Nucleon Pair Research Articles

Data Analysis of LHC Heavy Ion Collision for QGP Study

Abstract. By recreating the first kind of matter in the history of the universe, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), through PbPb collisions, scientists can study the state of the early universe after the big bang. In this paper, the data from PbPb collisions collected by the Alice experiment at Large Hardron Collider is analyzed to investigate the properties of the QGP. The team focused on Fourier decomposition of azimuthal and angular correlation analysis, using data at a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair. The distributions of the transverse momentum p_T, the pseudo-rapidity and the azimuth angle were plotted and analyzed. The shapes of plots didnt perfectly match the predictions because of data fluctuations and the limitations of detectors. However, the trend of positive correlation between the coefficients and the transverse momentum p_T was found. The results confirm previous research findings on the collective motion and anisotropic flow of QGP. The study provides insights into the QGP's behavior and supports the theoretical predictions about its properties.

STUDY OF OCTUPOLE DEFORMATION OF NUCLEI IN CHAIN OF ISOTONS IN THE REGION OF ACTINIDES IN THE MEAN FIELD APPROXIMATION

Calculations of the properties of even-even isotones N = 134 of nuclei with Z = 86–96 were carried out in the Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov approximation, taking into account the axial symmetry of nuclei with forces Skyrme (SkM*, SLy4). Pairing of nucleons in nuclei is described by zero-range pairing forces of mixed type with different sets of pairing force constants. In the calculations we used constrained conditions on the parameters of the quadrupole and octupole deformations of the nuclei. It is shown that for the considered chain of isotones the octupole deformation of nuclei strongly depends on the choice of parameters of the nucleon pairing force and weakly depends on the type of parameterization of the Skyrme forces used in this study.

Modification of Quark-Gluon Distributions in Nuclei by Correlated Nucleon Pairs.

We extend the QCD Parton Model analysis using a factorized nuclear structure model incorporating individual nucleons and pairs of correlated nucleons. Our analysis of high-energy data from lepton deep-inelastic scattering, Drell-Yan, and W and Z boson production simultaneously extracts the universal effective distribution of quarks and gluons inside correlated nucleon pairs, and their nucleus-specific fractions. Such successful extraction of these universal distributions marks a significant advance in our understanding of nuclear structure properties connecting nucleon- and parton-level quantities.

Relativistic mean field analysis of triaxial deformation for nuclei near the neutron drip line

The present study focuses on the deformation of neutron-rich nuclei near the neutron drip line. The nuclei of interest include 28O, 42Si, 58Ca, 80Ni, 100Kr, 122Ru, 152Ba, 166Sm, and 176Er. The relativistic Hartree - Bogoliubov (RHB) approach with effective density-dependent point coupling is utilized to investigate the triaxial deformation, and Skyrme - Hartree - Fock + Bardeen - Cooper - Schrieffer is used to analyze the axial deformation. The study aimed to understand the interplay between nuclear forces, particle interactions, and shell structure to gain insights into the unique behavior of neutron-rich nuclei. Despite these nuclei containing magic numbers, their shapes are still affected by the nucleons' collective behavior and energy levels. As the number of neutrons increases, the shape smoothly transitions from spherical to triaxial and then to prolate. The axial deformation analysis confirmed the results of the triaxial deformation analysis using the RHB method. An imbalance in the number of protons and neutrons can affect pairing energy, where extra neutrons can reduce overall pairing energy, and protons can disrupt the nucleon pairing due to stronger Coulomb repulsion between them.

Measurement of the impact-parameter dependent azimuthal anisotropy in coherent ρ0 photoproduction in Pb–Pb collisions at [formula omitted] TeV

This Letter presents the first measurement of the impact-parameter dependent angular anisotropy in the decay of coherently photoproduced ρ0 mesons. The ρ0 mesons are reconstructed through their decay into pion pairs. The measured anisotropy corresponds to the amplitude of the cos⁡(2ϕ) modulation, where ϕ is the angle between the two vectors formed by the sum and the difference of the transverse momenta of the pions, respectively. The measurement was performed by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC using data from ultraperipheral Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sNN=5.02 TeV per nucleon pair. Different impact-parameter regions are selected by classifying the events in nuclear-breakup classes. The amplitude of the cos⁡(2ϕ) modulation is found to increase by about one order of magnitude from large to small impact parameters. Theoretical calculations describe the measured cos⁡(2ϕ) anisotropy and its impact-parameter dependence as the result of a quantum interference effect at the femtometer scale, arising from the ambiguity regarding which of the nuclei is the photon source in the interaction.

Measurements of Chemical Potentials in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV.

