Vorticity and Particle Polarization in Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

Abstract

We review studies of vortical motion and the resulting global polarization of $\Lambda$ and $\bar{\Lambda}$ hyperons in heavy-ion collisions, in particular, within 3FD model. 3FD predictions for the global midrapidity polarization in the FAIR-NICA energy range are presented. The 3FD simulations indicate that energy dependence of the observed global polarization of hyperons in the midrapidity region is a consequence of the decrease of the vorticity in the central region with the collision energy rise because of pushing out the vorticity field into the fragmentation regions. At high collision energies this pushing-out results in a peculiar vortical structure consisting of two vortex rings: one ring in the target fragmentation region and another one in the projectile fragmentation region with matter rotation being opposite in these two rings.