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At least 829 records · Page 46

Nonequilibrium kinetic freeze-out properties in relativistic heavy ion collisions from energies employed at the RHIC beam energy scan to those available at the LHC

In this paper, we investigate the kinetic freeze-out properties in relativistic heavy ion collisions at different collision energies. We present a study of standard Boltzmann-Gibbs blast-wave (BGBW) fits and Tsallis blast-wave (TBW) fits performed on the transverse momentum spectra of identified hadrons produced in Au + Au collisions at collision energies of $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=$7.7 –200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), and in Pb + Pb collisions at collision energies of $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=$ 2.76 and 5.02 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The behavior of strange and multistrange particles is also investigated. We found that the TBW model describes data better than the BGBW one overall, and the contrast is more prominent as the collision energy increases as the degree of nonequilibrium of the produced system is found to increase. From TBW fits, the kinetic freeze-out temperature at the same centrality shows a weak dependence of collision energy between 7.7 and 39 GeV, while it decreases as collision energy continues to increase up to 5.02 TeV. The radial flow is found to be consistent with zero in peripheral collisions at RHIC energies but sizable at LHC energies and central collisions at all RHIC energies. We also observed that the strange hadrons, with higher temperature and similar radial flow, approach equilibrium more quickly from peripheral to central collisions than light hadrons. The dependence of temperature and flow velocity on nonequilibrium parameter (q - 1) is characterized by two second-order polynomials. Both a and dξ from the polynomials fit, related to the influence of the system bulk viscosity, increase toward lower RHIC energies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Projections of two-particle correlations onto transverse rapidity in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV at STAR

Two-particle correlation measurements projected onto two-dimensional, transverse rapidity coordinates (y T1 ,y T2 ), allow access to dynamical properties of the QCD medium produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions that angular correlation measurements are not sensitive to. Here, we report non-identified charged-particle correlations for Au + Au minimum-bias collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV taken by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). Correlations are presented as 2D functions of transverse rapidity for like-sign, unlike-sign and all charged-particle pairs, as well as for particle pairs whose relative azimuthal angles lie on the near-side, the away-side, or at all relative azimuth. The correlations are constructed using charged particles with transverse momentum p T ≥ 0.15 GeV/c, pseudorapidity from –1 to 1, and azimuthal angles from –π to π. The significant correlation structures that are observed evolve smoothly with collision centrality. The major correlation features include a saddle shape plus a broad peak with maximum near y T ≈ 3, corresponding to p T ≈ 1.5 GeV/c. The broad peak is observed in both like- and unlike-sign charge combinations and in near- and away-side relative azimuthal angles. The all-charge, all-azimuth correlation measurements are compared with the theoretical predictions of HIJING and EPOS. The results indicate that the correlations for peripheral to mid-central collisions can be approximately described as a superposition of nucleon + nucleon collisions with minimal effects from the QCD medium. Strong medium effects are indicated in mid- to most-central collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Measurements of second-harmonic Fourier coefficients from azimuthal anisotropies in p + p , p + Au , d + Au , and He 3 + Au collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

Recently, the PHENIX Collaboration has published second- and third-harmonic Fourier coefficients v 2 and v 3 for midrapidity (|η|< 0.35 ) charged hadrons in 0%–5% central p+Au, d+Au, and 3 He+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 200 GeV, utilizing three sets of two-particle correlations for two detector combinations with different pseudorapidity acceptance [Acharya et al., Phys. Rev. C 105, 024901 (2022)]. Here, this paper extends these measurements of v 2 to all centralities in p+Au, d+Au, and 3 He+Au collisions, as well as p+p collisions, as a function of transverse momentum (p T ) and event multiplicity. The kinematic dependence of v 2 is quantified as the ratio R of v 2 between the two detector combinations as a function of event multiplicity for 0.5 < p T <1 and 2 T < 2.5 GeV/c. A multiphase-transport (AMPT) model can reproduce the observed v 2 in most-central to midcentral d Au and 3 He+Au collisions. However, the AMPT model systematically overestimates the measurements in p+p, p+Au, and peripheral d+Au and 3 He+Au collisions, indicating a higher nonflow contribution in the AMPT model than in the experimental data. The AMPT model fails to describe the observed R for 0.5 < p T < 1 GeV/c , but there is qualitative agreement with the measurements for 2 < p T < 2.5 GeV/c.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Low-$p_T$ direct-photon production in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 39 and 62.4 GeV

