On chemical equilibrium in nuclear collisions

The data on average hadron multiplicities in central A+A collisions measured at CERN SPS are analysed with the ideal hadron gas model. It is shown that the full chemical equilibrium version of the model fails to describe the experimental results. The agreement of the data with the off–equilibrium version allowing for partial strangeness saturation is significantly better. The chemical freeze–out temperature of about 180 MeV seems to be independent of the system size (from S+S to Pb+Pb) and in agreement with that extracted in , and collisions. The strangeness suppression is discussed at both hadron and valence quark level. It is found that the hadronic strangeness saturation factor increases from about 0.45 for interactions to about 0.7 for central A+A collisions with no significant change from S+S to Pb+Pb collisions indicating that the strangeness enhancement in heavy ion collisions cannot be fully attributed to the increased system size. The quark strangeness suppression factor is found to be about 0.2 for elementary collisions and about 0.4 for heavy ion collisions independently of collision energy and type of colliding system. Received: 31 October 1997 / Published online: 26 February 1998     

Can shadowing mimic the QCD phase transition?

The directed flow of protons is studied in the quark-gluon string model as a function of the impact parameter for S+S and Pb+Pb reactions at 160 AGeV/c. A significant reduction of the directed flow in midrapidity range, which can lead to the development of the antiflow, is found due to the absorption of early emitted particles by massive spectators (shadowing effect). This effect can mimic the formation of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). However, in the absorption scenario the antiflow is stronger for the system of light colliding nuclei than for the heavy ones, while in the case of the plasma creation the effect should be opposite.     

Searching for quark-gluon plasma (QGP) bubble effects at RHIC/LHC

Since the early eighties, we have shared with van Hove the following view: If a quark-gluon plasma were produced in high energy heavy ion colliders, then its hadronization products would likely come from small bubbles of plasma localized in phase space. We develop a model based on HIJING, to which we added a ring of adjoining multiple bubbles in the central rapidity region. Our simulations were designed to be tested by the forthcoming RHIC STAR detector data for 65 GeV/n Au colliding with 65 GeV/n Au. We took into account background and resonance effects to allow a direct comparison to be made with the data. Later 100 GeV/n Au colliding with 100 GeV/n Au and LHC data could also test these ideas. We used two charged particle correlations as a sensitive method to test for bubbles.Received: 18 December 2002, Revised: 17 April 2003, Published online: 1 August 2003S.J. Lindenbaum, M. Kramer: This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886 and the City College of New York Physics Department     

Charged particle production in proton-, deuteron-, oxygen- and sulphur-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon

The transverse momentum and rapidity distributions of net protons and negatively charged hadrons have been measured for minimum bias proton–nucleus and deuteron–gold interactions, as well as central oxygen–gold and sulphur–nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon. The rapidity density of net protons at midrapidity in central nucleus–nucleus collisions increases both with target mass for sulphur projectiles and with the projectile mass for a gold target. The shape of the rapidity distributions of net protons forward of midrapidity for d+Au and central S+Au collisions is similar. The average rapidity loss is larger than 2 units of rapidity for reactions with the gold target. The transverse momentum spectra of net protons for all reactions can be described by a thermal distribution with ‘temperatures’ between MeV (p+S interactions) and MeV (central S+Au collisions). The multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons increases with the mass of the colliding system. The shape of the transverse momentum spectra of negatively charged hadrons changes from minimum bias p+p and p+S interactions to p+Au and central nucleus-nucleus collisions. The mean transverse momentum is almost constant in the vicinity of midrapidity and shows little variation with the target and projectile masses. The average number of produced negatively charged hadrons per participant baryon increases slightly from p+p, p+A to central S+S,Ag collisions. Received: 28 October 1997 / Published online: 10 March 1998     

Collision dynamics between heavy ions determined from δ-electron spectra

The δ-electron spectra from binary dissipative PbPb collisions at 8.6 MeV/u incident energy exhibit the influence of an interference pattern due to time delay caused by nuclear contact. A model-independent analysis of these δ-electron spectra is developed to yield the mean trajectories of the colliding nuclei.     

Isotopic dependence of fusion cross-sections – linear relationships

A systematic study of isotopic dependence of fusion cross-section is carried out by adding neutrons gradually to N=Z colliding nuclei. We find that fusion barrier position increases and height decreases, both linearly with the increase of N/Z ratio of the compound system. The increase in barrier position is larger compared to decrease in barrier height. In terms of these linear relationships, a parameterized form of fusion cross-sections is given for the neutron-rich colliding nuclei. The fusion cross-sections are also enhanced linearly with the N/Z ratio, and this enhancement is larger for lower incident centre-of-mass energies and independent of the choice of reaction partners. Experimental data and other theoretical studies are called for to verify these results. Received: 27 February 1998 / Revised version: 22 May 1998     

