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At least 1,315 records · Page 73

Multi-messenger heavy-ion collision physics

We report that this work studies the production of direct photons in relativistic nuclear collisions, along with the production of hadrons. Radiation from the very first instants to the final moments of the evolution is included. The hybrid model used here describes all stages of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Chronologically, those are an initial state reflecting the collision of nuclei described within the Color Glass Condensate effective theory; a pre-equilibrium phase based on non-equilibrium linear response; relativistic viscous hydrodynamics, and a hadronic afterburner. The effect of the preequilibrium phase on both photonic and hadronic observables is highlighted for the first time. The potential of photon observables - spectrum, differential elliptic and triangular flow - to reveal the chemical equilibration time is studied. Finally, we consider "small collision systems", including proton+nucleus collisions and collisions of light nuclei, as probed by hadronic and electromagnetic observables. We demonstrate how photon production can signal the formation of quark-gluon plasma in such small systems.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Checking nonflow assumptions and results via PHENIX published correlations in p+p, p+Au, d+Au, and 3 He+Au at √ s NN=200 GeV

Recently the PHENIX Collaboration has made available two-particle correlation Fourier coefficients for multiple detector combinations in minimum bias p+p and 0–5% central p+Au, d+Au, and 3 He+Au collisions at √ s NN = 200 GeV [Phys. Rev. C 105, 024901 (2022)]. Using these coefficients for three sets of two-particle correlations, azimuthal anisotropy coefficients v 2 and v 3 are extracted for midrapidity charged hadrons as a function of transverse momentum. In this paper, we use the available coefficients to explore various nonflow hypotheses as well as to compare the results with theoretical model calculations. The nonflow methods fail basic closure tests with ampt and pythia/angantyr, particularly when including correlations with particles in the low multiplicity light-projectile going direction. In data, the nonflow adjusted v 2 results are modestly lower in p+Au and the adjusted v 3 results are more significantly higher in p+Au and d+Au. However, the resulting higher values for the ratio v 3 /v 2 in p+Au at RHIC compared to p+Pb at the LHC is additional evidence for a significant overcorrection. Incorporating these additional checks, the conclusion that these flow coefficients are dominated by initial geometry coupled with final-state interactions (e.g., hydrodynamic expansion of quark-gluon plasma) remains true, and explanations based solely on initial-state glasma are ruled out. The detailed balance between intrinsic and fluctuation-driven geometry and the exact role of weakly versus strongly coupled prehydrodynamic evolution remains an open question for triangular flow, requiring further theoretical and experimental investigation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Centrality and transverse-momentum dependence of higher-order flow harmonics of identified hadrons in Au+Au collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

Here we present high-precision measurements of elliptic, triangular, and quadrangular flow v 2 , v 3 , and v 4 , respectively, at midrapidity for identified hadrons π, p, K, φ, K s , Λ as a function of centrality and transverse momentum in Au+Au collisions at the center-of-mass energy √ s NN = 200 GeV. We observe similar v n trends between light and strange mesons which indicates that the heavier strange quarks flow as strongly as the lighter up and down quarks. The number-of-constituent-quark scaling for v 2 , v 3 , and v 4 is found to hold within statistical uncertainty for 0–10%, 10–40%, and 40–80% collision centrality intervals. The results are compared to several viscous hydrodynamic calculations with varying initial conditions, and could serve as an additional constraint to the development of hydrodynamic models.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Minijet quenching in a concurrent jet + hydro evolution and the nonequilibrium quark-gluon plasma

