Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “NET RADIATION”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,315 records · Page 73
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Middle Atmosphere Response to Different Descriptions of the 11-Year Solar Cycle in Spectral Irradiance in a Chemistry-Climate Model

The 11-year solar cycle in solar spectral irradiance (SSI) inferred from measurements by the SOlar Radiation & Climate Experiment (SORCE) suggests a much larger variation in the ultraviolet than previously accepted. We present middle atmosphere ozone and temperature responses to the solar cycles in SORCE SSI and the ubiquitous Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) SSI reconstruction using the Goddard Earth Observing System chemistry-climate model (GEOS CCM). The results are largely consistent with other recent modeling studies. The modeled ozone response is positive throughout the stratosphere and lower mesosphere using the NRL SSI, while the SORCE SSI produces a response that is larger in the lower stratosphere but out of phase with respect to total solar irradiance above 45 km. The modeled responses in total ozone are similar to those derived from satellite and ground-based measurements, 3-6 Dobson Units per 100 units of 10.7-cm radio flux (F10.7) in the tropics. The peak zonal mean tropical temperature response 50 using the SORCE SSI is nearly 2 K per 100 units 3 times larger than the simulation using the NRL SSI. The GEOS CCM and the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) 2-D coupled model are used to examine how the SSI solar cycle affects the atmosphere through direct solar heating and photolysis processes individually. Middle atmosphere ozone is affected almost entirely through photolysis, whereas the solar cycle in temperature is caused both through direct heating and photolysis feedbacks, processes that are mostly linearly separable. Further, the net ozone response results from the balance of ozone production at wavelengths less than 242 nm and destruction at longer wavelengths, coincidentally corresponding to the wavelength regimes of the SOLar STellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) and Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) on SORCE, respectively. A higher wavelength-resolution analysis of the spectral response could allow for a better prediction of the atmospheric response to arbitrary SSI variations.

Swartz, W. H.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quartic cumulant of baryon number in the presence of a QCD critical point

In the context of the ongoing search for the QCD critical point at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider, we study the equation of state near the critical point in the temperature and baryon chemical potential plane. We use the parametric representation introduced in earlier literature, which maps the universal three-dimensional Ising equation of state onto the QCD phase diagram using several non-universal parameters. We focus on the quartic cumulant of the baryon number, or baryon number susceptibility χ$^ B_4$, which can be accessed experimentally via net-proton fluctuation kurtosis measurements. It was originally predicted, through universality arguments based on the leading singular contribution, that χ$^ B_4$ and net-proton kurtosis should show a specific nonmonotonic behavior due to the critical point. In particular, when following the freeze-out curve on the phase diagram by decreasing beam energy, the kurtosis is expected to dip, and then peak, when the beam energy scan passes close to the critical point. We study the effects of the nonuniversal and thus far unknown parameters of the Ising-to-QCD mapping on the behavior of χ$^ B_4$. We find that, while the peak remains a solid feature, the presence of the critical point does not necessarily cause a dip in χ$^ B_4$ on the freeze-out line below the transition temperature. The critical point contribution to the dip appears only for a narrow set of mapping parameters, when subleading singular terms are sufficiently suppressed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Understanding baryon stopping at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider top energies

The nucleon exhibits a rich internal structure governed by quantum chromodynamics (QCD), where its electric charge arises from valence quarks, while its spin and mass emerge from complex interactions among valence quarks, sea (anti)quarks, and gluons. At the advent of QCD, an alternative hypothesis emerged suggesting, at high energies, the transport of a nucleon's baryon number could be traced by a nonperturbative configuration of gluon fields connecting its three valence quarks, forming a 𝑌-shaped topology known as the gluon junction. Recent measurements by the STAR experiment are compatible with this scenario. In light of these measurements, this study aims to explore the mechanisms of baryon transport in high-energy nuclear collisions using the pythia-8 framework, which incorporates a state-of-the-art hadronization model with advanced color flow (CF) and color reconnection (CR) mechanisms that mimic signatures of a baryon junction. Within this model setup, we investigate (i) the rapidity slope of the net-baryon distributions in photon-included processes (𝛾 + 𝑝) and (ii) baryon over charge transport in the isobaric (Ru + Ru and Zr + Zr) collisions. Our study highlights the importance of the CF and CR mechanisms in pythia-8, which play a crucial role in baryon transport. The results show that the CF and CR schemes significantly affect the isobaric baryon-to-charge ratio, leading to different predictions for baryon stopping and underscoring the need to account for CF and CR effects in comparisons with experimental measurements.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A hybrid machine-learning approach for analysis of methane hydrate formation dynamics in porous media with synchrotron CT imaging

