A Multi-Phase Transport Model Research Articles

Exploring critical fluctuation phenomenon according to net-proton multiplicity information entropy in AMPT model

Information entropy can be used for investigating the critical fluctuation phenomenon by describing multiplicity fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions. In this study, a multiphase transport (AMPT) model in the default version (AMPT-DEF) and with the string melting (AMPT-SM) were used as event generators to simulate the Au+Au reaction at different incident energies. Owing to the influence of the distribution bin number in extracting its information entropy, two methods, i.e., data binning and weighting factors, were proposed to correct the information entropy analysis. The comparison between information entropy and kurtosis also reflects the necessity to correct the information entropy analysis. The corrected information entropy of net-proton multiplicity was analyzed in central Au+Au collisions at sNN= 4.7, 6.4, 7.7, 8.8, 11.5, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 140, 170, and 200 GeV with the impact parameter b=3 fm. The results indicated that the fluctuations of net-proton multiplicity were essentially identical at collision energies ranging from sNN= 4.7 GeV to sNN= 200 GeV in the same model. No critical fluctuation phenomenon was found in the central Au+Au collisions simulated using the AMPT models, similar to the case of the AMPT model, which does not have. Comparing the information entropy of AMPT-SM to AMPT-DEF, the effect of partonic phase leads to a bigger fluctuation, indicating that the corrected information entropy can be a useful probe to explore the phase transition. The mid-rapidity net-proton multiplicity information entropy was also calculated, and the results led to the same conclusion. The corrected information entropy may be useful for investigating critical fluctuations, which is important for exploring critical endpoint.

Measurements of second-harmonic Fourier coefficients from azimuthal anisotropies in p+p, p+Au, d+Au, and He3+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV

Recently, the PHENIX Collaboration has published second- and third-harmonic Fourier coefficients $v_2$ and $v_3$ for midrapidity ($|\eta|<0.35$) charged hadrons in 0\%--5\% central $p$$+$Au, $d$$+$Au, and $^3$He$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV utilizing three sets of two-particle correlations for two detector combinations with different pseudorapidity acceptance [Phys. Rev. C {\bf 105}, 024901 (2022)]. This paper extends these measurements of $v_2$ to all centralities in $p$$+$Au, $d$$+$Au, and $^3$He$+$Au collisions, as well as $p$$+$$p$ collisions, as a function of transverse momentum ($p_T$) and event multiplicity. The kinematic dependence of $v_2$ is quantified as the ratio $R$ of $v_2$ between the two detector combinations as a function of event multiplicity for $0.5$$<$$p_T$$<$$1$ and $2$$<$$p_T$$<$$2.5$ GeV/$c$. A multiphase-transport (AMPT) model can reproduce the observed $v_2$ in most-central to midcentral $d$$+$Au and $^3$He$+$Au collisions. However, the AMPT model systematically overestimates the measurements in $p$$+$$p$, $p$$+$Au, and peripheral $d$$+$Au and $^3$He$+$Au collisions, indicating a higher nonflow contribution in AMPT than in the experimental data. The AMPT model fails to describe the observed $R$ for $0.5$$<$$p_T$$<$$1$ GeV/$c$, but there is qualitative agreement with the measurements for $2$$<$$p_T$$<$$2.5$ GeV/$c$.

First Order Harmonic Flow of Heavy Quarks using a Hybrid Transport Model

We report the investigation of the first order flow of charmed quarks in gold-to-gold collision at the energy near to the speed of the light using A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) model. We have used the AMPT string melting version known as partonic interactions option. In this study, we investigated the directed flow v1 of the charmed quark D0 as a function of rapidity. The model predicts the correct sign for D0v1, but the size of the predicted directed flow signal is too small by about an order of magnitude comparing to the real data from the STAR collaboration analysis. The AMPT model shows that the charm quark v1 magnitude is larger than that of the light quarks at large rapidity. This indicates that the charm quarks can retain more information from initial condition than the light quarks.