Minijets, created by perturbative hard QCD collisions at moderate energies, can represent a significant portion of the total multiplicity of a heavy-ion collision event. Since their transverse momenta are initially larger than the typical saturation scale describing the bulk of the equilibrating quark-gluon plasma (QGP), they ought to be described through the physics of parton energy loss. Indeed, their typical stopping distances are larger than the usual hydrodynamization time, so they do not in general hydrodynamize at the same pace than the bulk of the collision. Therefore, in general minijets cannot be described solely by a unique preequilibrium stage that bridges the initial, overoccupied glasma state, with the hydrodynamical evolution. In this work we make use of a new concurrent minijet+hydrodynamic framework in which the properties of the hydrodynamically evolving QGP are modified due to the injection of energy and momentum from the minijets. We study the system for different choices of the minimum transverse momentum associated with minijet production. In order to achieve a realistic description of charged particle multiplicity, the amount of entropy associated to the low- x initial state needs to be reduced. Moreover, the fact that the injected momentum from the randomly oriented minijets is not correlated with the spatial gradients of the system reduces overall flow, and the value of the QGP transport coefficients needs to be reduced accordingly in order to describe the measured flow coefficients in experiments. They are, in effect, an important new source of fluctuations, resulting in a spikier, notably modified hydrodynamical evolution when compared to the scenario in which the presence of minijets is ignored. We avow that their abundance makes it necessary to include their physics in holistic descriptions of heavy-ion collisions. We discuss the impact of the minijets on a number of observables, such as p T spectra and p T -differential flow v n for a wide range of centrality classes. In contrast to elliptic, triangular or quadrangular flow, here we find that directed flow, v 1 , has the strongest potential to discriminate between different minijet production rates.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Cluster model of C 12 in the density functional theory framework

We employ the constrained density functional theory to investigate cluster phenomena for the 12 C nucleus. The proton and neutron densities are generated from the placement of three 4 He nuclei (α particles) geometrically. These densities are then used in a density constrained Hartree-Fock calculation that produces an antisymmetrized state with the same densities through energy minimization. In the calculations no a priori analytic form for the single-particle states is assumed and the full energy density functional is utilized. The geometrical scan of the energy landscape provides the ground state of 12 C as an equilateral triangular configuration of three αs with molecular bond like structures. The use of the nucleon localization function provides further insight to these configurations. One can conclude that these configurations are a hybrid between a pure mean-field and a pure α particle condensate. Furthermore, this development could facilitate density functional theory based fusion calculations with a more realistic 12 C ground state.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

Examination of nucleon distribution with Bayesian imaging for isobar collisions

Relativistic collision of isobaric systems is found to be valuable in differentiating the nucleon distributions for nuclei with the same mass number. In recent contrast experiment of $^{96}_{44}$Ru + $^{96}_{44}$Ru versus $^{96}_{40}$Zr + $^{96}_{40}$Zr collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV, the ratios of multiplicity distribution, elliptic flow, triangular flow, and radial flow are precisely measured and found to be significantly different from unity, indicating the difference in the shapes of the isobar pair. Here, in this work, we investigate the feasibility of nuclear structure reconstruction from heavy-ion collision observables. We perform Bayesian Inference with employing the Monte-Carlo Glauber model as an estimator of the mapping from nuclear structure to the final state observables and to provide the mock data for reconstruction. By varying combination of observables included in the mock data, we find it plausible to infer Woods–Saxon parameters from the observables. We also observe that single-system multiplicity distribution for the isobar system, rather than their ratio, is crucial to simultaneously determine the nuclear structure for the isobar system.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Scaling approach to nuclear structure in high-energy heavy-ion collisions

In high-energy heavy-ion collisions, the initial condition of the produced quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and its evolution are sensitive to collective nuclear structure parameters describing the shape and radial profiles of the nuclei. Here, we find a general scaling relation between these parameters and many experimental observables such as elliptic flow, triangular flow, and particle multiplicity distribution. In particular, the ratios of observables between two isobar systems depend only on the differences of these parameters, but not on the details of the final state interactions, hence offering a new way to constrain the QGP initial condition. Using this scaling relation, we show how the structure parameters of $^{96}_{44}$Ru and $^{96}_{40}$Zr conspire to produce the rich centrality dependences of these ratios, as measured by the STAR Collaboration. Our scaling approach demonstrates that isobar collisions are a precision tool to probe the initial condition of heavy-ion collisions, as well as the collective nuclear structures, including the neutron skin, of the atomic nuclei across energy scales.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Search for the chiral magnetic wave using anisotropic flow of identified particles at energies available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

