PHENIX collaboration in Au + Au collisions at 130 GeV at RHIC. The yield of pions rises almost linearly with the number of nucleons involved in these collisions, while the number of kaons, protons, and antiprotons increases more rapidly. Using the Robust Independent Validation of Experimental and Theory Program (RIVET) to compare experimental data with  Monte Carlo models, the differential transverse momentum spectra are compared to PYTHIA Angantyr in different centrality ranges. This demonstrates the viability of RIVET for heavy ion collisions to facilitate detailed comparisons between models and data.