Bulk Properties Of Matter Research Articles

Determination of the Neutron Skin of ^{208}Pb from Ultrarelativistic Nuclear Collisions.

Emergent bulk properties of matter governed by the strong nuclear force give rise to physical phenomena across vastly different scales, ranging from the shape of atomic nuclei to the masses and radii of neutron stars. They can be accessed on Earth by measuring the spatial extent of the outer skin made of neutrons that characterizes the surface of heavy nuclei. The isotope ^{208}Pb, owing to its simple structure and neutron excess, has been in this context the target of many dedicated efforts. Here, we determine the neutron skin from measurements of particle distributions and their collective flow in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb collisions at ultrarelativistic energy performed at the Large Hadron Collider, which are mediated by interactions of gluons and thus sensitive to the overall size of the colliding ^{208}Pb ions. By means of state-of-the-art global analysis tools within the hydrodynamic model of heavy-ion collisions, we infer a neutron skin Δr_{np}=0.217±0.058 fm, consistent with nuclear theory predictions, and competitive in accuracy with a recent determination from parity-violating asymmetries in polarized electron scattering. We establish thus a new experimental method to systematically measure neutron distributions in the ground state of atomic nuclei.

Systematic errors due to quasiuniversal relations in binary neutron stars and their correction for unbiased model selection

Inference of the equation of state (EOS) of dense nuclear matter in neutron-star cores is a principal science goal of x-ray and gravitational-wave observations of neutron stars. In particular, gravitational-wave observations provide an independent probe of the properties of bulk matter in neutron star cores that can then be used to compare with theoretically derived equations of state. In this paper, we quantify the systematic errors arising from the application of EOS-independent quasiuniversal relations in the estimation of neutron star tidal deformabilities and radii from gravitational-wave measurements and introduce a strategy to correct for the systematic biases in the inferred radii. We apply this method to a simulated population of events expected to be observed by future upgrades of current detectors and the next generation of ground-based observatories. We show that our approach can accurately correct for the systematic biases arising from approximate universal relations in the mass-radius curves of neutron stars. Using the posterior distributions of the mass and radius for the simulated population we infer the underlying EOS with a good degree of precision. Our method revives the possibility of using the universal relations for rapid Bayesian model selection of the dense matter EOS in gravitational-wave observations.

Deblurring for nuclei: 3D characteristics of heavy-ion collisions

Observables from nuclear and high-energy experiments can be degraded by detector performance and/or methodology in extracting the observables, such as of the final-state characteristics of heavy-ion collisions in relation to a coarsely estimated reaction-plane direction. We propose the use of deblurring methods, such as in optics, to correct for observable degradation. Our main focus is the restoration of triple-differential particle distributions in heavy-ion collisions. We demonstrate that these could be extracted from collision measurements following the Richardson-Lucy deblurring method from optics. We illustrate basic features of the restoration methodology in a schematic model assuming either ideal or more realistic particle detection. The inferred three-dimensional (3D) distributions for collisions may easier to interpret in terms of collision dynamics and sought properties of bulk matter than the currently employed Fourier coefficients, that combine information from different azimuthal angles relative to the reaction plane.

Fluctuation dynamics near the QCD critical point

The evolution of non-hydrodynamic slow processes near the QCD critical point is explored with the novel Hydro+ framework, which extends the conventional hydrodynamic description by coupling it to additional explicitly evolving slow modes describing long wavelength fluctuations. Their slow relaxation is controlled by critical behavior of the correlation length and is independent from gradients of matter density and pressure that control the evolution of the hydrodynamic quantities. In this exploratory study we follow the evolution of the slow modes on top of a simplified QCD matter background, allowing us to clearly distinguish, and study both separately and in combination, the main effects controlling the dynamics of critical slow modes. In particular, we show how the evolution of the slow modes depend on their wave number, the expansion of and advection by the fluid background, and the behavior of the correlation length. Non-equilibrium contributions from the slow modes to bulk matter properties that affect the bulk dynamics (entropy, pressure, temperature and chemical potential) are discussed and found to be small.