The chiral magnetic wave (CMW) has been theorized to propagate in the deconfined nuclear medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions, and to cause a difference in elliptic flow (v 2 ) between negatively and positively charged hadrons. Experimental data consistent with the CMW have been reported by the STAR Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), based on the charge asymmetry dependence of the pion v 2 from Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 27 to 200 GeV. In this comprehensive study, we present the STAR measurements of elliptic flow and triangular flow of charged pions, along with the v 2 of charged kaons and protons, as a function of charge asymmetry in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 27, 39, 62.4 and 200 GeV. The slope parameters extracted from the linear dependence of the v2 difference on charge asymmetry for different particle species are reported and compared in different centrality intervals. In addition, the slopes of v 2 for charged pions in small systems, i.e., p+Au and d+Au at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV, are also presented and compared with those in large systems, i.e., Au+Au at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV and U+U at 193 GeV. Our results provide new insights for the possible existence of the CMW, and further constrain the background contributions in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC energies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Improved Monte Carlo Glauber predictions at present and future nuclear colliders

We present the results of an improved Monte Carlo Glauber (MCG) model of relevance for collisions involving nuclei at center-of-mass energies of the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider ( s NN = 0.2 TeV), CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) ( s NN = 2.76 – 8.8 TeV ), and proposed future hadron colliders ( s NN ≈ 10 – 63 TeV). The inelastic p p cross sections as a function of s NN are obtained from a precise data-driven parametrization that exploits the many available measurements at LHC collision energies. We describe the nuclear density of a lead nucleus with two separated two-parameter Fermi distributions for protons and neutrons to account for their different densities close to the nuclear periphery. Furthermore, we model the nucleon degrees of freedom inside the nucleus through a lattice with a minimum nodal separation, combined with a “recentering and reweighting” procedure, that overcomes some limitations of previous MCG approaches. The nuclear overlap function, number of participant nucleons and binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, participant eccentricity and triangularity, overlap area, and average path length are presented in intervals of percentile centrality for lead-lead (PbPb) and proton-lead ( p Pb ) collisions at all collision energies. We demonstrate for collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV that the central values of the Glauber quantities change by up to 7% in a few bins of reaction centrality, due to the improvements implemented, though typically they remain within the previously assigned systematic uncertainties, while their new associated uncertainties are generally smaller (mostly below 5%) at all centralities than for earlier calculations. Tables for all quantities versus centrality at present and foreseen collision energies involving Pb nuclei, as well as for collisions of XeXe at s NN = 5.44 TeV , and AuAu and CuCu at s NN = 0.2 TeV , are provided. The source code for the improved Monte Carlo Glauber model is made publicly available.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Assessing saturation physics explanations of collectivity in small collision systems with the ip-jazma model

Experimental measurements in relativistic collisions of small systems from $p + p$ to $p/d/ ^3He + A$ at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) reveal particle emission patterns that are strikingly similar to those observed in $A + A$ collisions of large nuclei. One explanation of these patterns is the formation of small droplets of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) followed by hydrodynamic evolution. A geometry engineering program was proposed to further investigate these emission patterns, and the experimental data from that program in $p + Au, d + Au, ^3 He + Au$ collisions for elliptic and triangular anisotropy coefficients $v_2$ and $v_3$ follow the pattern predicted by hydrodynamic calculations [C. Aidala et al. (PHENIX Collaboration), Nat. Phys. 15, 214 (2019)]. One alternative approach, referred to as initial-state correlations, suggests that for small systems the patterns observed in the final-state hadrons are encoded at the earliest moments of the collision and therefore require no final-state parton scattering or hydrodynamic evolution. Recently, new calculations using only initial-state correlations, in the dilute-dense approximation of gluon saturation physics, reported striking agreement with the $v_2$ patterns observed in $p/d/ ^3He + Au$ data at RHIC [M. Mace, V. V. Skokov, P. Tribedy, and R. Venugopalan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 052301 (2018)]. The results reported by Mace, Skokov, Tribedy and Venugopalan (MSTV) are counterintuitive and thus we aim here to reproduce some of the basic features of these calculations. In this first investigation, we provide a description of our publicly available model, ip-jazma, and investigate its implications for saturation scales, multiplicity distributions, and eccentricities, reserving for later work the analysis of momentum spectra and azimuthal anisotropies. We find that our implementation of the saturation physics model reproduces the results of the MSTV calculation of the multiplicity distribution in $d + Au$ collisions at RHIC. However, additional aspects of studies, together with existing data, call into question some of the essential elements reported by MSTV. Resolution of these issues will require further developments of ip-jazma, in order to determine if it can replicate the qualitative agreement with the $v_2$ reported by MSTV. Both the work reported here and future studies will establish which features in the experimental data are uniquely attributable to the color glass condensate description.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Simulation and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes modeling of a three-component Rayleigh-Taylor mixing problem with thermonuclear burn