Fast multi-phase processes in methane hydrate bearing samples pose a challenge for quantitative micro-computed tomography study and experiment steering due to complex tomographic data analysis involving time-consuming segmentation procedures. This is because of the sample's multi-scale structure, which changes over time, low contrast between solid and fluid materials, and the large amount of data acquired during dynamic processes. Here, a hybrid approach is proposed for the automatic segmentation of tomographic data from time-resolved imaging of methane gas-hydrate formation in sandy granular media, which includes a deep-learning 3D U-Net model. To prepare a training dataset for the 3D U-Net, a technique to automate data labeling based on sample-specific information about the mineral matrix immobility and occasional fluid movement in pores is proposed. Automatic segmentation allowed for studying properties of the hydrate growth in pores, as well as dynamic processes such as incremental flow and redistribution of pore brine. Results of the quantitative analysis showed that for typical gas-hydrate stability parameters (100 bar methane pressure, 7°C temperature) the rate of formation is slow (less than 1% per hour), after which the surface area of contact between brine and gas increases, resulting in faster formation (2.5% per hour). Hydrate growth reaches the saturation point after 11 h of the experiment. Finally, the efficacy of the proposed segmentation scheme in on-the-fly automatic data analysis and experiment steering with zooming to regions of interest is demonstrated.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Probe Chiral Magnetic Effect with Signed Balance Function

In this paper a pair of observables are proposed as alternative ways, by examining the fluctuation of net momentum-ordering of charged pairs, to study the charge separation induced by the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) in relativistic heavy ion collisions. They are, the out-of-plane to in-plane ratio of fluctuation of the difference between signed balance functions measured in pair’s rest frame, and the ratio of it to similar measurement made in the laboratory frame. In this work, both observables have been studied with simulations including flow-related backgrounds, and for the first time, backgrounds that are related to resonance's global spin alignment. The two observables have similar positive responses to signal, and opposite, limited responses to identifiable backgrounds arising from resonance flow and spin alignment. Both observables have also been tested with two realistic models, namely, a multi-phase transport (AMPT) model and the anomalous-viscous fluid dynamics (AVFD) model. These two observables, when cross examined, will provide useful insights in the study of CME-induced charge separation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2020

Structure and Parameter Uncertainty in Centennial Projections of Forest Community Structure and Carbon Cycling

Secondary forest regrowth shapes community succession and biogeochemistry for decades, including in the Upper Great Lakes region. Vegetation models encapsulate our understanding of forest function, and whether models can reproduce multi‐decadal succession patterns is an indication of our ability to predict forest responses to future change. We test the ability of a vegetation model to simulate C cycling and community composition during 100 years of forest regrowth following stand‐replacing disturbance, asking (a) Which processes and parameters are most important to accurately model Upper Midwest forest succession? (b) What is the relative importance of model structure versus parameter values to these predictions? We ran ensembles of the Ecosystem Demography model v2.2 with different representations of processes important to competition for light. We compared the magnitude of structural and parameter uncertainty and assessed which sub‐model–parameter combinations best reproduced observed C fluxes and community composition. On average, our simulations underestimated observed net primary productivity (NPP) and leaf area index (LAI) after 100 years and predicted complete dominance by a single plant functional type (PFT). Out of 4,000 simulations, only nine fell within the observed range of both NPP and LAI, but these predicted unrealistically complete dominance by either early hardwood or pine PFTs. A different set of seven simulations were ecologically plausible but under‐predicted observed NPP and LAI. Parameter uncertainty was large; NPP and LAI ranged from ~0% to >200% of their mean value, and any PFT could become dominant. The two parameters that contributed most to uncertainty in predicted NPP were plant–soil water conductance and growth respiration, both unobservable empirical coefficients. We conclude that (a) parameter uncertainty is more important than structural uncertainty, at least for ED‐2.2 in Upper Midwest forests and (b) simulating both productivity and plant community composition accurately without physically unrealistic parameters remains challenging for demographic vegetation models.

