No Arabic abstract
The direct photon spectra and flow ($v_2$, $v_3$) in heavy-ion collisions at SPS, RHIC and LHC energies are investigated within a relativistic transport approach incorporating both hadronic and partonic phases -- the Parton-Hadron-String Dynamics (PHSD). In the present work, four extensions are introduced compared to our previous calculations: (i) going beyond the soft-photon approximation (SPA) in the calculation of the bremsstrahlung processes $meson+mesonto meson+meson+gamma$, (ii) quantifying the suppression due to the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal (LPM) coherence effect, (iii) adding the additional channels $V+Nto N+gamma$ and $Deltato N+gamma$ and (iv) providing predictions for Pb+Pb collisions at $sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV. The first issue extends the applicability of the bremsstrahlung calculations to higher photon energies in order to understand the relevant sources in the region $p_T=0.5-1.5$ GeV, while the LPM correction turns out to be important for $p_T<0.4$ GeV in the partonic phase. The results suggest that a large elliptic flow $v_2$ of the direct photons signals a significant contribution of photons produced in interactions of secondary mesons and baryons in the late (hadronic) stage of the heavy-ion collision. In order to further differentiate the origin of the direct photon azimuthal asymmetry (late hadron interactions vs electromagnetic fields in the initial stage), we provide predictions for the triangular flow $v_3(p_T)$ of direct photons. Additionally, we illustrate the magnitude of the photon production in the partonic and hadronic phases as functions of time and local energy density. Finally, the cocktail method for an estimation of the background photon elliptic flow, which is widely used in the experimental works, is supported by the calculations within the PHSD transport approach.
We investigate the behavior of low energy photons radiated by the deceleration processes of two colliding nuclei in relativistic heavy ion collisions using the Wigner function approach for electromagnetic radiation fields. The angular distribution reveals the information of the initial geometric configurations. Such a property is reflected in the anisotropic parameter $v_{2}$, showing an increasing $v_{2}$ as energy decreases, which is a behavior qualitatively different from $v_{2}$ from hadrons produced in the collisions.
Direct photons have been proposed as a promising signature for the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) formation in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Recently WA98 presented the first data on direct photons in Pb+Pb-collisions at SPS. At the same time RHIC started with its experimental program. The discovery of the QGP in these experiments relies on a comparison of data with theoretical predictions for QGP signals. In the case of direct photons new results for the production rates of thermal photons from the QGP and a hot hadron gas as well as for prompt photons from initial hard parton scatterings have been proposed recently. Based on these rates a variety of different hydrodynamic models, describing the space-time evolution of the fireball, have been adopted for calculating the direct photon spectra. The results have been compared to the WA98 data and predictions for RHIC and LHC have been made. So far the conclusions of the various models are controversial. The aim of the present review is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date survey and status report on the experimental and theoretical aspects of direct photons in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.
Using the string melting version of a multiphase transport (AMPT) model, we focus on the evolution of thermodynamic properties of the central cell of parton matter produced in Au+Au collisions ranging from 200 GeV down to 2.7 GeV. The temperature and baryon chemical potential are calculated for Au+Au collisions at different energies to locate their evolution trajectories in the QCD phase diagram. The evolution of pressure anisotropy indicates that only partial thermalization can be achieved, especially at lower energies. Through event-by-event temperature fluctuations, we present the specific heat of the partonic matter as a function of temperature and baryon chemical potential that is related to the partonic matters approach to equilibrium.
We study charm production in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions by using the Parton-Hadron-String Dynamics (PHSD) transport approach. The initial charm quarks are produced by the PYTHIA event generator tuned to fit the transverse momentum spectrum and rapidity distribution of charm quarks from Fixed-Order Next-to-Leading Logarithm (FONLL) calculations. The produced charm quarks scatter in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) with the off-shell partons whose masses and widths are given by the Dynamical Quasi-Particle Model (DQPM), which reproduces the lattice QCD equation-of-state in thermal equilibrium. The relevant cross sections are calculated in a consistent way by employing the effective propagators and couplings from the DQPM. Close to the critical energy density of the phase transition, the charm quarks are hadronized into $D$ mesons through coalescence and/or fragmentation. The hadronized $D$ mesons then interact with the various hadrons in the hadronic phase with cross sections calculated in an effective lagrangian approach with heavy-quark spin symmetry. The nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$ and the elliptic flow $v_2$ of $D^0$ mesons from PHSD are compared with the experimental data from the STAR Collaboration for Au+Au collisions at $sqrt{s_{NN}}$ =200 GeV and to the ALICE data for Pb+Pb collisions at $sqrt{s_{NN}}$ =2.76 TeV. We find that in the PHSD the energy loss of $D$ mesons at high $p_T$ can be dominantly attributed to partonic scattering while the actual shape of $R_{AA}$ versus $p_T$ reflects the heavy-quark hadronization scenario, i.e. coalescence versus fragmentation. Also the hadronic rescattering is important for the $R_{AA}$ at low $p_T$ and enhances the $D$-meson elliptic flow $v_2$.
Hard photon emitted from energetic heavy ion collisions is of very interesting since it does not experience the late-stage nuclear interaction, therefore it is useful to explore the early-stage information of matter phase. In this work, we have presented a first calculation of azimuthal asymmetry, characterized by directed transverse flow parameter $F$ and elliptic asymmetry coefficient $v_2$, for proton-neutron bremsstrahlung hard photons in intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions. The positive $F$ and negative $v_2$ of direct photons are illustrated and they seem to be anti-correlated to the corresponding free protons flow.