Polarization of Λ0 hyperons as a signature for the quark-gluon plasma

The momentum distribution of Λ⁰ hyperons produced from the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is calculated in dependence on their polarization. The momentum distribution of Λ⁰ hyperons is defined by matrix elements of relativistic quark Wigner operators, which are calculated within the effective quark model with chiral U(3)×U(3) symmetry and the quark-gluon transport theory. We show that the polarization of the Λ⁰ hyperon depends on the spin of the strange quark that agrees well with the DeGrand-Miettinen model. We show that Λ⁰ hyperons, produced from the QGP, are fully unpolarized. This means that a detection of unpolarized Λ⁰ hyperons, produced in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, should serve as one of the signatures for the existence of the QGP in intermediate states of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions.     

Photon production from non-equilibrium disoriented chiral condensates in a longitudinal expansion: A theoretic framework

A theoretical framework is developed for treating the quantization of the photons in a spacetime with a longitudinal expansion. This can be used to study the production of the photons through the non-equilibrium relaxation of a disoriented chiral condensate presumably formed in the expanding hot central region in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. These photons can be a signature of the formation of disoriented chiral condensates in the direct photon measurements of heavy-ion collisions.     

Photon and dimuon pairs in an expanding quark-gluon plasma

Diphotons and dimuons escaping the interaction regions in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions are studied in a thermodynamical framework. The relevance of such an analysis for quark-gluon plasma diagnostics is highlighted.     

Modification of the spectra of correlated charm-anticharm quark pairs in the quark-gluon plasma

Heavy quarks play an important role in probing the properties of strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma(QGP)created in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions.We study the interactions of single heavy(charm)quarks and correlated charm and anticharm(ccˉ)quark pairs with the medium constituents of QGP by performing fireball+Langevin simulations of the pertinent Brownian motion with elastic collisions.Besides studying the traditional observables,the nuclear modification factor and the elliptic flow of single heavy quarks in QGP for different thermal relaxation rates,we also study the broadening of the azimuthal correlations of charm and anticharm quark pairs in the QGP medium for different relaxation rates and transverse momenta classes.We quantified the smearing of ccˉpair azimuthal correlations with an increasing thermal relaxation rate:while the(nearly)back-to-back correlations among ccˉpairs are almost completely washed out at low transverse momentum(pT),these correlations at high pT largely survive the pair diffusion.This provides a novel observable for diagnosing the properties of QGP.     

Mass spectrum of the dimuons produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The mass spectrum of dimuons produced from the matter in the central region of rapidity in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is calculated in accordance with Bjorken’s recently proposed model for relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The matter in this central region is assumed to consist of a deconfined quark-gluon plasma phase and a pionized phase. Distinct enhancements of the dimuon mass spectrum below 500 MeV, due to the quark-gluon phase, are predicted for a deconfinement phase-transition temperatureT _c<200 MeV.     

Primary vertex in the ALICE experiment in absence of the event reconstruction

ALICE is a general-purpose apparatus for the study of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider of the CERN. The study of such reactions demands the determination of the primary vertex in three dimensions with good resolution. We have developed an algorithm for finding the vertex position even in absence of the event reconstruction. The performances of such an algorithm have been studied as a function of the vertex position, particle multiplicity and magnetic field.     

Transverse energy distributions in participant number model for ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The transverse energy distribution in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions has been obtained as a convolution over the number of projectile and target participants. The latter is computed using the geometrical overlap model as a function of impact parameter. The data from 10 A GeV to 200 A GeV heavy ion beams on various targets in different pseudo-rapidity domains have been successfully described.     

Relativistic hadronic cascade analysis of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlation for Si + Au collisions at AGS energy

Using a simple kinetic model we study whether a pion condensate can be formed during the hadronization of the quark-gluon plasma in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Unless the effective mass of the hadronizing pions is close to zero, no onset of the Bose-Einstein condensation is observed. The constraints on the condensation process coming from the requirement of the entropy increase are discussed in detail.     

Low-mass dielectrons from the PHENIX experiment at RHIC

The production of the low-mass dielectrons is considered to be a powerful tool to study the properties of the hot and dense matter created in the ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. We present the preliminary results on the first measurements of the low-mass dielectron continuum in Au + Au collisions and the φ-meson production measured in Au + Au and d + Au collisions at = 200GeV performed by the PHENIX experiment.     

Space-time evolution of bulk QCD matter at RHIC

We introduce a combined fully three-dimensional macroscopic/microscopic transport approach employing relativistic 3D-hydrodynamics for the early, dense, deconfined stage of the reaction and a microscopic non-equilibrium model for the later hadronic stage where the equilibrium assumptions are not valid anymore. Within this approach we study the dynamics of hot, bulk QCD matter, which is being created in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. In particular, we perform a detailed analysis of the reaction dynamics, hadronic freeze-out, transverse flow and elliptic flow. PACS 25.75.-q; 24.10.Nz; 24.10.Lx     

Quark-gluon plasma diagnostics in a successive equilibrium scenario

The relativistic Fokker-Planck equation has been used to study the evolution of the quark distribution in the quark-gluon phase expected to be formed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The effect of thermal masses for quarks and gluons is incorporated to take account of the in-medium properties. We find that the kinetic equilibrium is achieved before the system reaches the critical temperature of quark-hadron phase transition. We find that chemical equilibrium is not achieved during this time. We have evaluated the electromagnetic probes of quark-gluon plasma from the non-equilibrated quark-gluon phase and compared them with those in completely equilibrated scenario. The hard QCD production rates for the electromagnetic ejectiles as well as the heavy quark production rates are also calculated.     