canopy radiative transfer↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for baryon junctions in photonuclear processes and isobar collisions at RHIC

During the early development of quantum chromodynamics, it was proposed that baryon number could be carried by a non-perturbative Y-shaped topology of gluon fields, called the gluon junction, rather than by the valence quarks as in the QCD standard model. A puzzling feature of ultra-relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions is the apparent substantial baryon excess in the mid-rapidity region that could not be adequately accounted for in most conventional models of quark and diquark transport. The transport of baryonic gluon junctions is predicted to lead to a characteristic exponential distribution of net-baryon density with rapidity and could resolve the puzzle. In this context we point out that the rapidity density of net-baryons near mid-rapidity indeed follows an exponential distribution with a slope of –0.61 ± 0.03 as a function of beam rapidity in the existing global data from A+A collisions at AGS, SPS and RHIC energies. To further test if quarks or gluon junctions carry the baryon quantum number, we propose to study the absolute magnitude of the baryon vs. charge stopping in isobar collisions at RHIC. We also argue that semi-inclusive photon-induced processes (γ + p/A) at RHIC kinematics provide an opportunity to search for the signatures of the baryon junction and to shed light onto the mechanisms of observed baryon excess in the mid-rapidity region in ultra-relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions. Such measurements can be further validated in A+A collisions at the LHC and e + p/A collisions at the EIC.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1996

Two-stage model of radon-induced malignant lung tumors in rats: effects of cell killing

A two-stage stochastic model of carcinogenesis is used to analyze lung tumor incidence in 3750 rats exposed to varying regimens of radon carried on a constant-concentration uranium ore dust aerosol. New to this analysis is the parameterization of the model such that cell killing by the alpha particles could be included. The model contains parameters characterizing the rate of the first mutation, the net proliferation rate of initiated cells, the ratio of the rates of cell loss (cell killing plus differentiation) and cell division, and the lag time between the appearance of the first malignant cell and the tumor. Data analysis was by standard maximum likelihood estimation techniques. Results indicate that the rate of the first mutation is dependent on radon and consistent with in vitro rates measured experimentally, and that the rate of the second mutation is not dependent on radon. An initial sharp rise in the net proliferation rate of initiated cell was found with increasing exposure rate (denoted model I), which leads to an unrealistically high cell-killing coefficient. A second model (model II) was studied, in which the initial rise was attributed to promotion via a step function, implying that it is due not to radon but to the uranium ore dust. This model resulted in values for the cell-killing coefficient consistent with those found for in vitro cells. An "inverse dose-rate" effect is seen, i.e. an increase in the lifetime probability of tumor with a decrease in exposure rate. This is attributed in large part to promotion of intermediate lesions. Since model II is preferable on biological grounds (it yields a plausible cell-killing coefficient), such as uranium ore dust. This analysis presents evidence that a two-stage model describes the data adequately and generates hypotheses regarding the mechanism of radon-induced carcinogenesis.

NASA Program Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRS2015

Innovative Electrostatic Adhesion Technologies

Developing specialized Electro-Static grippers (commercially used in Semiconductor Manufacturing and in package handling) will allow gentle and secure Capture, Soft Docking, and Handling of a wide variety of materials and shapes (such as upper-stages, satellites, arrays, and possibly asteroids) without requiring physical features or cavities for a pincher or probe or using harpoons or nets. Combined with new rigid boom mechanisms or small agile chaser vehicles, flexible, high speed Electro-Static Grippers can enable compliant capture of spinning objects starting from a safe stand-off distance. Electroadhesion (EA) can enable lightweight, ultra-low-power, compliant attachment in space by using an electrostatic force to adhere similar and dissimilar surfaces. A typical EA enabled device is composed of compliant space-rated materials, such as copper-clad polyimide encapsulated by polymers. Attachment is induced by strong electrostatic forces between any substrate material, such as an exterior satellite panel and a compliant EA gripper pad surface. When alternate positive and negative charges are induced in adjacent planar electrodes in an EA surface, the electric fields set up opposite charges on the substrate and cause an electrostatic adhesion between the electrodes and the induced charges on the substrate. Since the electrodes and the polymer are compliant and can conform to uneven or rough surfaces, the electrodes can remain intimately close to the entire surface, enabling high clamping pressures. Clamping pressures of more than 3 N/cm2 in shear can be achieved on a variety of substrates with ultra-low holding power consumption (measured values are less than 20 microW/Newton weight held). A single EA surface geometry can be used to clamp both dielectric and conductive substrates, with slightly different physical mechanisms. Furthermore EA clamping requires no normal force be placed on the substrate, as conventional docking requires. Internally funded research and development has demonstrated that EA can function effectively in space, even in the presence of strong ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, and free electrons. We created a test setup in an existing vacuum chamber to simulate low-Earth-orbit conditions. An EA mechanism was fabricated and installed in the chamber, instrumented, operated in a vacuum, and subjected to ultraviolet photons and free electrons generated by an in-chamber multipactor electron emitter. Extensions to EA that can add value include proximity and contact sensing and transverse motion or rotation, both of which could enhance docking or assembly applications. Possible next steps include development of targeted applications for ground investigation or on-orbit subsystem performance demonstrations using low cost access to space such as CubeSats.