Further developments of a multi-phase transport model for relativistic nuclear collisions

A multi-phase transport (AMPT) model was constructed as a self-contained kinetic theory-based description of relativistic nuclear collisions as it contains four main components: the fluctuating initial condition, a parton cascade, hadronization, and a hadron cascade. Here, we review the main developments after the first public release of the AMPT source code in 2004 and the corresponding publication that described the physics details of the model at that time. We also discuss possible directions for future developments of the AMPT model to better study the properties of the dense matter created in relativistic collisions of small or large systems.

Kaons and Antikaons in Multi-Phase Transport Model

We investigate the impact of medium modifications of kaons and antikaons on there rapidity distribution and production ratio using A Multi-Phase transport (AMPT) model. The medium modified masses of kaons and antikaons, which are used as input in AMPT model, are calculated using the chiral SU(3) mean field model. Usually in chiral SU(3) models along with the Weinberg Tomozawa term, the contribution of explicit symmetry breaking term and three range terms are considered to evaluate in-medium masses of kaons and antikaons. In the present work, we have considerd Weinberg Tomozawa term and two range terms to study their impact on the above listed experimental observables. The repulsive contribution to the mass of K + meson from the Weinberg term dominates over the attractive contribution from two range terms. For the K − meson Weinberg term as well as two range terms give attractive contribution. Considering all these features from chiral effective model on properties of K + and K − mesons, we explore the rapidity distributions of kaons and antikaons.

Investigation of the Elliptic Flow Fluctuations of the Identified Particles Using the a Multi-Phase Transport Model

A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) model is used to study the elliptic flow fluctuations of identified particles using participant and spectator event planes. The elliptic flow measured using the first order spectator event plane is expected to give the elliptic flow relative to the true reaction plane which suppresses the flow fluctuations. However, the elliptic flow measured using the second-order participant plane is expected to capture the elliptic flow fluctuations. Our study shows that the first order spectator event plane could be used to study the elliptic flow fluctuations of the identified particles in the AMPT model. The elliptic flow fluctuations magnitude shows weak particle species dependence and transverse momentum dependence. Such observation will have important implications for understanding the source of the elliptic flow fluctuations.

Constraining the particle production mechanism in Au+Au collisions at sNN=7.7 , 27, and 200 GeV using a multiphase transport model

We study the production of pions, kaons, and (anti)protons in A Multi Phase Transport (AMPT) Model in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 7.7, 27, and 200 GeV. We present the centrality and energy dependence of various bulk observables such as invariant yields as a function of transverse momentum $p_T$, particle yields $dN/dy$, average transverse momentum $\langle p_T \rangle$, and various particle ratios, and compare them with experimental data. Both default and string melting (SM) versions of the AMPT model are used with three different sets of initial conditions. We observe that neither the default nor the SM version of the model could consistently describe the centrality dependence of all observables at the above energies with any one set of initial conditions. The energy dependence behavior of the experimental observables for 0--5\% central collisions is in general better described by the default AMPT model using the modified HIJING parameters for Lund string fragmentation and 3mb parton scattering cross-section. In addition, the kaon production as well as the $K/\pi$ ratio at 7.7 GeV are under predicted by the AMPT model.

Enhanced production of strange baryons in high-energy nuclear collisions from a multiphase transport model

We introduce additional coalescence factors for the production of strange baryons in a multiphase transport (AMPT) model in order to describe the enhanced production of multistrange hadrons observed in Pb-Pb collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV at the Large hadron Collider (LHC) and Au+Au collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV at Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC).This extended AMPT model is found to also give a reasonable description of the multiplicity dependence of the strangeness enhancement observed in high multiplicity events in $pp$ collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV and $p$-Pb collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. We find that the coalescence factors depend on the system size but not much on whether the system is produced from A+A or p+A collisions. The extended AMPT model thus provides a convenient way to model the mechanism underlying the observed strangeness enhancement in collisions of both small and large systems at RHIC and LHC energies.