This Letter presents the most precise measurement to date of the matter-antimatter imbalance at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV. Using the Statistical Hadronization framework, it is possible to obtain the value of the electric charge and baryon chemical potentials, μ_{Q}=-0.18±0.90 MeV and μ_{B}=0.71±0.45 MeV, with unprecedented precision. A centrality-differential study of the antiparticle-to-particle yield ratios of charged pions, protons, Ω baryons, and light (hyper)nuclei is performed. These results indicate that the system created in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC is on average baryon-free and electrically neutral at midrapidity.

Extracting the speed of sound in quark–gluon plasma with ultrarelativistic lead–lead collisions at the LHC

Ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions create a strongly interacting state of hot and dense quark–gluon matter that exhibits a remarkable collective flow behavior with minimal viscous dissipation. To gain deeper insights into its intrinsic nature and fundamental degrees of freedom, we determine the speed of sound in an extended volume of quark–gluon plasma using lead–lead (PbPb) collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 0.607 nb−1. The measurement is performed by studying the multiplicity dependence of the average transverse momentum of charged particles emitted in head-on PbPb collisions. Our findings reveal that the speed of sound in this matter is nearly half the speed of light, with a squared value of 0.241±0.002(stat)±0.016(syst) in natural units. The effective medium temperature, estimated using the mean transverse momentum, is 219±8(syst)MeV . The measured squared speed of sound at this temperature aligns precisely with predictions from lattice quantum chromodynamic (QCD) calculations. This result provides a stringent constraint on the equation of state of the created medium and direct evidence for a deconfined QCD phase being attained in relativistic nuclear collisions.

Collision-energy dependence of deuteron cumulants and proton-deuteron correlations in Au+Au collisions at RHIC

We report the first measurements of cumulants, up to 4th order, of deuteron number distributions and proton-deuteron correlations in Au+Au collisions recorded by the STAR experiment in phase-I of Beam Energy Scan (BES) program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Deuteron cumulants, their ratios, and proton-deuteron mixed cumulants are presented for different collision centralities covering a range of center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN=7.7 to 200 GeV. It is found that the cumulant ratios at lower collision energies favor a canonical ensemble over a grand canonical ensemble in thermal models. An anti-correlation between proton and deuteron multiplicity is observed across all collision energies and centralities, consistent with the expectation from global baryon number conservation. The UrQMD model coupled with a phase-space coalescence mechanism qualitatively reproduces the collision-energy dependence of cumulant ratios and proton-deuteron correlations.

Momentum Dependent Nucleon–Nucleon Contact Interactions and Their Effect on p-d\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$p-d$$\\end{document} Scattering Observables

Starting from a complete set of relativistic nucleon–nucleon contact operators up to order O(p4)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^4)$$\\end{document} of the expansion in the soft (relative or nucleon) momentum p, we show that non-relativistic expansions of relativistic operators involve twenty-six independent combinations, two starting at O(p0)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^0)$$\\end{document}, seven at order O(p2)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^2)$$\\end{document} and seventeen at order O(p4)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^4)$$\\end{document}. This demonstrates the existence of two low-energy free constants that parameterize interactions dependent on the total momentum of the pair of nucleons P. The latter, through the use of a unitary transformation, can be removed in the two-nucleon fourth-order contact interaction of the Chiral Effective Field Theory, generating a three-nucleon interaction at the same order. Within a hybrid approach in which this interaction is considered together with the phenomenological potential AV18, we show that the LECs involved can be used to fit very accurate data on the polarization observables of the low-energy p-d\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$p-d$$\\end{document} scattering, in particular the Ay\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$A_y$$\\end{document} asymmetry.

First Measurement of the |t| Dependence of Incoherent J/ψ Photonuclear Production.

The first measurement of the cross section for incoherent photonuclear production of J/ψ vector mesons as a function of the Mandelstam |t| variable is presented. The measurement was carried out with the ALICE detector at midrapidity, |y|<0.8, using ultraperipheral collisions of Pb nuclei at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV. This rapidity interval corresponds to a Bjorken-x range (0.3-1.4)×10^{-3}. Cross sections are given in five |t| intervals in the range 0.04<|t|<1 GeV^{2} and compared to the predictions by different models. Models that ignore quantum fluctuations of the gluon density in the colliding hadron predict a |t| dependence of the cross section much steeper than in data. The inclusion of such fluctuations in the same models provides a better description of the data.