Rayleigh-Taylor mixing in the presence of a third component with intermediate density is investigated through three-dimensional large-eddy simulation (LES) with a high-order compact finite-difference code. Two configurations are considered: (1) a symmetric configuration in which the Atwood number between the heavy and intermediate components matches the Atwood number between the intermediate and light components and (2) an asymmetric configuration in which the Atwood number between the heavy and intermediate components is an order of magnitude greater than the Atwood number between the intermediate and light components. Mass fraction covariances are extracted, and proposed Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) closures for density-specific-volume and density-mass-fraction covariances are evaluated in an a priori fashion. Additionally, a multicomponent extension of the k - Φ - L - a - V RANS model [Morgan, Phys. Rev. E 104, 015107 (2021)] is presented which includes model equations for the upper-triangular elements of the mass fraction covariance matrix. This model, referred to as the k - Φ - L - a - C model, is compared against results from LES and against other RANS models. Profiles of average mass fraction, mass-fraction covariance, and density-specific-volume covariance obtained with the k - Φ - L - a - C model are found to agree well with LES data. Finally, the impact of three-component turbulent mixing on average reaction rate is investigated in both premixed and nonpremixed cases by heating the mixing layer and allowing it to undergo thermonuclear (TN) burn. A closure model for average reaction rate is proposed for use with the k - Φ - L - a - C model, and when this model is applied, improved agreement is obtained between LES and RANS in total TN neutron production.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Disordering, clustering, and laning transitions in particle systems with dispersion in the Magnus term

We numerically examine a two-dimensional system of repulsively interacting particles with dynamics that are governed by both a damping term and a Magnus term. The magnitude of the Magnus term has one value for half of the particles and a different value for the other half of the particles. In the absence of a driving force, the particles form a triangular lattice, while when a driving force is applied, we find that there is a critical drive above which a Magnus-induced disordering transition can occur even if the difference in the Magnus term between the two particle species is as small as one percent. The transition arises due to the different Hall angles of the two species, which causes their motion to decouple at the critical drive. At higher drives, the disordered state can undergo both species and density phase separation into a density-modulated stripe that is oriented perpendicular to the driving direction. We observe several additional phases that occur as a function of drive and Magnus force disparity, including a variety of density-modulated diagonal-laned phases. In general, we find a much richer variety of states compared to systems of oppositely driven overdamped Yukawa particles. Here, we discuss the implications of our work for skyrmion systems, where we predict that even for small skyrmion dispersities, a drive-induced disordering transition can occur along with clustering phases and pattern-forming states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hubbard Model Physics in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Moiré Bands

Flexible long period moire superlattices form in two-dimensional van der Waals crystals containing layers that differ slightly in lattice constant or orientation. In this Letter we show theoretically that isolated flat moire bands described by generalized triangular lattice Hubbard models are present in twisted transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayers. The hopping and interaction strength parameters of the Hubbard model can be tuned by varying the twist angle and the three-dimensional dielectric environment. In conclusion, when the flat moire bands are partially filled, candidate many-body ground states at some special filling factors include spin-liquid states, quantum anomalous Hall insulators, and chiral d-wave superconductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Connecting the Simpler Structures to Topologically Close-Packed Phases