Here, the measurement of direct photons from Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 39 and 62.4 GeV in the transverse-momentum range 0.4 < $p_T$ < 3 Gev/c is presented by the PHENIX collaboration at the BNLRelativistic Heavy Ion Collider. A significant direct-photon yield is observed in both collision systems. A universal scaling is observed when the direct-photon $p_T$ spectra for different center-of-mass energies and for different centrality selections at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 62.4 GeV is scaled with $(dN_{\text{ch}}/dη)^α$ for α = 1.21 ± 0.04. This scaling also holds true for direct-photon spectra from Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV measured earlier by PHENIX, as well as the spectra from Pb + Pb at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2760 GeV published by ALICE. The scaling power α seems to be independent of $p_T$, center of mass energy, and collision centrality. The spectra from different collision energies have a similar shape up to $p_T$ of 2 Gev/c. The spectra have a local inverse slope $T_{\text{eff}}$ increasing with $p_T$ of 0.174 ± 0.018 Gev/c in the range 0.4 < $p_T$ < 1.3 Gev/c and increasing to 0.289 ± 0.024 Gev/c for 0.9 < $p_T$ < 2.1 Gev/c. The observed similarity of low-$p_T$ direct-photon production from $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 39 to 2760 GeV suggests a common source of direct photons for the different collision energies and event centrality selections, and suggests a comparable space-time evolution of direct-photon emission.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

$K^{*0}$ production in $\text{Au} \times \text{Au}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 7.7$, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, and 39 GeV from the RHIC beam energy scan

We report the measurement of K *0 meson at midrapidity (|y|< 1.0) in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27 and 39 GeV collected by the STAR experiment during the RHIC beam energy scan (BES) program. The transverse momentum spectra, yield, and average transverse momentum of K *0 are presented as functions of collision centrality and beam energy. The K *0 /K yield ratios are presented for different collision centrality intervals and beam energies. The K *0 /K ratio in heavy-ion collisions are observed to be smaller than that in small system collisions (e+e and p+p). The K *0 /K ratio follows a similar centrality dependence to that observed in previous RHIC and LHC measurements. The data favor the scenario of the dominance of hadronic re-scattering over regeneration for K *0 production in the hadronic phase of the medium.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Correlations between flow and transverse momentum in Xe + Xe and Pb + Pb collisions at the LHC with the ATLAS detector: A probe of the heavy-ion initial state and nuclear deformation

The correlations between flow harmonics v n for n = 2, 3, and 4 and mean transverse momentum [p T ] in 129 Xe + 129 Xe and 208 Pb + 208 Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.44 and 5.02 TeV, respectively, are measured using charged particles with the ATLAS detector. The correlations are potentially sensitive to the shape and size of the initial geometry, nuclear deformation, and initial momentum anisotropy. The effects from nonflow and centrality fluctuations are minimized, respectively, via a subevent cumulant method and an event-activity selection based on particle production at very forward rapidity. The v n -[p T ] correlations show strong dependencies on centrality, harmonic number n, p T , and pseudorapidity range. Current models qualitatively describe the overall centralityand system-dependent trends but fail to quantitatively reproduce all features of the data. In central collisions, where models generally show good agreement, the v 2 -[p T ] correlations are sensitive to the triaxiality of the quadruple deformation. Comparison of the model with the Pb + Pb and Xe + Xe data confirms that the 129 Xe nucleus is a highly deformed triaxial ellipsoid that has neither a prolate nor oblate shape. This provides strong evidence for a triaxial deformation of the 129 Xe nucleus from high-energy heavy-ion collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Observation of flow angle and flow magnitude fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

This Letter reports on the first measurements of transverse momentum dependent flow angle Ψ n and flow magnitude v n fluctuations determined using new four-particle correlators. The measurements are performed for various centralities in Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV with ALICE at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Both flow angle and flow magnitude fluctuations are observed in the presented centrality ranges and are strongest in the most central collisions and for a transverse momentum p T > 2 GeV / c. Comparison with theoretical models, including iEBE-VISHNU, MUSIC, and AMPT, show that the measurements exhibit unique sensitivities to the initial state of heavy-ion collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Production of protons and light nuclei in Au +Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 3 GeV with the STAR detector