Particle productions and anisotropic flows from the AMPT model for Cu+Au collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$$ GeV

We use the string melting version of a multi-phase transport (AMPT) model to study Cu+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV. The rapidity distributions of identified hadrons show asymmetric dependences on rapidity. In addition, elliptic and triangular flows at mid-rapidity from the AMPT model for pions, kaons, and protons agree reasonably with the experimental data up to $p_{T}\sim1$ GeV$/c$. We then investigate the forward/backward asymmetry of $v_2$ and $v_3$. We find that these anisotropic flows are larger on the Au-going side than the Cu-going side, while the asymmetry tends to go away in very peripheral collisions. We also make predictions on transverse momentum spectra of identified hadrons and longitudinal decorrelations of charged particles, where the average decorrelation of elliptic flow in asymmetric Cu+Au collisions is found to be stronger than that in Au+Au collisions.

Improvement of heavy flavor production in a multiphase transport model updated with modern nuclear parton distribution functions

Recently we have updated a multi-phase transport (AMPT) model with modern parton distribution functions of nuclei (nPDFs). Here we study open charm production in the updated AMPT model and compare to the experimental data from $pp$ and $AA$ collisions over a wide range of collision energies. Besides the update of nPDFs, we have removed the transverse momentum cutoff on initial heavy quark productions and also included the resultant heavy flavor cross section into the total minijet cross section in the initial condition as described by the HIJING model. We show that the AMPT model with these updates provides a much better description of the yields and transverse momentum spectra of various open charm hadrons in comparison with the experimental data. This lays the foundation for further heavy flavor studies within the transport model approach.

Centrality and transverse momentum dependencies of hadrons in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV and Xe+Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.44$ TeV from a multi-phase transport model

In this paper, we study and predict the charged-particle pseudorapidity multiplicity density ($\frac{dN_{ch}}{d\eta}$), transverse momentum spectra of identified particles and their ratios in relativistic heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), using the string-melting version of a multi-phase transport (AMPT) model with improved quark coalescence method. Results of the charged-particle pseudorapidity multiplicity density from AMPT model calculations for Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.02$ TeV are compared with the experimental data. Good agreements are generally found between theoretical calculations and experimental data. We predict $\frac{dN_{ch}}{d\eta}$ for Xe+Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.44$ TeV at different centralities, and $p_T$ spectra of charged pions, kaons and protons, and their ratios $K/\pi$ and $p/\pi$ in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.02$ TeV and Xe+Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.44$ TeV that are being studied at LHC. The $p_T$ spectra of identified particles in Pb+Pb collisions from the improved AMPT model are compared and found to be consistent with results from the iEBE-VISHNU hybrid model with TRENTo initial condition.

Update of a multiphase transport model with modern parton distribution functions and nuclear shadowing

A multi-phase transport (AMPT) model has been successful in explaining a wide range of observables in relativistic heavy ion collisions. In this work, we implement a modern set of free proton parton distribution functions and an impact parameter-dependent nuclear shadowing in the AMPT model. After refitting the parameters of the two-component initial condition model to the experimental data on $pp$ and $p \bar p$ total and inelastic cross sections from $\sqrt s \sim $ 4 GeV to 13 TeV, we study particle productions in $pp$ and $AA$ collisions. We show that the updated AMPT model with string melting can reasonably describe the overall particle yields and transverse momentum spectra for both $pp$ and $AA$ collisions at RHIC and LHC energies after we introduce a nuclear scaling of the minijet transverse momentum cutoff for $AA$ collisions at LHC energies that is motivated by the color glass condensate. Since heavy flavor and high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles are produced by perturbative-QCD processes and thus directly depend on parton distribution functions of nuclei, the updated AMPT model is expected to provide a more reliable description of these observables.