Electric and magnetic dipole strength inSn112,114,116,118,120,124

Background: There is renewed interest in electric dipole strength distributions for a variety of reasons including the extraction of the dipole polarizability related to properties of the symmetry energy and a measure for the neutron skin thickness, understanding the structure of low-energy E1 strength in nuclei with neutron excess, and establishing the systematics of the isovector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR). Inelastic proton scattering at energies of a few hundred MeV and very forward angles including 0∘ has been established as a tool for the study of electric and magnetic dipole strength distributions in nuclei. Purpose: The present work aims at a systematic investigation of the electric and magnetic dipole strength distributions in the chain of stable even-mass tin isotopes. Methods: Inelastic proton scattering experiments were performed at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics, Osaka, with a 295-MeV beam covering laboratory angles 0∘–6∘ and excitation energies 6–22 MeV. Cross sections due to E1 and M1 excitations were extracted with a multipole decomposition analysis (MDA) and then converted to reduced transition probabilities with the “virtual photon method” for E1 and the “unit cross section method” for M1 excitations, respectively. Including a theory-aided correction for the high-excitation-energy region not covered experimentally, the electric dipole polarizability was determined from the E1 strength distributions. Results: Total photoabsorption cross sections derived from the E1 and M1 strength distributions show significant differences compared to those from previous (γ,xn) experiments in the energy region of the IVGDR. The widths of the IVGDR deduced from the present data with a Lorentz parametrization show an approximately constant value of about 4.5 MeV in contrast to the large variations between isotopes observed in previous work. The IVGDR centroid energies are in good correspondence to expectations from empirical systematics of their mass dependence. Furthermore, a study of the dependence of the IVGDR energies on bulk matter properties is presented. The E1 strengths below neutron threshold show fair agreement with results from (γ,γ′) experiments on Sn112,116,120,124 in the energy region between 6 and 7 MeV, where also isoscalar E1 strength was found for Sn124. At higher excitation energies, large differences are observed, pointing to a different nature of the excited states with small ground-state branching ratios. The isovector spin-M1 strengths exhibit a broad distribution between 6 and 12 MeV in all studied nuclei. Conclusions: The present results contribute to the solution of a variety of nuclear structure problems including the systematics of the energy and width of the IVGDR, the structure of low-energy E1 strength in nuclei, new constraints to energy density functionals (EDFs) aiming at a systematic description of the dipole polarizability across the nuclear chart, from which properties of the symmetry energy can be derived, and the systematics of the isovector spin-M1 strength in heavy nuclei.16 MoreReceived 12 July 2020Accepted 2 September 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.102.034327©2020 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasCollective levelsElectromagnetic transitionsH & He induced nuclear reactionsNuclear density functional theoryNuclear structure & decaysPhotonuclear reactionsNuclear Physics

Bulk properties of the medium produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions from the beam energy scan program

We present measurements of bulk properties of the matter produced in Au+Au collisions at sNN=7.7,11.5,19.6,27, and 39 GeV using identified hadrons (π±, K±, p, and p¯) from the STAR experiment in the Beam Energy Scan (BES) Program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Midrapidity (|y|<0.1) results for multiplicity densities dN/dy, average transverse momenta 〈pT〉, and particle ratios are presented. The chemical and kinetic freeze-out dynamics at these energies are discussed and presented as a function of collision centrality and energy. These results constitute the systematic measurements of bulk properties of matter formed in heavy-ion collisions over a broad range of energy (or baryon chemical potential) at RHIC.31 MoreReceived 25 January 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.96.044904©2017 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasParticle & resonance productionQCD phase transitionsQuark-gluon plasmaRelativistic heavy-ion collisionsThermal & statistical modelsNuclear Physics

An overview of experimental results from ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the CERN LHC: Bulk properties and dynamical evolution

The first collisions of lead nuclei, delivered by the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the end of 2010, at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV, marked the beginning of a new era in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics. Following the Run 1 period, LHC also successfully delivered PbPb collisions at the collision energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV at the end of 2015. The study of the properties of the produced hot and dense strongly-interacting matter at these unprecedented energies is experimentally pursued by all four big LHC experiments, ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. This review presents selected experimental results from heavy-ion collisions delivered during the first three years of the LHC operation focusing on the bulk matter properties and the dynamical evolution of the created system. It also presents the first results from Run 2 heavy-ion data at the highest energy, as well as from the studies of the reference pp and pPb systems, which are an integral part of the heavy-ion programme.