We report the systematic measurement of protons and light nuclei production in Au +Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 3 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The transverse momentum (𝑝 𝑇 ) spectra of protons (𝑝) , deuterons (𝑑) , tritons (𝑡) , 3 He , and 4 He have been measured from midrapidity to target rapidity for different collision centralities. We present the rapidity and centrality dependence of particle yields (𝑑⁢𝑁/𝑑⁢𝑦), average transverse momentum (⟨𝑝 𝑇 ⟩), yield ratios (𝑑/𝑝, 𝑡/𝑝, 3 He/𝑝, 4 He/𝑝), as well as the coalescence parameters (𝐵 2 ,𝐵 3 ). The 4⁢𝜋 yields for various particles are determined by utilizing the measured rapidity distributions, 𝑑⁢𝑁/𝑑⁢𝑦. Furthermore, we present the energy, centrality, and rapidity dependence of the compound yield ratios (𝑁 𝑝 ×𝑁 𝑡 /𝑁$^{2}_{d}$) and compare them with various model calculations. Furthermore, the physics implications of these results on the production mechanism of light nuclei and the QCD phase structure are discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Bayesian reconstruction of anisotropic flow fluctuations at fixed impact parameter

The cumulants of the distribution of anisotropic flow are measured accurately in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC as a function of centrality classifiers (charged multiplicity and/or transverse energy). Using Bayesian inference, we reconstruct from these measurements the probability distribution of anisotropic flow in the ``theorists' frame'' where the impact parameter has a fixed magnitude and orientation, up to ∼70% centrality. The variation of flow fluctuations with impact parameter displays direct evidence of viscous damping, which is larger for higher Fourier harmonics, in line with expectations from hydrodynamics. We use intensive measures of non-Gaussian flow fluctuations, which have reduced dependence on centrality. Here, we infer from ATLAS data the magnitude of these intensive non-Gaussianities in each Fourier harmonic. They provide data-driven estimates of response coefficients to initial anisotropies, without resorting to any specific microscopic model of initial conditions. These estimates agree with viscous hydrodynamic calculations.

Bayesian methods↗

Optimal observing strategies for velocity-suppressed dark matter annihilation

Numerous particle models for the cosmological dark matter feature a pair-annihilation rate that scales with powers of the relative velocity between the annihilating particles. As a result, the annihilation rate in the central regions of a dark matter halo can be significantly lower than at the halo’s periphery for particular ambient gravitational potentials. While this might be offset by an increasing dark matter pair number density in the inner halo, it raises the question; what angular region for dark matter models with velocity-suppressed annihilation rates optimizes the signal to noise ratio? We consider simplified background models for galactic and extragalactic targets and demonstrate that the optimal observing strategy varies greatly case by case. Generally, a bright central source warrants an annular region of interest, while a flatter background warrants as large as possible an angular region, possibly including the central regions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Constraining the galaxy-halo connection of infrared-selected unWISE galaxies with galaxy clustering and galaxy-CMB lensing power spectra

We present the first detailed analysis of the connection between galaxies and their dark matter halos for the unWISE galaxy catalog—a full-sky, infrared-selected sample built from WISE data, containing over 500 million galaxies. Using unWISE galaxy-galaxy autocorrelation and Planck CMB lensing-galaxy cross-correlation measurements down to 10 arcmin angular scales, we constrain the halo occupation distribution (HOD), a model describing how central and satellite galaxies are distributed within dark matter halos, for three unWISE galaxy samples at mean redshifts z ¯ ≈ 0.6 , 1.1, and 1.5, assuming a fixed cosmology at the best-fit Planck Λ CDM values. We constrain the characteristic minimum halo mass to host a central galaxy, M min HOD = 1.8 3 - 1.63 + 0.41 × 10 12 M ⊙ / h , 5.22 - 4.80 + 0.34 × 10 12 M ⊙ / h , 6.60 - 1.11 + 0.30 × 10 13 M ⊙ / h and the mass scale at which one satellite galaxy per halo is found, M 1 ' = 1.1 3 - 0.70 + 0.32 × 10 13 M ⊙ / h , 1.18 - 1.11 + 0.30 × 10 13 M ⊙ / h , 1.23 - 1.17 + 0.14 × 10 14 M ⊙ / h for the unWISE samples at z ¯ ≈ 0.6 , 1.1, and 1.5, respectively. We find that all three samples are dominated by central galaxies, rather than satellites. Using our constrained HOD models, we infer the effective linear galaxy bias for each unWISE sample, and find that it does not evolve as steeply with redshift as found in previous perturbation-theory-based analyses of these galaxies. We discuss possible sources of systematic uncertainty in our results, the most significant of which is the uncertainty on the galaxy redshift distribution. Our HOD constraints provide a detailed, quantitative understanding of how the unWISE galaxies populate the underlying dark matter halo distribution. These constraints will have a direct impact on future studies employing the unWISE galaxies as a cosmological and astrophysical probe, including measurements of ionized gas thermodynamics and dark matter profiles via Sunyaev-Zel’dovich and lensing cross-correlations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Gravothermal collapse and the diversity of galactic rotation curves