Scaling Properties of Multiplicity Fluctuations in the AMPT Model

From the events generated from the MC code of a multiphase transport (AMPT) model with string melting, the properties of multiplicity fluctuations of charged particles in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN = 2.76 TeV are studied. Normalized factorial moments, Fq, of spatial distributions of the particles have been determined in the framework of intermittency. Those moments are found in some kinematic regions to exhibit scaling behavior at small bin sizes, but not in most regions. However, in relating Fq to F2 scaling behavior is found in nearly all regions. The corresponding scaling exponents, ν, determined in the low transverse momentum (pT) region ≤ 1.0 GeV/c are observed to be independent of the pT bin position and width. The value of ν is found to be larger than 1.304, which is the value that characterizes the Ginzburg-Landau type second-order phase transition. Thus there is no known signature for phase transition in the AMPT model. This study demonstrates that, for the system under investigation, the method of analysis is effective in extracting features that are relevant to the question of whether the dynamical processes leading phase transition are there or not.

Longitudinal fluctuations and decorrelations of anisotropic flows at energies available at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

We perform a systematic study on the decorrelation of anisotropic flows along the pseudorapidity in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the LHC and RHIC energies. The dynamical evolution of the QGP fireball is simulated via the CLVisc (ideal) (3+1)-dimensional hydrodynamics model, with the fully fluctuating initial condition from A-Multi-Phase-Transport (AMPT) model. Detailed analysis is performed on the longitudinal decorrelations of elliptic, triangular and quadrangular flows in terms of flow vectors, flow magnitudes and flow orientations (event planes). It is found that pure flow magnitudes have smaller longitudinal decorrelation than pure flow orientations, and the decorrelation of flow vectors is a combined effect of both flow magnitudes and orientations. The longitudinal decorrelation of elliptic flow has a strong and non-monotonic centrality dependence due to the initial elliptic collision geometry: smallest decorrelation in mid-central collisions. In contrast, the decorrelations of triangular and quadrangular flows have weak centrality dependence, slightly larger decorrelations in more peripheral collisions. Our numerical results for Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC are in good agreement with the ATLAS data, while our RHIC results predict much larger longitudinal decorrelations as compared to the LHC. We further analyze the longitudinal structures of the AMPT initial conditions and find that the final-state longitudinal decorrelation effects are strongly correlated with the lengths of the initial string structures in the AMPT model. The decorrelation effects are typically larger at lower collision energies and in more peripheral collisions due to shorter lengths of the string structures in the initial states.

Global polarization of Λ hyperons in Au + Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV

Global polarization of $\Lambda$ hyperons has been measured to be of the order of a few tenths of a percent in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$ = 200 GeV, with no significant difference between $\Lambda$ and $\bar{\Lambda}$. These new results reveal the collision energy dependence of the global polarization together with the results previously observed at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$ = 7.7 -- 62.4 GeV and indicate noticeable vorticity of the medium created in non-central heavy-ion collisions at the highest RHIC collision energy. The signal is in rough quantitative agreement with the theoretical predictions from a hydrodynamic model and from the AMPT (A Multi-Phase Transport) model. The polarization is larger in more peripheral collisions, and depends weakly on the hyperon's transverse momentum and pseudorapidity $\eta^H$ within $|\eta^H|<1$. An indication of the polarization dependence on the event-by-event charge asymmetry is observed at the $2\sigma$ level, suggesting a possible contribution to the polarization from the axial current induced by the initial magnetic field.

Overall momentum balance and redistribution of the lost energy in asymmetric dijet events in 2.76A TeV Pb-Pb collisions with a multiphase transport model

The overall transverse momentum balance and the redistribution of the lost energy from hard jets for asymmetric dijet events in PbPb collisions at 2.76~ATeV at the LHC is studied within A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) model. A detailed analysis is performed for the projected transverse momentum $\langle \slashed{p}_{T}^{||} \rangle$ contributed from the final charged hadrons carrying different transverse momenta and emitted from different angular directions. We find that the transverse momentum projection $\langle \slashed{p}_{T}^{||} \rangle $ in the leading jet direction is mainly contributed by hard hadrons ($p_T > 8.0$~GeV/$c$) in both peripheral and central PbPb collisions, while the opposite direction in central collisions is dominated by soft hadrons ($p_T = 0.5$-$2.0$~GeV/$c$). The study of in-cone and out-of-cone contributions to $\langle \slashed{p}_{T}^{||} \rangle$ shows that these soft hadrons are mostly emitted at large angles away from the dijet axis. Our AMPT calculation is in qualitative agreement with the CMS measurements and the primary mechanism for the energy transported to large angles in the AMPT model is the elastic scattering at the partonic stage. Future studies including also inelastic processes should be helpful in understanding the overestimation of the magnitudes of in-cone and out-of-cone imbalances from our AMPT calculations, and shed light on different roles played by radiative and collisional processes in the redistribution of the lost energy from hard jets.

