Peripheral collisions of relativistic heavy ions

The physics of peripheral collisions with relativistic heavy ions (PCRHI) is reviewed. One- and two-photon processes are discussed.     

Multifragmentation in peripheral collisions of relativistic heavy ions

The breakup of heavy ions in peripheral collisions at relativistic energies offers a rich field of nuclear studies such as the investigation of nuclear structure, the production of energetic beams of exotic nuclei and studies of hot nuclear matter. Examples of recent experimental results obtained at GSI Darmstadt with the heavy ion synchrotron SIS will be discussed with emphasis on the nuclear breakup in the domain from distant collisions without nuclear contact by Coulomb excitation, to peripheral collisions with increasing overlap between projectile and target. The production of relativistic beams of exotic nuclei by fragmentation opens up a new area of nuclear structure research.Invited lecture given at the International School-Workshop Relativistic Heavy-Ion Physics, Prague (Czech Republic), 19–23 September 1994.     

Ionization of heavy ions in relativistic collisions with neutral atoms

The problem of ionization of ions in ion-ion and ion-neutral relativistic collisions is considered. Formulas for ionization cross sections are derived in the Born approximation in terms of the momentum transfer without allowance for magnetic interactions. Using these formulas implemented in the LOSS-R code, the ionization cross sections are calculated for the K shells of neutral atoms colliding with protons and also for 1s and 2p electrons of multiply charged heavy ions (nuclear charge Z = 80−90) colliding with bare nuclei and neutral atoms. The calculation results are compared with experimental data and calculations of other authors.     

Momentum distributions in nuclei measured with relativistic heavy ions

In a peripheral reaction between relativistic heavy ions, where one nucleon is knocked out of the projectile, the momentum distribution of the remaining fragment reflects the momentum distribution of the knocked out nucleon. This has been proven in a previous paper. Here we study how the final-state interaction between the knocked out nucleon and the observed fragment influences the result: The real part of the optical potential which describes the final-state interaction shifts the experimental momentum distribution by a value 〈k_∥〉 of a few tens of MeV/c and the imaginary part reduces the cross sections by a factor 2 roughly. We also derive the cross section for a proton as target.     

Ionization loss of relativistic structural heavy ions in collisions with atoms

A nonperturbative theory of energy loss in collisions between structural, highly charged heavy ions moving at relativistic velocities and atoms is developed. A simple formula for effective deceleration is derived. By structural ions are meant ions containing partially filled electron shells. It is such ions characterized, as a rule, by a significant charge (for example, partially “stripped” uranium ions) that are used in numerous experiments involving the use of modern heavy-ion accelerators.     

Strange particle production in relativistic collisions of heavy ions

This review examines data on strange particle production in Pb + Pb collisions obtained in heavy ion experiments at CERN SPS. The yields of K, Λ, Ξ and Ω are considered, as well as their rapidity and transverse mass distributions, depending on the centrality of Pb + Pb collisions at SPS energies. Experimental results are compared with predictions of the statistical nuclear fireball and microscopic parton -string models. We discuss in detail the experimentally observed effect of strangeness enhancement in nucleus-nucleus collisions as compared to nucleon-nuclear interactions and its interpretation within the framework of various theoretical models. Also, we analyze the behavior of hyperon yields and nuclear modification factors in passing from SPS to RHIC energies.     

Ionization of heavy ions in collisions with neutral atoms at relativistic energies

Ionization processes of heavy ions colliding with atoms and ions at relativistic energies are considered. Formulaes for calculating ionization cross sections in the Born approximation using momentum-transfer representation without regard to magnetic interactions are given as well as those in dipole and impulse approximations. Using the LOSS-R [25] and HERION codes, calculations of relativistic cross sections are performed for H-like multiply changed ions with the nuclear charge Z ≈ 80?90, colliding with neutral atoms and for multiply changed uranium ions colliding with protons and carbon atoms. The results of calculations are compared with available experimental data and calculations performed by other authors.     

Electron loss of heavy many-electron ions in relativistic collisions with neutral atoms

Electron-loss processes arising in collisions of heavy many-electron ions (like U²⁸⁺) with neutral atoms (H, N, Ar) are considered over a wide energy range including relativistic energies. Various computer codes (LOSS, LOSS-R, HERION, and RICODE), created for calculation of the electron-loss cross sections, and their capability are described. Recommended data on the electron-loss cross sections of U²⁸⁺ ions colliding with H, N, Ar targets and predicted lifetimes of U²⁸⁺ ion beams in accelerator are given. Calculated electronloss cross sections are compared with available experimental data and other calculations.     

Doubly inelastic collisions with relativistic heavy ions and target recoil momentum spectroscopy

We consider relativistic collisions of heavy hydrogenlike ions with hydrogen and helium atoms in which the ion-atom interaction causes both colliding particles to change their internal states. Concentrating on the study of the longitudinal momentum spectrum of the atomic recoil ions, we discuss the role of relativistic and higher order effects, predict a surprisingly strong influence of the projectile's electron on the momentum transfer, and show that the important information about the doubly inelastic collisions could be obtained in experiment merely by measuring the recoil momentum spectrum.     