Measurement of Ξc+ production in pPb collisions at sNN=8.16 TeV at LHCb

A study of prompt Ξc+ production in proton-lead collisions is performed with the LHCb experiment at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 8.16 TeV in 2016 in pPb and Pbp collisions with an estimated integrated luminosity of approximately 12.5 and 17.4 nb−1, respectively. The Ξc+ production cross section, as well as the Ξc+ to Λc+ production cross-section ratio, are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity and compared to the latest theory predictions. The forward-backward asymmetry is also measured as a function of the Ξc+ transverse momentum. The results provide strong constraints on theoretical calculation and are a unique input for hadronization studies in different collision systems. ©2024 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration 2024 CERN

Experimental Study of Cold Dense Nuclear Matter

The fundamental theory of nuclear interactions, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), operates in terms of quarks and gluons at higher resolution. At low resolution the relevant degrees of freedom are nucleons. Two-nucleon Short-Range Correlations (SRC) help to interconnect these two descriptions. SRCs are temporary fluctuations of strongly interacting close pairs of nucleons. The distance between the two nucleons is comparable to their radii and their relative momenta are larger than the fermi sea level. According to the electron scattering experiments held in the last decade, SRCs have far-reaching impacts on many-body systems, the nucleon-nucleon interactions, and nuclear substructure. The modern experiments with ion beams and cryogenic liquid hydrogen target make it possible to study properties of the nuclear fragments after quasi-elastic knockout of a single nucleon or an SRC pair. Here we review the status and perspectives of the SRC program in so-called inverse kinematics at JINR (Dubna, Russia). The first SRC experiment at the BM@N spectrometer (2018) with 4 GeV/c/nucleon carbon beam has shown that detection of an intact 11B nucleus after interaction selects out the quasi-elastic knockout reaction with minimal contribution of initial- and final-state interactions. Also, 25 events of SRC-breakups showed agreement in SRC properties as known from electron beam experiments. The analysis of the second measurement of SRC at BM@N held in 2022 with an improved setup is currently ongoing. The SRC project at JINR moved to a new experimental area in 2023, where the next measurement is being planned in terms of experimental setup and physics goals.

Re-Examination of the Effect of Pairing Gaps on Gamow–Teller Strength Distributions and β-Decay Rates

β-decay is one of the key factors for understanding the r-process and evolution of massive stars. The Gamow–Teller (GT) transitions drive the β-decay process. We employ the proton–neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation (pn-QRPA) model to calculate terrestrial and stellar β-decay rates for 50 top-ranked nuclei possessing astrophysical significance according to a recent survey. The model parameters of the pn-QRPA model affect the predicted results of β-decay. The current study investigates the effect of nucleon–nucleon pairing gaps on charge-changing transitions and the associated β decay rates. Three different values of pairing gaps, namely TF, 3TF, and 5TF, were used in our investigation. It was concluded that both GT strength distributions and half-lives are sensitive to pairing gap values. The 3TF pairing gap scheme, in our chosen nuclear model, resulted in the best prediction with around 80% of the calculated half-lives within a factor 10 of the measured ones. The 3TF pairing scheme also led to the calculation of the biggest β-decay rates in stellar matter.

Two-particle Bose-Einstein correlations and their Lévy parameters in PbPb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV

Two-particle Bose–Einstein momentum correlation functions are studied for charged-hadron pairs in lead-lead collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN=5.02TeV. The data sample, containing 4.27×109 minimum bias events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.607 nb−1, was collected by the CMS experiment in 2018. The experimental results are discussed in terms of a Lévy-type source distribution. The parameters of this distribution are extracted as functions of particle pair average transverse mass and collision centrality. These parameters include the Lévy index or shape parameter α, the Lévy scale parameter R, and the correlation strength parameter λ. The source shape, characterized by α, is found to be neither Cauchy nor Gaussian, implying the need for a full Lévy analysis. Similarly to what was previously found for systems characterized by Gaussian source radii, a hydrodynamical scaling is observed for the Lévy R parameter. The λ parameter is studied in terms of the core-halo model. ©2024 CERN, for the CMS Collaboration 2024 CERN

ALICE luminosity determination for Pb–Pb collisions at √s NN = 5.02 TeV

Luminosity determination within the ALICE experiment is based on the measurement, in van der Meer scans, of the cross sections for visible processes involving one or more detectors (visible cross sections). In 2015 and 2018, the Large Hadron Collider provided Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of √s NN = 5.02 TeV. Two visible cross sections, associated with particle detection in the Zero Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) and in the V0 detector, were measured in a van der Meer scan.This article describes the experimental set-up and the analysis procedure, and presents the measurement results. The analysis involves a comprehensive study of beam-related effects and an improved fitting procedure, compared to previous ALICE studies, for the extraction of the visible cross section. The resulting uncertainty of both the ZDC-based and the V0-based luminosity measurement for the full sample is 2.5%. The inelastic cross section for hadronic interactions in Pb–Pb collisions at √s NN = 5.02 TeV, obtained by efficiency correction of the V0-based visible cross section, was measured to be 7.67 ± 0.25 b, in agreement with predictions using the Glauber model.

