The first experimental results of a new quantum method for calculating nuclear temperature and density of fragmenting heavy ions is presented. This method is based on fluctuations in the event quadrupole momentum and fragment multiplicity distributions of light Fermions. The cal- culated temperatures are lower than those obtained with a similar classical method. Quenching of the normalized multiplicity distributions of light fermions due to Pauli blocking is also observed. These results indicate a need for a quantum treatment when dealing with statistical properties of fragmenting heavy-ions.
We present a subset of experimental results on charge fluctuation from the heavy-ion collisions to search for phase transition and location of critical point in the QCD phase diagram. Measurements from the heavy-ion experiments at the SPS and RHIC en
ergies observe that total charge fluctuations increase from central to peripheral collisions. The net-charge fluctuations in terms of dynamical fluctuation measure $ u_{(+-,dyn)}$ are studied as a function of collision energy (sqsn) and centrality of the collisions. The product of $ u_{(+-,dyn)}$ and $langle N_{ch} rangle$ shows a monotonic decrease with collision energies, which indicates that at LHC energy the fluctuations have their origin in the QGP phase. The fluctuations in terms of higher moments of net-proton, net-electric charge and net-kaon have been measured for various sqsn. Deviations are observed in both $Ssigma$ and $kappasigma^2$ for net-proton multiplicity distributions from the Skellam and hadron resonance gas model for sqsn $<$ 39 GeV. Higher moment results of the net-electric charge and net-kaon do not observe any significant non-monotonic behavior as a function of collision energy. We also discuss the extraction of the freeze-out parameters using particle ratios and experimentally measured higher moments of net-charge fluctuations. The extracted freeze-out parameters from experimentally measured moments and lattice calculations, are found to be in agreement with the results obtained from the fit of particle ratios to the thermal model calculations.
We present a simple description of the energy density profile created in a nucleus-nucleus collision, motivated by high-energy QCD. The energy density is modeled as the sum of contributions coming from elementary collisions between localized charges
and a smooth nucleus. Each of these interactions creates a sharply-peaked source of energy density falling off at large distances like $1/r^2$, corresponding to the two-dimensional Coulomb field of a point charge. Our model reproduces the one-point and two-point functions of the energy density field calculated in the framework of the color glass condensate effective theory, to leading logarithmic accuracy. We apply it to the description of eccentricity fluctuations. Unlike other existing models of initial conditions for heavy-ion collisions, it allows us to reproduce simultaneously the centrality dependence of elliptic and triangular flow.
The recent measurements of the global polarization and vector meson spin alignment along the system orbital momentum in heavy ion collisions are briefly reviewed. A possible connection between the global polarization and the chiral anomalous effects
is discussed along with possible experimental checks. Future directions, in particular those aimed on the detailed mapping of the vorticity fields, are outlined. The Blast Wave model is used for an estimate of the anisotropic flow effect on the vorticity component along the beam direction. We also point to a possibility of a circular pattern in the vorticity field in asymmetric, e.g. Cu+Au, central collisions.
The Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) is created in high energy heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This medium is transparent to electromagnetic probes but nearly opaque to colored probes. H
ard partons produced early in the collision fragment and hadronize into a collimated spray of particles called a jet. The partons lose energy as they traverse the medium, a process called jet quenching. Most of the lost energy is still correlated with the parent parton, contributing to particle production at larger angles and lower momenta relative to the parent parton than in proton-proton collisions. This partonic energy loss can be measured through several observables, each of which give different insights into the degree and mechanism of energy loss. The measurements to date are summarized and the path forward is discussed.
We review progress in the study of antinuclei, starting from Diracs equation and the discovery of the positron in cosmic-ray events. The development of proton accelerators led to the discovery of antiprotons, followed by the first antideuterons, demo
nstrating that antinucleons bind into antinuclei. With the development of heavy-ion programs at the Brookhaven AGS and CERN SPS, it was demonstrated that central collisions of heavy nuclei offer a fertile ground for research and discoveries in the area of antinuclei. In this review, we emphasize recent observations at Brookhavens Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and at CERNs Large Hadron Collider, namely, the antihypertriton and the antihelium-4, as well as measurements of the mass difference between light nuclei and antinuclei, and the interaction between antiprotons. Physics implications of the new observations and different production mechanisms are discussed. We also consider implications for related fields, such as hypernuclear physics and space-based cosmic-ray experiments.