重离子碰撞中熔合位垒的研究

熔合位垒的研究对熔合反应以及超重核合成有重要的意义。在改进的同位旋相关的量子分子动力学(ImIQMD)模型框架下,提取了熔合反应体系40Ca+40Ca,48Ca+208Pb,48Ca+204Pb和16O+154Sm的熔合位垒。研究了壳修正能对熔合位垒的影响、动力学位垒的能量依赖性、同位旋效应以及形变核的方向效应。计算发现壳修正能降低了熔合反应的位垒。在研究动力学位垒的能量依赖性时,发现位垒高度和位垒半径表现出相反的能量依赖行为。在动力学反应中,当两个核距离接近时,缺中子体系的库仑势同样表现出一定的能量依赖性。对于丰中子体系,由于中子屏蔽作用,库仑势基本没有能量依赖性。     

J/Ψ measurement in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC

J/Ψ’s are produced mostly via interactions involving gluons, and are a sensitive probe of the gluon structure function and its modification in nuclei. They are also considered as a leading signal for studying the creation of hot and dense matter in relativistic heavy ion collision. Measurement of J/Ψ production in different colliding systems is important for understanding the nuclear modification factor, and setting a baseline for the study of J/Ψ suppression in heavy ion collisions. In this talk we report the latest results on J/Ψ measurements by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC in p+p; d+Au, and Au+Au collisions at backward, forward, and mid-rapidity. Nuclear effects are studied as a function of transverse momentum, rapidity and centrality.     

重离子熔合反应形成超重核的截面研究

在双核系统框架下,通过数值法解主方程计算了双核间的核子跃迁全熔合几率.两碰撞核内部激发能由相对运动能损提供,因此能够将核子转移过程与相对运动耦合起来.对一些以Pb为靶的形成超重核的冷熔合反应,计算了最佳激发能、形成双核系统的俘获截面、复合核形成几率及存活几率等,所得到的形成超重核蒸发剩余截面与已知实验值符合较好. In the concept of Dinuclear system (DNS) the complete fusion probability of two touch nuclei via nucleon transfer is described by numerically solving the Master equation. The excitation energy of two colliding nuclei is supplied by the energy dissipation of their relative motion, thus the nucleon transfer process and the relative motion are coupled. For Pb based cold fusion reactions to form super heavy nuclei, the optimal excitation energy, the capture cross section to form a DNS ...     

Open charm production from d + Au collisions in STAR

Charmed hadrons are interesting observables in heavy ion collisions. They are becoming more accessible to experimental scrutiny at RHIC energies due to the increased production cross-section of charm with the larger centre-of-mass energy available at RHIC compared to SPS. One source of interest in charm production is due to the fact that gluon fusion dominates the charm production cross-section at high energy. Hence, a measurement of charm hadrons is directly sensitive to the gluon distributions of the colliding particles. In addition, any measurement of production at RHIC, and more importantly any observed suppression, must be compared to the overall production of pairs. A systematic study of charmed hadrons in all collision systems available at RHIC is therefore an invaluable experimental tool in the characterization of the matter produced at RHIC. In particular, d + Au collisions are a necessary step for the comparison of any possible modification of charm production in Au + Au collisions. We present preliminary results on D meson production from d + Au collisions in STAR at = 200 . Arrival of the final proofs: 26 July 2005 PACS: 13.20.Fc, 13.25.Ft, 25.75.-q, 24.85. + p     

Influence of momentum-dependent interactions on balance energy and mass dependence⋆

We aim to understand the role of momentum-dependent interactions in transverse flow as well as in its disappearance. For the present study, central collisions involving masses between 24 and 394 are considered. We find that the momentum-dependent interactions have different impact in lighter colliding nuclei compared to heavier colliding nuclei. In lighter nuclei, the contribution of the mean field towards flow is smaller compared to heavier nuclei where binary nucleon-nucleon collisions dominate the scene. The inclusion of momentum-dependent interactions also explains the energy of the vanishing flow in the ¹²C + ¹²C reaction which otherwise was not possible with the static hard equation of state. An excellent agreement of our theoretical attempt is found for balance energy with experimental data throughout the periodic table.     

Transverse momentum distributions of neutral pions from nuclear collisions at 200 AGeV

New results on transverse mass spectra of neutral pions measured at central rapidity are presented for impact parameter selected 200 GeV S + S and S + Au collisions. The distributions cover more than 8 orders of magnitude in cross section over the range . Detailed comparisons to results from pp collisions are made. The spectra from all systems show a clear power-law like shape with similar curvature. Collisions of S + Au exhibit a larger mean transverse momentum than pp increasing with centrality. Predictions of string models and by hydrodynamic approaches including collective expansion and decays of short lived resonances are compared to the data and the implications are discussed. Received: 10 March 1998 / Revised version: 22 May 1998 / Published online: 12 August 1998     

Freeze-out in relativistic heavy ion collisions at SPS

The freeze-out conditions in the light (S+S) and heavy (Pb+Pb) colliding systems at 160 AGeV/c are analyzed within the microscopic Quark Gluon String Model (QGSM). Even for the most heavy systems particle emission takes place from the whole space-time domain available for the system evolution, but not from the thin “freeze-out hypersurface”, adopted in fluid dynamical models. Pions are continuously emitted from the whole volume of the reaction and reflect the main trends of the system evolution. Nucleons in Pb+Pb collisions initially come from the surface region. For both reactions there is a separation of the elastic and inelastic freeze-out.     