Pseudorapidity dependence of anisotropic flow and its decorrelations using long-range multiparticle correlations in Pb–Pb and Xe–Xe collisions

The pseudorapidity dependence of elliptic (v2), triangular (v3), and quadrangular (v4) flow coefficients of charged particles measured in Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN=5.02TeV and in Xe–Xe collisions at sNN=5.44TeV with ALICE at the LHC are presented. The measurements are performed in the pseudorapidity range −3.5<η<5 for various centrality intervals using two- and multi-particle cumulants with the subevent method. The flow probability density function (p.d.f.) is studied with the ratio of flow coefficient v2 calculated with four- and two-particle cumulant, and suggests that the variance of flow p.d.f. is independent of pseudorapidity. The decorrelation of the flow vector in the longitudinal direction is probed using two-particle correlations. The results measured with respect to different reference regions in pseudorapidity exhibit differences, argued to be a result of saturating decorrelation effect above a certain pseudorapidity separation, in contrast to previous publications which assign this observation to non-flow effects. The results are compared to 3+1 dimensional hydrodynamic and the AMPT transport model calculations. Neither of the models is able to simultaneously describe the pseudorapidity dependence of measurements of anisotropic flow and its fluctuations. The results presented in this work highlight shortcomings in our current understanding of initial conditions and subsequent system expansion in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, they provide input for its improvement.

Overview of the NA60+ experiment at the CERN SPS

NA60+ is a new experiment designed to study the phase diagram of the strongly interacting matter at CERN SPS energies, where the values of the baryochemical potential μB approximately range between 200 and 550 MeV. It is focused on precision studies of thermal dimuons, heavy quarks, and strangeness production in Pb–Pb collisions at center of mass energies ranging from 6 to 17 GeV per nucleon pair. In this paper the apparatus concept and the physics reach will be discussed.

Probing initial state effects in nuclear collisions via jet and top-quark measurements with the ATLAS detector

Proton-lead collisions at the Large Hadron Collider energies offer a unique possibility to investigate initial state effects in nuclear collisions. Thanks to its wide acceptance, ATLAS can measure several probes that can help characterise these effects over a wide kinematic range. By analyzing the centrality dependence of dijet production, it is possible to investigate the suppression of dijet events in central collisions compared to peripheral ones and correlate it to the kinematic of the parton-parton scattering, accessible via the measurement of both jets in the final state. Also, the first measurement of the inclusive crosssection for top-quark pair production in dilepton and lepton+jet decay modes is reported. This process is sensitive to effects at high Bjorken-x values, which are hard to access experimentally using other available probes, and thus provides complementary information on the behavior of nuclear parton densities. In 2016, the ATLAS experiment collected 165 nb−1 of proton-lead collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV per nucleon pair. In this article, new measurements of the centrality dependence of dijet production and the observation of top-quark pair production using this dataset are presented.

Light- and hyper-nuclei collectivity in Au+Au collisions at RHIC-STAR

We report the first results on collision energy and particle mass dependence of directed flow v1 of light- and hyper-nuclei in mid-central Au+Au collisions at center of mass energies per nucleon pair of 3.0, 3.2, 3.5, and 3.9 GeV. All data have been collected by the STAR experiment in the fixed-target mode during the second phase of the RHIC beam energy scan. The mid-rapidity v1 slope, dv1/dy|y=0, of hyper-nuclei shows a similar energy and particle mass dependence to that of light-nuclei. The results suggest that the coalescence mechanism plays a dominant role in the formation of light- and hyper-nuclei.

First results of running the LHC with lead ions at a beam energy of 6.8 Z TeV

A two-day test of operation with Pb ion beams was carried out in the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2022, with the aim of gaining experience in view of the future high luminosity heavy-ion physics runs from 2023 onwards. The LHC experiments received the first Pb-Pb collisions at a record energy of 5.36 TeV centre-of-mass energy per colliding nucleon pair (beam energy 6.8 Z TeV). Bunch trains created with a new production scheme in the injectors, including slip-stacking, were injected into the LHC, with the collimation of nuclear beams with bent crystals tested along with a new collimation scheme for collision products. This paper describes the conditions and outcomes of these tests, which are critical steps in the upgrade to higher luminosity.