Top RHIC Energy Research Articles

Longitudinal spin polarization in a thermal model

We use a thermal model with single freeze-out to determine longitudinal polarization of $\Lambda$ hyperons emitted from a hot and rotating hadronic medium. We consider the top RHIC energies and use the model parameters determined in the previous analyses of particle spectra and elliptic flow. Using a direct connection between the spin polarization tensor and thermal vorticity, we reproduce earlier results which indicate a quadrupole structure of the longitudinal component of the polarization three-vector with an opposite sign compared to that found in the experiment. We further use only the spatial components of the thermal vorticity in the laboratory system to define polarization and show that this leads to the correct sign and magnitude of the quadrupole structure. This procedure resembles a non-relativistic connection between the polarization three-vector and vorticity employed in other works. In general, our results bring further evidence that the spin polarization dynamics in heavy-ion collisions may be not directly related to the thermal vorticity. The additional material explains the construction of the hydrodynamicaly consistent gradients of fluid velocity and temperature in thermal models with the help of the perfect-fluid equations of motion.

Role of baryon number conservation in measurements of fluctuations

I discuss the role and impact of net-baryon number conservation in measurements of net proton fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions. I show that the magnitude of the fluctuations is entirely determined by the strength of two particle correlations. At LHC and top RHIC energy, this implies the fluctuations are proportional to the integral of the balance function (BF), $B^{p\bar p}$ of protons and anti-protons, while in the context of the RHIC beam energy scan (BES), one must also account for correlations of "stopped" protons. The integral of $B^{p\bar p}$ measured in a $4\pi$ detector depends on the relative cross-sections of processes yielding $p\bar p$ and those balancing the proton baryon number via the production of other anti-baryons. The accepted integral of $B^{p\bar p}$ further depends on the shape and width of the BF relative to the width of the acceptance. The magnitude of the measured second order cumulant of net proton fluctuations thus has much less to do with QCD susceptibilities than with the creation/transport of baryons and anti-baryons in heavy-ion collisions, and most particularly the impact of radial flow on the width of the BF. I thus advocate that net-proton fluctuations should be studied by means of differential BF measurements rather integral correlators.

Violation of Wiedemann-Franz Law for hot hadronic matter created at NICA, FAIR and RHIC energies using non-extensive statistics

We present here the computation of electrical and thermal conductivity by solving the Boltzmann transport equation in relaxation time approximation. We use the $q$-generalized Boltzmann distribution function to incorporate the effects of non-extensivity. The behaviour of these quantities with changing temperature and baryochemical potential has been studied as the system slowly moves towards thermodynamic equilibrium. We have estimated the Lorenz number at NICA, FAIR and the top RHIC energies and studied as a function of temperature, baryochemical potential and the non-extensive parameter, $q$. We have observed that Wiedemann-Franz law is violated for a non-extensive hadronic phase as well as for an equilibrated hadron gas at high temperatures.

Out-Of-Equilibrium Transverse Momentum Spectra of Pions at LHC Energies

In order to characterize the transverse momentum spectra (pT) of positive pions measured in the ALICE experiment, two thermal approaches are utilized; one is based on degeneracy of nonperfect Bose-Einstein gas and the other imposes an ad hoc finite pion chemical potential. The inclusion of missing hadron states and the out-of-equilibrium contribute greatly to the excellent characterization of pion production. An excellent reproduction of these pT-spectra is achieved at μπ=0.12 GeV and this covers the entire range of pT. The excellent agreement with the experimental results can be understood as a manifestation of not-yet-regarded anomalous pion production, which likely contributes to the long-standing debate on “anomalous” proton-to-pion ratios at top RHIC and LHC energies.

Description of bulk observables in Au+Au collisions at top RHIC energy in the integrated hydrokinetic model

The results on the main bulk observables obtained in the simulations within the integrated hydrokinetic model (iHKM) of Au+Au collisions at the RHIC energy sNN=200 GeV are presented along with the corresponding experimental data from the STAR and the PHENIX collaborations. The simulations include all the stages of the collision process: formation of the initial state, its gradual thermalization and hydrodynamization, viscous relativistic hydro-evolution, system's hadronization and particlization, and, finally, an expansion of the interacting hadron-resonance gas. The model gives a satisfactory description of charged-particle multiplicities, particle number ratios, transverse momentum spectra for pions, kaons, (anti)protons, lambdas, xi, and omega, charged-particle v2 coefficients, and femtoscopy radii at all collision centralities. It is demonstrated how one can estimate the times of the pion and kaon maximal emission from the femto-scales.