Thermodynamically Anchoring-Frustrated Surface to Trigger Bulk Discontinuous Orientational Transition.

Surface-specific liquid crystal (LC) nanostructures provide a unique platform for studying surface-wetting phenomena and also for technological applications. The most important studies on LC properties are related to bulk alignment, surface anchoring, and so on. Here, we study an LC system with a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) on a perfluoropolymer-coated substrate, in which a discontinuous bulk orientational transition has recently been found. Using free-energy analysis based on experimental results of the newly-conducted grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD) measurements, we have confirmed a thermodynamic growth process of smectic liquid crystalline wetting nanosheets on the surface and successfully explained that a frustrated surface of planar and vertical anchoring states accompanied by an elastic energy cost kinetically triggers the bulk reorientation in the first-order manner. This interfacial bottom-up process may offer a general insight into how interfacial hierarchical molecular architectures alter the bulk properties of matter thermodynamically.

High-order-harmonic generation driven by metal nanotip photoemission: Theory and simulations

We present theoretical predictions of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) resulting from the interaction of short femtosecond laser pulses with metal nanotips. It has been demonstrated that high energy electrons can be generated using nanotips as sources; furthermore the recollision mechanism has been proven to be the physical mechanism behind this photoemission. If recollision exists, it should be possible to convert the laser-gained energy by the electron in the continuum in a high energy photon. Consequently the emission of harmonic radiation appears to be viable, although it has not been experimentally demonstrated hitherto. We employ a quantum mechanical time dependent approach to model the electron dipole moment including both the laser experimental conditions and the bulk matter properties. The use of metal tips shall pave a new way of generating coherent XUV light with a femtosecond laser field.

Strange baryonic matter and Λ hypernuclei in the improved quark mass density-dependent model

The improved quark mass density-dependent model, which has been successfully used to describe the properties of both finite nuclei and bulk nuclear matter, is extended to include the strange quark. The parameters of the model are determined by the saturation properties of bulk matter. Then the given parameter set is employed to investigate both the properties of strange hadronic matter and those of Λ hypernuclei. Bulk strange hadronic matter consisting of nucleons, Λ hyperons and Ξ hyperons is studied under mean-field approximation. Amongst others, density dependence of the effective baryon mass, saturation properties and the stability of the physical system are discussed. For single-Λ hypernuclei, single-particle energies of the Λ hyperon are evaluated. In particular, it is found that the present model produces a small spin–orbit interaction, which is in agreement with the experimental observations. The above results show that the present model can consistently describe the properties of strange hadronic matter, as well as those of single-Λ hypernuclei within a uniform parametrization.

Measurement of the Adiabatic Index in Be Compressed by Counterpropagating Shocks

We report on the first direct measurement of the adiabatic index γ through x-ray Thomson scattering from shock-compressed beryllium. 9 keV x-ray photons probe the bulk properties of matter during the collision of two counterpropagating shocks. This novel experimental technique determines γ by using only the measured mass densities and vanishing particle velocity at the point of shock collision to close the Rankine-Hugoniot equations. We find γ>5/3 at 3× compression, clearly different from ideal gas behavior. At 6× compression, γ shows the convergence to the ideal gas limit, in agreement with linear scaling laws.

