Title: Measurements of $K^{*0,\pm}$ mesons in Au+Au (BES-II) and Ru(Zr)+Ru(Zr) collisions at RHIC


The comparison between the production of short-lived resonances (e.g., $K^{*}$) to non-resonances (e.g., $K$) is commonly employed to understand the role of re-scattering and regeneration processes that occur during the late stages of hadronic interactions. Additionally, the neutral ($K^{*0}$ $(d\bar{s})$) and charged ($K^{*+}$ $(u\bar{s})$) vector mesons share similar mass and isospin, but the magnetic moments of their constituent quarks differ by approximately a factor of five. This distinction makes them a unique probe for studying medium effects and particle production.


In this talk, we will present the mass, width, transverse momentum ($p_{T}$) spectra, yield ($dN/dy$), and $\langle p_{T} \rangle$ of $K^{*0,\pm}$ mesons, utilizing data from the 2$^{nd}$ phase of the RHIC Beam Energy Scan (BES-II) program on Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7 - 19.6 GeV, and isobar collisions (Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr) at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. The high-statistics sample of isobar collisions will enable precise and differential measurements of particles and anti-particles ($K^{*0}$, $\overline{K^{*0}}$, and $K^{*\pm}$), separately. The results of the $K^{*+}/K^{*0}$ ratio can be utilized to probe isospin effects. Moreover, comparing the $K^{*0}/K^{-}$ ratio between Au+Au and isobar collisions can provide insights into the energy and system size dependence of hadronic interactions.