Lambda polarization in heavy ion collisions: from RHIC BES to LHC energies

STAR collaboration at RHIC has recently measured the polarization of Λ hyperons in non-central heavy ion collisions in the RHIC Beam Energy Scan (BES) program. The magnitude of the polarization was found to decrease from few percents at the lowest BES energies to ≈ 0.2% at the top RHIC energy. The polarization signal has been reproduced in different hydrodynamic calculations assuming a thermodynamic spin-vorticity coupling mechanism at the Cooper-Frye hypersurface [1].In this work an extension of our existing calculations [2] of the Λ polarization in the RHIC BES program to the top RHIC and 2.76 TeV LHC energies is presented. The longitudinal component of the Λ polarization, which is the dominant component of the polarization at the LHC energies, is discussed. Finally we show that the global polarization of Λ originates dominantly from the relativistic analogue of the classical vorticity, whereas the quadrupole longitudinal component originates from the gradients of temperature and acceleration of the medium when the Λs are produced out of the fluid.

The Femtoscopy Scales in Au+Au Collisions at the Top RHIC Energy

The Femtoscopy Scales in Au+Au Collisions at the Top RHIC Energy

Calculating charged particle observables using modified Wood Saxon model in HIJING for U+U collisions at [formula omitted

We have implemented spherical harmonics in default Wood Saxon distribution of the HIJING model and calculated various physical observables such as transverse momentum, charged particle multiplicity, nuclear modification factor and particle ratios for charged particles at top RHIC energy with collisions of Uranium (U) nuclei. Results have been compared with available experimental data. We observe that, a particular type of collision configuration can produce significant magnitude change in observables. We have noticed that the tip-tip configuration shows higher magnitude of particle yield in central collisions, while the body-body configuration shows higher value in the cases of peripheral collisions, with the flip in the trend occurring for the mid–central U+U collisions. We observe that particle ratios are independent of configuration type.

Anisotropic Flow Measurements at RHIC

Anisotropic flow measurements in relativistic-heavy ion collisions at RHIC-BNL and LHC-CERN have provided strong evidence for the formation of a strongly coupled Quark-Gluon Plasma (sQGP). In this article, we briefly review and discuss the recent results of anisotropic flow measurements from the STAR and PHENIX experiments at RHIC, such as 1) new measurements at top RHIC energy √

Estimation of the chiral magnetic effect considering the magnetic field response of the QGP medium**Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11747115, 11475068), the CCNU-QLPL Innovation Fund (QLPL2016P01) and the Excellent Youth Foundation of Hubei Scientific Committee (2006ABB036)

The magnetic field plays a major role in searching for the chiral magnetic effect in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. If the lifetime of the magnetic field is too short, as predicted by simulations of the field in vacuum, the chiral magnetic effect will be largely suppressed. However, the lifetime of the magnetic field will become longer when the QGP medium response is considered. We give an estimate of the effect, especially considering the magnetic field response of the QGP medium, and compare it with the experimental results for the background-subtracted correlator H at RHIC and LHC energies. The results show that our method explains the experimental results better at the top RHIC energy than at the LHC energy.

Transverse energy per charged particle in heavy-ion collisions: Role of collective flow

The ratio of (pseudo)rapidity density of transverse energy and the (pseudo)rapidity density of charged particles, which is a measure of the mean transverse energy per particle, is an important observable in high energy heavy-ion collisions, which reveals about the mechanism of particle production and the freeze-out criteria. Its collision energy and centrality dependence is exactly like the chemical freeze-out temperature till top RHIC energy. The LHC measurement at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV brings up new challenges to rule out the mechanisms of gluon saturation or non-equilibrium phenomena being prevalent at high energies, which could contribute to the above observable. The Statistical Hadron Gas Model (SHGM) with a static fireball approximation has been successful in describing both the centrality and energy dependence till top RHIC energies. However, the SHGM predictions for higher energies are highly underestimated by the LHC data. In order to understand this, we have incorporated radial flow effect in an excluded volume SHGM. The hard-core radius of baryons at lower collision energies plays an important role in the description of a hadronic system. In view of this, in order to make a complete energy dependence study from FAIR to LHC energies, we have considered an excluded volume SHGM. Our studies suggest that the collective flow plays an important role in describing $E_{T}/N_{ch}$ and it could be one of the possible parameters to explain the jump observed in $E_{T}/N_{ch}$ from RHIC to LHC energies. Predictions for the LHC measurements at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV are given.

Charged-particle multiplicity and transverse-energy distribution using the Weibull-Glauber approach in heavy-ion collisions

The charged-particle multiplicity distribution and the transverse-energy distribution measured in heavy-ion collisions at top RHIC and LHC energies are described using the two-component model approach based on a convolution of the Monte Carlo Glauber model with the Weibull model for particle production. The model successfully describes the multiplicity and transverse-energy distribution of minimum-bias collision data for a wide range of energies. The Weibull-Glauber model can be used to determine the centrality classes in heavy-ion collisions as an alternative to the conventional negative binomial distribution (NBD)-Glauber approach.