Dynamics of ionization mechanisms in relativistic collisions involving heavy and highly-charged ions

The dynamics of mechanisms associated with the ionization of inner-shell electrons in relativistic collisions involving heavy and highly-charged ions is investigated within a nonperturbative approach formulated explicitly in the time domain. The theoretical treatment is based on the exact numerical solution of the time dependent Dirac equation for two Coulomb centers on a lattice in momentum space. We present results for ionization in encounters between 100 MeV/u Au⁷⁹⁺ projectile ions impinging on a hydrogen-like uranium target. By directly visualizing the collision dynamics we identify a new ionization mechanism in which electrons are emitted from the internuclear region preferentially in the transverse direction with respect to the projectile trajectory. A striking characteristic of this ionization mechanism is that the velocity of the electron is higher than the projectile velocity. Received 26 June 2001 and Received in final form 27 November 2001     

Inelastic scattering of heavy ions from deformed light nuclei at near-barrier energies

Angular distributions have been measured at energies near the Coulomb barrier for the systems ¹⁸O + ²⁴Mg, ¹²C + ²⁸Si and ^{16, 18}O + ²⁸Si for elastic scattering and inelastic scattering to the first 2⁺ states in ¹⁸O, ²⁴Mg and ²⁸Si. Coupled-channel calculations were required in order to reproduce the details of the strong Coulomb-nuclear interference minima. However, a satisfactory account of the main features of the data was obtained in a first-order DWBA analysis and with the closed formalism of Frahn. With the exception of ¹⁸O, it was sufficient to assume equal charge and optical-potential deformation lengths.     

Interactions of relativistic heavy ions in thick heavy element targets and some unresolved problems

Interactions of relativistic heavy ions with total energies above 30 GeV in thick Cu and Pb targets (≥ 2 cm) have been studied with various techniques. Radiochemical irradiation experiments using thick Cu targets, both in a compact form or as diluted “2π-Cu targets” have been carried out with several relativistic heavy ions, such as 44 GeV ¹²C (JINR, Dubna, Russia) and 72 GeV ⁴⁰Ar (LBL, Berkeley, USA). Neutron measuring experiments using thick targets irradiated with various relativistic heavy ions up to 44 GeV ¹²C have been performed at the JINR. In addition, the number of “black prongs” in nuclear interactions (due to protons with energies less than 30 MeV and emitted from the target-like interaction partner at rest) produced with 72 GeV ²²Ne ions in nuclear emulsion plates has been measured in the first nuclear interaction of the primary ²²Ne ion and in the following second nuclear interaction of the secondary heavy (Z > 1) ion. Some essential results have been obtained. (1) Spallation products produced by relativistic secondary fragments in interactions ([44 GeV ¹²C or 72 GeV ⁴⁰Ar] + Cu) within thick copper yield fewer products close to the target and many more products far away from the target as compared to primary beam interactions. This applies also to secondary particles emitted into large angles (Θ > 10°). (2) The neutron production of 44 GeV ¹²C within thick Cu and Pb targets is beyond the estimated yield as based on experiments with 12 GeV ¹²C. These rather independent experimental results cannot be understood within well-accepted nuclear reaction models. They appear to present unresolved problems. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Production of light nuclei,hypernuclei and their antiparticles in relativistic nuclear collisions

We present, using the statistical model, an analysis of the production of light nuclei, hypernuclei and their antiparticles in central collisions of heavy nuclei. Based on these studies we provide predictions for the production yields of multiply-strange light nuclei.     

Three particle inclusive correlations from relativistic heavy ion collisions

The life-time of the first excited member of the ground-state band in¹⁰¹Zr has been determined to 0.9(3) ns through the measurement of γ-γ-delayed coincidences with Ge detectors at the fission-product separator JOSEF. The result shows that this nucleus is strongly deformed with |ß|=0.32(6). This finding provides further important evidence for the fact that the odd-mass nuclei at A ~ 100 with more than 59 neutrons are good rotors.     

Fragmentation of relativistic heavy ions

The “incoherent droplet model” is used to explain recent experiments on the fragmentation of ¹⁶O during high energy collision with a Be target. In the ¹⁶O rest frame the fragments have a universal iso tropic Gaussian momentum distribution, independent to the masses of the fragments. The half-width of the Gaussian is $\text{〈p〉 (}\text{A}\text{3}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{)}$, where, A is the mass number of the nucleus, n is the total number of fragments, and 〈p²〉 is the mean square momentum of individual nucleons in the fragmenting nucleus.     

Strangeness in relativistic heavy ion collisions

Abundances of strange antibaryons formed in nuclear collisions at above 10 GeV/A are considered as a most accessible diagnostic tool for the study of the possible formation and physical properties of the quark-gluon plasma phase of hadronic matter. In this report we describe the current status and develop a dynamical approach in order to describe strange particle formation in nuclear collisions at high energy.     

Continuous electron energy spectra ejected from solid carbon targets bombarded with light and heavy ions

Energy distributions of electrons were measured under an observation angle of 42.3° by bombarding thin carbon foils with protons of 0.5 to 2.5 MeV and with Neon of 10 MeV energies. Comparison of the experimental results with binary-encounter-approximation calculations, taking into account the electron energy loss in the solid, show that the spectra from proton bombardment can be described by this model.     

Multiple electromagnetic excitation with relativistic heavy ions

The multiple electromagnetic excitation with fast projectiles (heavy ions) is studied theoretically in the sudden approximation. Of special interest is the excitation of rotational states coupled to giant (dipole) vibrations. Closed form expressions are obtained for the excitation of a rigid rotor. The strong pulse of high energy equivalent photons in relativistic heavy ion collisions opens up new possibilities for nuclear structure studies, not possible e.g. with electron scattering or nuclear Raman scattering. It is also pointed out that the “Brink-hypothesis” can be investigated in a new way by means of multiple electromagnetic excitation with relativistic heavy ions of low lying states coupled to the giant dipole mode.