Dependence of Multiparticle Processes on the Interaction-Region Size in Collisions of High-Energy Protons and Nuclei

The problem of the dependence of multiparticle reaction-product formation on the interactionregion size is considered both at cosmic-ray and accelerator energies. In cosmic rays, a comparative analysis of interactions induced by protons and light nuclei was performed on the basis of data obtained by the Stratosphere Collaboration. At accelerator energies, the problem was studied by employing data of the EMU Collaboration. The results revealed a substantial distinction between the production processes in these event groups. An analysis of interactions between light nuclei, (C, O, Ne) + (C/N/O); between intermediate and light nuclei, (Si, S) + (C/N/O); and between heavy nuclei, (Au, Pb) + (Ag/Br), showed that there is a sizable enhancement of fluctuations as the size of the interaction region becomes smaller. A sharp growth of multiplicity and pseudorapidity correlations in the most central interactions, (C, O, Ne) + (C/N/O), is interpreted as a manifestation of internal virtual alpha-particle clustering of light nuclei.     

Study of very neutron deficient nuclei 178Pt and 181Au

The ¹⁷⁸Pt and ¹⁸¹Au nuclei have been studied with the (230 MeV) ⁴⁶Ti +¹⁴²Nd fusion-evaporation reaction; γ-rays, evaporated particles and recoiling nuclei have been detected by the γ-array GASP + the Si ball ISIS + the recoil mass spectrometer RMS. The newly observed structures in ¹⁷⁸Pt and ¹⁸¹Au are most probably built on the proton and quasi-proton h_9/2 and i_13/2 configurations. Received: 2 January 1998 / Revised version: 27 May 1998     

Energy losses of fast heavy multiply charged structural ions in collisions with complex atoms

A nonperturbatve theory of energy losses of fast heavy multiply charged structural ions in collisions with neutral complex atoms is elaborated with allowance for simultaneous excitations of ionic and atomic electron shells. Formulas for the effective deceleration that are similar to the well-known Bethe-Bloch formulas are derived. By way of example, the energy lost by partially stripped U ^q+ ions (10 ≤ q ≤ 70) colliding with argon atoms and also the energy lost by Au, Pb, and Bi ions colliding with various targets are calculated. The results of calculation are compared with experimental data.     

Energy Dependence of String Fragmentation Function and φ Meson Production

The φ meson productions in Au+Au and/or Pb+Pb collisions at AGS, SPS, RHIC, and LHC energies have been studied systematically with a hadron and string cascade model LUCIAE. After considering the energy dependence of the model parameter α in string fragmentation function and adjusting it to the experimental data of charged multiplicity to a certain extent, the model predictions for φ meson yield, rapidity, and transverse mass distributions are compatible with the experimental data at AGS, SPS and RHIC energies. A calculation for Pb+Pb collisions at LHC energy is given as well. The obtained fractional variable in string fragmentation function shows a saturation in energy dependence. It is discussed that the saturation of fractional variable in string fragmentation function might be a qualitative representation of the energy dependence of nuclear transparency.     

From RHIC to LHC: a relativistic diffusion approach

We investigate the energy dependence of stopping and hadron production in high‐energy heavy‐ion collisions based on a three‐sources Relativistic Diffusion Model. The transport coefficients are extrapolated from Au + Au and Cu + Cu at RHIC energies ( = 19.6–200 GeV) to Pb + Pb at LHC energies = 5.52 TeV. Rapidity distributions for net protons, and pseudorapidity spectra for produced charged particles in central collisions are compared to data at RHIC energies, and discussed for several extrapolations to LHC energies.     

J/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis> production measurements by the PHENIX experiment

Quarkonia suppression is considered to be one of the key probes of the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) created in heavy ion collisions. The PHENIX experiment has measured J/ψ production in a variety of colliding systems. Measurements made in p+p collisions show good agreement with pQCD predictions and serve as baseline for other systems at the same collision energy. The cold nuclear matter contribution to the suppression is constrained through measurements in d+Au collisions. In Au+Au, the suppression observed at mid rapidity is smaller than that at forward rapidity, a tendency opposite to what is expected from the higher gluon density at mid rapidity. The results will be presented and discussed in this article.