Properties of the bound nucleons

We present recent investigations on the properties of nucleons in nuclear matter and, in particular, nucleon electromagnetic form factors in the framework of the in-medium modified Skyrme model. Medium modifications are achieved by introducing the pion-nucleus optical potential for the pion fields in nuclear environment. In order to reproduce the bulk matter properties, the parametrization of the Skyrme term in the nu- clear matter has been adjusted and the sensitivity of results to the pion-nucleus optical potential parameters are discussed. In studying nuclear matter properties one can also start from an alternative approach: we first modify nucleon properties in nuclear environment according to some general rules and considerations, and then try to reproduce the properties of the nuclear matter itself. The in-medium modified Skyrme model (6) and its recently improved version (7) are based on a such approach and allow one to perform pertinent studies in a single and many-body levels. Initially, the in-medium modified Skyrme model (6) has been proposed to study single nucleon properties in nuclear environment not only by guessing the corresponding changes in input parameters of the Lagrangian according to the density changes but also relate those changes to the existing phenomenological data, i.e. to the pion physics in nuclear matter. These studies do not take into account the direct and obvious changes of the quark core of the nucleon but take a small influence of the surrounding environment to the nucleon core via the pion profile changes. Furthermore, to be more realistic and to utilize more phenomenological information from the many-body sector, the core part of the nucleon also was modified and that medium modification has been adjusted to reproduce the binding energy of the whole system (7). While there are no explicit quark degrees of freedom and the core of the nucleon in the Skyrme model is e ectively represented by the Skyrme term in the e ective Lagrangian, core modifications are related to the change of the Skyrme parameter. In more detailed treatments Skyrme's quartic stabilizing term may be revised by explicit vector meson degrees of freedom. In the present work, we discuss the changes in the electromagnetic properties of the bound nucle- ons, based on the e ective Lagrangian discussed in Ref. (7). In this context, the electromagnetic form factors of the bound nucleons can be directly related to the existing experimental indications coming from the structure studies of the matter under extreme conditions.

A view about the short histories of the mole and Avogadro’s number

The mole and Avogadro’s number are two important concepts of science that provide a link between the properties of individual atoms or molecules and the properties of bulk matter. It is clear that an early theorist of the idea of these two concepts was Avogadro. However, the research literature shows that there is a controversy about the subjects of when and by whom the mole concept was first introduced into science and when and by whom Avogadro’s number was first calculated. Based on this point, the following five matters are taken into consideration in this paper. First, in order to base the subject matter on a strong ground, the historical development of understanding the particulate nature of matter is presented. Second, in 1811, Amedeo Avogadro built the theoretical foundations of the mole concept and the number 6.022 × 1023 mol−1. Third, in 1865, Johann Josef Loschmidt first estimated the number of molecules in a cubic centimetre of a gas under normal conditions as 1.83 × 1018. Fourth, in 1881, August Horstmann first introduced the concept of gram-molecular weight in the sense of today’s mole concept into chemistry and, in 1900, Wilhelm Ostwald first used the term mole instead of the term ‘gram-molecular weight’. Lastly, in 1889, Karoly Than first determined the gram-molecular volume of gases under normal conditions as 22,330 cm3. Accordingly, the first value for Avogadro’s number in science history should be 4.09 × 1022 molecules/gram-molecular weight, which is calculated by multiplying Loschmidt’s 1.83 × 1018 molecules/cm3 by Than’s 22,330 cm3/gram-molecular weight. Hence, Avogadro is the originator of the ideas of the mole and the number 6.022 × 1023 mol−1, Horstmann first introduced the mole concept into science/chemistry, and Loschmidt and Than are the scientists who first calculated Avogadro’s number. However, in the science research literature, it is widely expressed that the mole concept was first introduced into chemistry by Ostwald in 1900 and that Avogadro’s number was first calculated by Jean Baptiste Perrin in 1908. As a result, in this study, it is particularly emphasised that Horstmann first introduced the mole concept into science/chemistry and the first value of Avogadro’s number in the history of science was 4.09 × 1022 molecules/gram-molecular weight and Loschmidt and Than together first calculated this number.