Bryan, Tom↗
DOE OSTI2018

Portable Flux Tower Deployments Field Campaign Report

In May of 2015, a portable eddy covariance flux tower was installed by David Billesbach at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory E-32 extended facility west of Medford, Oklahoma. The goal of this deployment was to provide data sets that could be used to test land-atmosphere models and surface forcing from the SGP region. This site was chosen as being underrepresented in current data inventories. In January of 2016, a second portable flux system was installed (by Billesbach and Sebastien Biraud) in a field at the southeast corner of the intersection of Oklahoma highways 11 and 74 (also near Medford and designated as site 74). This site was chosen because it was to be planted in grain sorghum (milo) which is also an underrepresented crop. A secondary goal for this deployment was to refine the operational parameters of the newly rebuilt portable eddy correlation flux systems (ECOR), which incorporate several new sensors. These new measurements were designed to accommodate more advanced modeling and integration with remote-sensing products such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and diffuse solar radiation. Another secondary goal was to assess how well surface energy components—sensible heat flux (H) and latent heat flux (LE)—measured by ECOR and energy balance Bowen ratio (EBBR) instruments could be compared. Operations were terminated at the E-32 site in June of 2017 and Billesbach removed the equipment from the site. Operations at site 74 were terminated in October of 2017 and Billesbach (with assistance from SGP-Central Facility personnel) again removed the equipment from the field. The most notable event at the E-32 site was the retrenching of site power. This operation opened a wide gap in the normally grass-covered footprint of our optical sensors. We are still evaluating the effects that the bare soil had on our NDVI and PRI data. At site 74, we learned after germination that soy beans instead of grain sorghum had been planted for the second (2017) growing season.

energy balance Bowen ratio station, eddy correlati↗
DOE OSTI2026

Locating the QCD critical point through contours of constant entropy density

We propose a new method to investigate the existence and location of the conjectured high-temperature critical point of strongly interacting matter via contours of constant entropy density. By approximating these lines as a power series in the baryon chemical potential 𝜇 𝐵 , one can extrapolate them from first-principle results at zero net-baryon density, and use them to locate the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) critical point, including the associated first-order and spinodal lines. As a proof of principle, we employ currently available continuum-extrapolated lattice data from the Wuppertal-Budapest collaboration to find a critical point at a temperature and a baryon chemical potential of 𝑇 𝑐 = 114.3 ± 6.9 MeV and 𝜇 𝐵,𝑐 = 602.1 ± 62.1 MeV, respectively, at expansion order 𝒪⁡(𝜇$^{2}_{𝐵}$). We advocate for a more precise determination of the required expansion coefficients via lattice QCD simulations as a means of pinpointing the location of the critical endpoint in the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Measurement of the neutron charge radius and the role of its constituents

The neutron is a cornerstone in our depiction of the visible universe. Despite the neutron zero-net electric charge, the asymmetric distribution of the positively- (up) and negatively-charged (down) quarks, a result of the complex quark-gluon dynamics, lead to a negative value for its squared charge radius, $\langle r^2_n\rangle$. The precise measurement of the neutron’s charge radius thus emerges as an essential part of unraveling its structure. Here we report on a $\langle r^2_n\rangle$ measurement, based on the extraction of the neutron electric form factor, $G^n_E$, at low four-momentum transfer squared (Q 2 ) by exploiting the long known connection between the N → Δ quadrupole transitions and the neutron electric form factor. Our result, $\langle r^2_n\rangle$=-0.110±0.008(fm 2 ), addresses long standing unresolved discrepancies in the $\langle r^2_n\rangle$ determination. The dynamics of the strong nuclear force can be viewed through the precise picture of the neutron’s constituent distributions that result into the non-zero $\langle r^2_n\rangle$ value.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Baseline predictions of elliptic flow and fluctuations for the RHIC Beam Energy Scan using response coefficients