Baryon spectra and antiparticle-to-particle ratios from the improved AMPT model

The current version of a multi-phase transport (AMPT) model with string melting can reasonably describe the dN/dy yields, pT spectra and anisotropic flows of pions and kaons at low pT in heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies, although it failed to reproduce the dN/dy and pT spectra of baryons. In this work, we improve the quark coalescence mechanism in AMPT by removing the forced separate number conservations of mesons, baryons and antibaryons in each event. We find that the improved AMPT model can better describe the yields at midrapidity, the pT spectra and elliptic flow of low-pT baryons in comparison with the experimental data. Antiparticle-to-particle ratios of strange baryons are also significantly improved.

A study on K *(892)0 and ϕ(1020) production in p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC from a multiphase transport model

Using a multiphase transport (AMPT) model that includes both initial partonic and final hadronic interactions, we study and production at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is found that a hadronic cascade time of fm c−1 describes the strong suppression of the ratio in central Pb–Pb collisions at = 2.76 TeV, while for the p–Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV, a lower limit of hadronic interaction fm c−1 is derived by comparison with the collision system dependence of the and ratios. Detailed studies on the transverse momentum dependence of the and ratios, and the elliptic flow of and ϕ show clear evidence of the dominance of rescattering over regeneration of in heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies. Our calculation describes the flat ratio well in central Pb–Pb collisions at c−1, indicating fluid-like dynamics in the AMPT model.

Correlation functions of net-proton multiplicity distributions in Au + Au collisions at energies available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider from a multiphase transport model

Fluctuations of conserved quantities are believed to be sensitive observables to probe the signature of the QCD phase transition and critical point. It was argued recently that measuring the genuine correlation functions (CFs) could provide cleaner information on possible nontrivial dynamics in heavy-ion collisions.With the AMPT (a multiphase transport) model, the centrality and energy dependence of various orders of CFs of net protons in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$=7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4 and 200 GeV are investigated. The model results show that the number of antiprotons is important and should be taken into account in the calculation of CFs at high energy and/or in peripheral collisions. It is also found that the contribution of antiprotons is more important for higher order correlations than for lower ones. The CFs of antiprotons and mixed correlations play roles comparable to those of protons at high energies. Finally, we make comparisons between the model calculation and experimental data measured in the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider.

Origin of the mass splitting of azimuthal anisotropies in a multiphase transport model

Both hydrodynamics-based models and a multi-phase transport (AMPT) model can reproduce the mass splitting of azimuthal anisotropy ($v_n$) at low transverse momentum ($p_{\perp}$) as observed in heavy ion collisions. In the AMPT model, however, $v_n$ is mainly generated by the parton escape mechanism, not by the hydrodynamic flow. In this study we provide detailed results on the mass splitting of $v_n$ in this transport model, including $v_2$ and $v_3$ of various hadron species in d+Au and Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and p+Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. We show that the mass splitting of hadron $v_2$ and $v_3$ in AMPT first arises from the kinematics in the quark coalescence hadronization process, and then, more dominantly, comes from hadronic rescatterings, even though the contribution from the latter to the overall charged hadron $v_n$ is small. We further show that there is no qualitative difference between heavy ion collisions and small-system collisions or between elliptic ($v_2$) and triangular ($v_3$) anisotropies. Our studies thus demonstrate that the mass splitting of $v_2$ and $v_3$ at low-$p_{\perp}$ is not a unique signature of hydrodynamic collective flow but can be the interplay of several physics effects.