Study of bulk matter properties through strange quark hadrons with the STAR experiment

Relativistic heavy ion collisions are the ideal experimental tool to explore the QCD phase diagram. Several results show that a very hot medium with a high energy density and partonic degrees of freedom is formed in these collisions, creating a new state of matter. Measurements of strange hadrons can bring important information about the bulk properties of such matter. The elliptic flow of strange hadrons such as ϕ, K0S, Λ, Ξ and Ω shows that collectivity is developed at partonic level and at intermediate pT the quark coalescence is the dominant mechanism of hadronization. The nuclear modification factor is an another indicator of the presence of a very dense medium. The comparison between measurements of Au+Au and d+Au collisions, where only cold nuclear matter effects are expected, can shed more light on the bulk properties. In these proceedings, recent results from the STAR experiment on bulk matter properties are presented.

A (closer) look below surfaces and at heterostructures with polarized muons

Abstract Positive polarized muons ( μ + ) act as non-destructive, non-invasive, and microscopic probes for local investigations. Over the years they have provided unique information about magnetic, superconducting and other electronic properties of bulk matter. A novel extension of the μ SR technique is given by the availability of μ + with 100% spin polarization, and whose energy can be continuously varied from 0.5 to 30 keV. This allows depth-dependent μ SR -studies of thin films, near-surface regions and multilayered structures in the range from ∼ 1 to ∼ 300 nm . After a brief introduction of the present status of this technique, some experiments are overviewed including depth-dependent studies of thin films and heterostructures of various magnetic and superconducting materials, ranging from cuprates through spin glasses to structures and compounds relevant to spintronics applications.

A new study of the transition to uniform nuclear matter in neutron stars and supernovae

A comprehensive microscopic study of the properties of bulk matter at densities just below nuclear saturation $\rho_s = 2.5 \sim 10^{14}$ g cm$^{-3}$, zero and finite temperature and high neutron fraction, is outlined, and preliminary results presented. Such matter is expected to exist in the inner crust of neutron stars and during the core collapse of massive stars with $M \gtrsim 8M_{\odot}

Quantitative Correlation of Absolute Hydroxyl Radical Rate Constants with Non-Isolated Effluent Organic Matter Bulk Properties in Water

Absolute second-order rate constants for the reaction between the hydroxyl radical (*OH) and eight water samples containing non-isolated effluent organic matter (EfOM) collected at different wastewater and reclamation sites were measured by electron pulse radiolysis. The measured rate constants ranged from 0.27 to 1.21 x 10(9) Mc(-1) s(-1), with an average value of 0.86 (+/-0.35) x 10(9) Mc(-1) s(-1). These absolute values were 3-5 times faster than previously reported values using natural organic matter and wastewater isolates. The obtained rate constants were correlated (R2 > 0.99) to bulk EfOM properties through an empirical equation that included terms relating to the polarity, apparent molecular weight, and fluorescence index of the effluent organic matter. The obtained data were used to model steady state *OH concentrations during UV advanced oxidation. The steady-state *OH concentration was lower than that obtained using previously reported values for the reaction with dissolved organic matter, indicating that accurate measurement of reaction rate constants at specific sites would greatly improve the design and prediction of the removal of organic contaminants. These results will improve the ability of researchers to accurately model scavenging capacities during the advanced oxidation processtreatment of wastewaters.

The power of the small

We review some of the ways clusters offer special kinds of insights both into properties of bulk matter and properties unique to small systems. We then survey some of the tantalizing open questions that lie ahead in cluster science.

The evolution of some statistical mechanical ideas

Statistical mechanics has two foundations; first, the early attempts from the late 17th century onwards to explain the bulk properties of matter in terms of the forces between the constituent particles, and secondly, the attempts in the early 19th century to explain the properties of gases in terms of the rapid motion of free particles. The combination of these two approaches was a task of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The advent of quantum theory clarified many of the difficulties and showed how appropriate was Willard Gibbs's treatment of the subject. The paper shows how modern work has evolved from these foundations.

Centrality dependence of bulk fireball properties insNN=200GeVAu–Au collisions

We explore the centrality dependence of the properties of the dense hadronic matter created in $\sqrt{{s}_{\mathit{NN}}}=200$ GeV Au-Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Using the statistical hadronization model, we fit particle yields known for 11 centrality bins. We present the resulting model parameters, rapidity yields of physical quantities, and the physical properties of bulk matter at hadronization as function of centrality. We discuss the production of strangeness and entropy.