Currently the RHIC Beam Energy Scan is exploring a new region of the Quantum Chromodynamic phase diagram at large baryon densities that approaches nuclear astrophysics regimes. This provides an opportunity to study relativistic hydrodynamics in a regime where the net conserved charges of baryon number, strangeness, and electric charge play a role, which will significantly change the theoretical approach to simulating the baryon-dense Quark-Gluon Plasma. In this work, we detail many of the important changes needed to adapt both initial conditions and the medium to baryon-rich matter. Then, we make baseline predictions for the elliptical flow and fluctuations based on extrapolating the physics at LHC and top RHIC energies to support future analyses of where and how the new baryon-dense physics causes these extrapolations to break down. First we compare eccentricities across beam energies, exploring their underlying assumptions; we find the the extrapolated initial state is predicted to be nearly identical to that at AuAu $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. Then the final flow harmonic predictions are based on linear+cubic response. We discuss preliminary STAR results in order to determine the implications that they have for linear+cubic response coefficients at the lowest beam energy of AuAu $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7 GeV.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2010

Infrared Camera System for Visualization of IR-Absorbing Gas Leaks

Leak detection and location remain a common problem in NASA and industry, where gas leaks can create hazardous conditions if not quickly detected and corrected. In order to help rectify this problem, this design equips an infrared (IR) camera with the means to make gas leaks of IR-absorbing gases more visible for leak detection and location. By comparing the output of two IR cameras (or two pictures from the same camera under essentially identical conditions and very closely spaced in time) on a pixel-by-pixel basis, one can cancel out all but the desired variations that correspond to the IR absorption of the gas of interest. This can be simply done by absorbing the IR lines that correspond to the gas of interest from the radiation received by one of the cameras by the intervention of a filter that removes the particular wavelength of interest from the "reference" picture. This can be done most sensitively with a gas filter (filled with the gas of interest) placed in front of the IR detector array, or (less sensitively) by use of a suitable line filter in the same location. This arrangement would then be balanced against the unfiltered "measurement" picture, which will have variations from IR absorption from the gas of interest. By suitable processing of the signals from each pixel in the two IR pictures, the user can display only the differences in the signals. Either a difference or a ratio output of the two signals is feasible. From a gas concentration viewpoint, the ratio could be processed to show the column depth of the gas leak. If a variation in the background IR light intensity is present in the field of view, then large changes in the difference signal will occur for the same gas column concentration between the background and the camera. By ratioing the outputs, the same signal ratio is obtained for both high- and low-background signals, even though the low-signal areas may have greater noise content due to their smaller signal strength. Thus, one embodiment would use a ratioed output signal to better represent the gas column concentration. An alternative approach uses a simpler multiplication of the filtered signal to make the filtered signal equal to the unfiltered signal at most locations, followed by a subtraction to remove all but the wavelength-specific absorption in the unfiltered sample. This signal processing can also reveal the net difference signal representing the leaking gas absorption, and allow rapid leak location, but signal intensity would not relate solely to gas absorption, as raw signal intensity would also affect the displayed signal. A second design choice is whether to use one camera with two images closely spaced in time, or two cameras with essentially the same view and time. The figure shows the two-camera version. This choice involves many tradeoffs that are not apparent until some detailed testing is done. In short, the tradeoffs involve the temporal changes in the field picture versus the pixel sensitivity curves and frame alignment differences with two cameras, and which system would lead to the smaller variations from the uncontrolled variables.

