Rutgers Astrophysics Seminar (Note Special Time/Place)

Due to their short lifetimes (few fm/c), resonances are used as probes to investigate the formation of the fireball in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions. I will present yields and spectra of strange resonances and stable particles measured in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV by the STAR collaboration using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The ratios of resonances to stable particles are used to study the evolution of the fireball and to explore the re-scattering and regeneration effects between chemical and thermal freeze-outs. PYTHIA and statistical models of particle production are used to interpret these results. I will also present the status of the search via resonance techniques for pentaquarks, which are hypothesized particles consisting of five light u, d, and s quarks.