Correlation femtoscopy study at energies available at the JINR Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility and the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider within a viscous hydrodynamic plus cascade model

Correlation femtoscopy allows one to measure the space-time characteristics of particle production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions due to the effects of quantum statistics (QS) and final state interactions (FSI). The main features of the femtoscopy measurements at top RHIC and LHC energies are considered as a manifestation of strong collective flow and are well interpreted within hydrodynamic models employing equation of state (EoS) with a crossover type transition between Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) and hadron gas phases. The femtoscopy at lower energies was intensively studied at AGS and SPS accelerators and is being studied now in the Beam Energy Scan program (BES) at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in the context of exploration of the QCD phase diagram. In this article we present femtoscopic observables calculated for Au-Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 7.7 - 62.4$ GeV in a viscous hydro + cascade model vHLLE+UrQMD and their dependence on the EoS of thermalized matter.

Ω and ϕ in Au + Au collisions at and 11.5 GeV from a multiphase transport model**Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11421505, 11520101004, 11220101005, 11275250, 11322547), Major State Basic Research Development Program in China (2014CB845400, 2015CB856904) and Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of CAS (QYZDJSSW-SLH002)

Within the framework of a multiphase transport model, we study the production and properties of Ω and ϕ in Au + Au collisions with a new set of parameters for and with the original set of parameters for . The AMPT model with string melting provides a reasonable description at , while the default AMPT model describes the data well at . This indicates that the system created at top RHIC energy is dominated by partonic interactions, while hadronic interactions become important at lower beam energy, such as . The comparison of N(Ω++Ω−)/[2N(ϕ)] ratio between data and calculations further supports the argument. Our calculations can generally describe the data of nuclear modification factor as well as elliptic flow.

Challenges in QCD matter physics --The scientific programme of the Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.

Achieving high baryon densities in the fragmentation regions in heavy ion collisions at top RHIC energy

Heavy ion collisions at extremely high energy, such as the top energy at RHIC, exhibit the property of transparency where there is a clear separation between the almost net-baryon-free central rapidity region and the net-baryon-rich fragmentation region. We calculate the net-baryon rapidity loss and the nuclear excitation energy using the energy-momentum tensor obtained from the McLerran-Venugopalan model. Nuclear compression during the collision is further estimated using a simple space-time picture. The results show that extremely high baryon densities, about twenty times larger than the normal nuclear density, can be achieved in the fragmentation regions.

Modeling of two-particle femtoscopic correlations at top RHIC energy

The spatial and temporal characteristics of particle emitting source produced in particle and/or nuclear collisions can be measured by using two-particle femtoscopic correlations. These correlations arise due to quantum statistics, Coulomb and strong final state interactions. In this paper we report on the calculations of like-sign pion femtoscopic correlations produced in p+p, p+Au, d+Au, Au+Au at top RHIC energy using Ultra Relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics Model (UrQMD). Three-dimensional correlation functions are constructed using the Bertsch-Pratt parametrization of the two-particle relative momentum. The correlation functions are studied in several transverse mass ranges. The emitting source radii of charged pions, Rout, Rside, Rlong, are obtained from Gaussian fit to the correlation functions and compared to data from the STAR and PHENIX experiments.

High baryon densities achievable in the fragmentation regions at RHIC and LHC

We use the McLerran-Venugopalan model of the glasma energy-momentum tensor to compute the rapidity loss and excitation energy of the colliding nuclei in the fragmentation regions followed by a space-time picture to obtain their energy and baryon densities. At the top RHIC energy we find baryon densities up to 3 baryons/fm3, which is 20 times that of atomic nuclei. Assuming the formation of quark-gluon plasma, we find initial temperatures of 200 to 300 MeV and baryon chemical potentials of order 1 GeV. Assuming a roughly adiabatic expansion it would imply trajectories in the T − μ plane which would straddle a possible critical point.

Limiting fragmentation in a thermal model with flow

The property of limiting fragmentation of various observables such as rapidity distributions ($dN/dy$), elliptic flow ($v_{2}$), average transverse momentum ($\langle p_{T} \rangle$) etc. of charged particles is observed when they are plotted as a function of rapidity ($y$) shifted by the beam rapidity ($y_{beam}$) for a wide range of energies from AGS to RHIC. Limiting fragmentation (LF) is a well studied phenomenon as observed in various collision energies and colliding systems experimentally. It is very interesting to verify this phenomenon theoretically. We study such a phenomenon for pion rapidity spectra using our hydrodynamic-like model where the collective flow is incorporated in a thermal model in the longitudinal direction. Our findings advocate the observation of extended longitudinal scaling in the rapidity spectra of pions from AGS to lower RHIC energies, while it is observed to be violated at top RHIC and LHC energies. Prediction of LF hypothesis for Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=5.02 TeV is given.

DRoplet and hAdron generator for nuclear collisions: An update

DRoplet and hAdron generator for nuclear collisions: An update