Pathways connecting dissimilar crystal structures are fundamental to our understanding of structural phase transitions. In this Letter, we report on a new pathway connecting the hexagonal close-packed crystal structure to a hierarchy of topologically close-packed phases consisting of kagome and triangular nets. Common intermetallic structure prototypes such as the Friauf-Laves phases, CaCu 5 , Ce 2 Ni 7 , Be 3 Nb, and Co 7 Gd 2 are specific members of this hierarchy. In this work, we find that the pathway is facile for compounds with large atomic size differences, which has implications for the nucleation mechanism of these complex phases.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Frustration and Atomic Ordering in a Monolayer Semiconductor Alloy

Frustrated interactions can lead to short-range ordering arising from incompatible interactions of fundamental physical quantities with the underlying lattice. The simplest example is the triangular lattice of spins with antiferromagnetic interactions, where the nearest-neighbor spin-spin interactions cannot simultaneously be energy minimized. In this work, we show that engineering frustrated interactions is a possible route for controlling structural and electronic phenomena in semiconductor alloys. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate atomic ordering in a two-dimensional semiconductor alloy as a result of the competition between geometrical constraints and nearest-neighbor interactions. Statistical analyses uncover the presence of short-range ordering in the lattice. In addition, we show how the induced ordering can be used as another degree of freedom to considerably modify the band gap of monolayer semiconductor alloys.

2-dimensional systems↗

Honeycomb-Lattice Mott Insulator on Tantalum Disulphide

Effects of electron many-body interactions amplify in an electronic system with a narrow bandwidth opening a way to exotic physics. A narrow band in a two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice is particularly intriguing as combined with Dirac bands and topological properties but the material realization of a strongly interacting honeycomb lattice described by the Kane-Mele-Hubbard model has not been identified. Here we report a novel approach to realize a 2D honeycomb-lattice narrow-band system with strongly interacting 5$\textit{d}$ electrons. Iin this work, we engineer a well-known triangular lattice 2D Mott insulator 1$\textit{T}$ – TaS 2 into a honeycomb lattice utilizing an adsorbate superstructure. Potassium (K) adatoms at an optimum coverage deplete one-third of the unpaired $\textit{d}$ electrons and the remaining electrons form a honeycomb lattice with a very small hopping. Ab initio calculations show extremely narrow $Z_2$ topological bands mimicking the Kane-Mele model. Electron spectroscopy detects an order of magnitude bigger charge gap confirming the substantial electron correlation as confirmed by dynamical mean field theory. It could be the first artificial Mott insulator with a finite spin Chern number.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dynamic Nuclear Spin Polarization Induced by the Edelstein Effect at Bi(111) Surfaces

Nuclear spin polarization induced by hyperfine interaction and mainly the Edelstein effect due to strong spin-orbit interaction, is investigated by quantum transport in Bi(111) thin film samples. The Bi(111) films are deposited on mica by van der Waals epitaxial growth. The Bi(111) films show micrometer-sized triangular islands with 0.39 nm step height, corresponding to the Bi(111) bilayer height. At low temperatures a high current density is applied to generate a nonequilibrium carrier spin polarization by mainly the Edelstein effect at the Bi(111) surface, which then induces dynamic nuclear polarization by hyperfine interaction. Here, comparative quantum magnetotransport antilocalization measurements indicate a suppression of antilocalization by the in-plane Overhauser field from the nuclear polarization and allow a quantification of the Overhauser field. Hence nuclear polarization was both achieved and quantified by a purely electronic transport-based approach.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Scattering Signatures of Bond-Dependent Magnetic Interactions

Bond-dependent magnetic interactions can generate exotic phases such as Kitaev spin-liquid states. Experimentally determining the values of bond-dependent interactions is a challenging but crucial problem. In this paper, I show that each symmetry-allowed nearest-neighbor interaction on triangular and honeycomb lattices has a distinct signature in paramagnetic neutron-diffraction data, and that such data contain sufficient information to determine the spin Hamiltonian unambiguously via unconstrained fits. Moreover, I show that bond-dependent interactions can often be extracted from powder-averaged data. These results facilitate experimental determination of spin Hamiltonians for materials that do not show conventional magnetic ordering.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