Youngquist, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2004

Chirped-Superlattice, Blocked-Intersubband QWIP

An Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) of the blocked-intersubband-detector (BID) type, now undergoing development, features a chirped (that is, aperiodic) superlattice. The purpose of the chirped superlattice is to increase the quantum efficiency of the device. A somewhat lengthy background discussion is necessary to give meaning to a brief description of the present developmental QWIP. A BID QWIP was described in "MQW Based Block Intersubband Detector for Low-Background Operation" (NPO-21073), NASA Tech Briefs Vol. 25, No. 7 (July 2001), page 46. To recapitulate: The BID design was conceived in response to the deleterious effects of operation of a QWIP at low temperature under low background radiation. These effects can be summarized as a buildup of space charge and an associated high impedance and diminution of responsivity with increasing modulation frequency. The BID design, which reduces these deleterious effects, calls for a heavily doped multiple-quantum-well (MQW) emitter section with barriers that are thinner than in prior MQW devices. The thinning of the barriers results in a large overlap of sublevel wave functions, thereby creating a miniband. Because of sequential resonant quantum-mechanical tunneling of electrons from the negative ohmic contact to and between wells, any space charge is quickly neutralized. At the same time, what would otherwise be a large component of dark current attributable to tunneling current through the whole device is suppressed by placing a relatively thick, undoped, impurity-free AlxGa1 x As blocking barrier layer between the MQW emitter section and the positive ohmic contact. [This layer is similar to the thick, undoped Al(x)Ga(1-x)As layers used in photodetectors of the blocked-impurity-band (BIB) type.] Notwithstanding the aforementioned advantage afforded by the BID design, the responsivity of a BID QWIP is very low because of low collection efficiency, which, in turn, is a result of low electrostatic- potential drop across the superlattice emitter. Because the emitter must be electrically conductive to prevent the buildup of space charge in depleted quantum wells, most of the externally applied bias voltage drop occurs across the blocking-barrier layer. This completes the background discussion. In the developmental QWIP, the periodic superlattice of the prior BID design is to be replaced with the chirped superlattice, which is expected to provide a built-in electric field. As a result, the efficiency of collection of photoexcited charge carriers (and, hence, the net quantum efficiency and thus responsivity) should increase significantly.

Gunapala, Sarath↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for baryon junctions in e+A collisions at the electron ion collider

Constituent quarks in a nucleon are the essential elements in the standard “quark model” associated with the electric charge, spin, mass, and baryon number of a nucleon. Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) describes nucleon as a composite object containing current quarks (valence quarks and sea (anti-)quarks) and gluons. These subatomic elements and their interactions are known to contribute in complex ways to the overall nucleon spin and mass. In the early development of QCD theory in the 1970s, an alternative hypothesis postulated that the baryon number might manifest itself through a non-perturbative configuration of gluon fields forming a Y-shaped topology known as the gluon junction. In this work, we propose to test such hypothesis by measuring (i) the Regge intercept of the net-baryon distributions for e+(p)Au collisions, (ii) baryon and charge transport in the isobaric ratio between e+Ru and e+Zr collisions, and (iii) target flavor dependence of proton and antiproton yields at large rapidity, transported from the hydrogen and deuterium targets in e+p(d) collisions. Our study indicates that these measurements at the EIC can help determine what carries the baryon number.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Generalized definition of the isothermal compressibility in (2+1)-flavor QCD

We introduce a generalized definition of the isothermal compressibility ($𝜅_{𝑇,𝜎{^2_𝑄}}$) calculable by keeping net conserved charge fluctuations rather than total number densities constant. We present lattice QCD results for this isothermal compressibility, expressed in terms of fluctuations of conserved charges that are related to baryon (𝐵), electric charge (𝑄), and strangeness (𝑆) quantum numbers. This generalized isothermal compressibility is compared with hadron resonance gas model calculations as well as with heavy-ion collision data obtained at RHIC and the LHC. We find $𝜅_{𝑇,𝜎{^2_𝑄}}$ = 13.8⁢(1.3) fm 3 /GeV at $𝑇_{\textrm{pc},0}$ =156.5⁢(1.5) MeV and $\hat{𝜇}_𝐵$ = 0. This finding is consistent with the rescaled result of the ALICE Collaboration, where we replaced the number of charged hadrons (𝑁 ch ) by the total number of hadrons (𝑁 tot ) at freeze-out. Normalizing this result with the QCD pressure (𝑃) we find that the isothermal compressibility on the pseudocritical line stays close to that of an ideal gas, i.e., $𝑃⁢𝜅_{𝑇,𝜎{^2_𝑄}} ≃$ 1.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