Jozsó's Legacy: Chemical and kinetic freeze-out in heavy-ion collisions

We review J. Zimányi's key contributions to the theoretical understanding of dynamical freeze-out in nuclear collisions and their subsequent applications to ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, leading to the discovery of a freeze-out hierarchy where chemical freeze-out of hadron yields precedes the thermal decoupling of their momentum spectra. Following Zimányi's lines of reasoning we show that kinetic freeze-out necessarily leads to a dependence of the corresponding freeze-out temperature on collision centrality. This centrality dependence can be predicted within hydrodynamic models, and for Au+Au collisions at RHIC this prediction is shown to reproduce the experimentally observed centrality dependence of the thermal decoupling temperature, extracted from hadron momentum spectra. The fact that no such centrality dependence is observed for the chemical decoupling temperature, extracted from the hadron yields measured in these collisions, excludes a similar kinetic interpretation of the chemical decoupling process. We argue that the chemical decoupling data from Au+Au collisions at RHIC can only be consistently understood if the chemical freeze-out process is driven by a phase transition, and that the measured chemical decoupling temperature therefore measures the critical temperature of the quark-hadron phase transition. We propose additional experiments to further test this interpretation.     

Vector meson radiation in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The (σ, ω) model in the mean-field approximation where the meson fields are treated classically, describes much of observed nuclear structure and has been employed to describe the nuclear equation of state up to the quark-gluon phase transition. The acceleration of the meson sources, for example, in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, should result in bremsstrahlung-like radiation of the meson fields. The many mesons emitted serve to justify the use of classical meson fields. The slowing of the nuclei during the collision is modeled here as a smooth transition from initial to final velocity. Under ultra-relativistic conditions, vector radiation dominates. The angular distribution of energy flux shows a characteristic shape. It appears that if the vector meson field couples to the conserved baryon current, independent of the baryonic degrees of freedom, this mechanism will contribute to the radiation seen in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The possible influence of the quark-gluon plasma is also considered.     

High p T correlations of γ and charged hadrons at RHIC

Prompt photon production in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions provides a calibrated probe for the study of the properties of high energy density QCD matter. Especially interesting are the measurements of γ-tagged jets where the hard scattering scale is known and can be used to determine the partonic energy loss in the dense matter. We discuss the potential of γ-jet measurements at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and argue that the observed suppression of the away-side correlations for di-jet production in central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200$ GeV should significantly reduce the backgrounds for the γ-jet coincidence measurements.     

Schwinger mechanism enhanced by the Nielsen–Olesen instability

We discuss gluon production by the Schwinger mechanism in collinear color-electric and magnetic fields which may be realized in pre-equilibrium stages of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Fluctuations of non-Abelian gauge fields around a purely color-magnetic field contain exponentially growing unstable modes in a longitudinally soft momentum region, which is known as the Nielsen–Olesen instability. With a color-electric field imposed parallelly to the color-magnetic field, we can formulate this instability as the Schwinger mechanism. This is because soft unstable modes are accelerated by the electric fields to escape from the instability condition. Effects of instability remain in the transverse spectrum of particle modes, leading to an anomalously intense Schwinger particle production.     

自旋与手征动力学的输运模拟研究

自旋相关的物理是多个研究领域的热门课题。核子和夸克都是自旋为1/2的费米子,在非对心重离子碰撞中受到自旋-轨道相互作用以及磁场的影响,会产生有趣的自旋动力学,特别是在垂直于反应平面方向上会出现自旋极化。在相对论重离子碰撞中,由于产生了极端的高温高密环境,夸克可以近似看作无质量粒子,此时自旋动力学过渡为手征动力学。在外界电磁场、涡旋场作用下以及在电荷与手征荷不对称的条件下,会产生一系列手征反常效应。本文介绍我们课题组基于输运模拟在自旋与手征动力学方面开展的一系列研究工作,包括中能重离子碰撞及相对论重离子碰撞中粒子的自旋极化、理想体系及相对论重离子碰撞中的手征磁波等。     

Towards a transport theory of the quark-gluon plasma: Infrared divergences and scalar-meson theory

We consider the transport theory of an ultra-relativistic gas of particles. We study infrared divergences which may appear in a naive perturbative treatment in a massless scalar meson theory. We briefly discuss the potential applications of transport theory for ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions.     

Charmonium and heavy quarks: status and future perspectives

The study of the production of heavy quarks and quarkonia in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is crucial for our understanding of high-temperature QCD. In particular, quarkonia states are sensitive to the presence of a deconfined state, and the study of heavy quark propagation in the medium created in the collision gives important information on the attained parton density. In this paper, I will shortly review the main questions that can be addressed by the study of these hard probes, summarize the SPS and RHIC results presented at this Conference and outline possible developments in the field.Arrival of the final proofs: 22 July 2005PACS: 25.75.Nq     

Event-by-event fluctuation studies in the ALICE experiment

Event-by-event (E-by-E) fluctuations are considered to be one of the possible indications that a phase transition from ordinary hadronic matter to a plasma of quarks and gluons has occurred, as it is expected to happen in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. In this article, the results of a study concerning the observability of E-by-E fluctuations for the ALICE experiment at the LHC collider at CERN is presented. In particular, an estimate of the E-by-E statistical sensitivity in the measurement of the inverse slope parameter from the transverse momentum spectra of hadrons and of their particle ratios is discussed. The analysis relies on the excellent performance of ALICE in terms of particle identification.