The rotation curves of spiral galaxies exhibit a great diversity that challenges our understanding of galaxy formation and the nature of dark matter. Previous studies showed that in self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) models with a cross section per unit mass of σ/m ≈ $\mathscr{O}$(1) cm 2 /g, the predicted dark matter central densities are a good match to the observed densities in galaxies. Here, in this work, we explore a regime with a larger cross section of σ/m ≈ 20−40 cm 2 /g in dwarf galactic halos. We will show that such strong dark matter self-interactions can further amplify the diversity of halo densities inherited from their assembly history. High concentration halos can enter the gravothermal collapse phase within 10 Gyr, resulting in a high density, while low concentration ones remain in the expansion phase and have a low density. We fit the rotation curves of 14 representative low surface brightness galaxies and demonstrate how the large range of observed central densities is naturally accommodated in the strong SIDM regime of σ/m ≈ 20 – 40 cm 2 /g. Galaxies that are outliers in the previous studies, due to their high halo central densities, are no longer outliers in this SIDM regime as their halos would be in the collapse phase. For galaxies with a low density, the SIDM fits are robust to the variation of the cross section. Our findings open up a new window for testing gravothermal collapse, the unique signature of strong dark matter self-interactions, and exploring a broader SIDM model space. As an example, we illustrate how the larger cross sections favored by our fits, together with upper limits from strong lensing observations in clusters, pick out the preferred SIDM model space for a dark matter particle coupled to a light gauge boson in the Born regime.

dark matter↗

Ideal MHD Limited Electron Temperature in Spherical Tokamaks

It is well documented that the central electron temperature in the national spherical torus experiment (NSTX) remains largely unchanged as the external heating power, and hence the normalized volume averaged plasma pressure β increases [Stutman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 115002 (2009)]. Herein we present a hypothesis that low n, pressure driven ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities that are nondisruptive, can break magnetic surfaces in the central region and thereby flatten the electron temperature profiles. We demonstrate this mechanism in a 3D resistive MHD simulation of a NSTX discharge. By varying the toroidal magnetic field strength, and/or the heating power, we show that there is a critical value of β, above which the central temperature profile no longer peaks on axis.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Second harmonic Bessel-Gauss beam shaping with elliptic axicon aberrations

The second harmonic (SH) of an axicon generated Bessel-Gauss beam is created through the nonlinear interaction of photons with a crystal, resulting in the energy doubling of the output photons. In this work, we show experimentally that in addition to frequency doubling, the SH of Bessel-Gauss beams under asymmetric aberrations from an elliptic axicon exhibit intriguing beam formation. Particularly, the central region of the SH beam profile is composed of two central spots of various geometries surrounded by nested ellipses; one of which is the configuration of two central gamma dots with similar radius knotted by nested ellipses for a zeroth-order Bessel-Gauss pump. These SH beams consistently maintain their spatial profile throughout propagation, reminiscing the behavior of screw dislocations in wave patterns. Our numerical simulations produce beam dynamics consistent with that of experiments and further implicate the remarkable interweaving of bright spots with dark vortices. This is especially noticeable when the beams dynamically oscillate along the optical axis, resulting in the genesis of spatially polarized beams with a knotted framework. The insights gained from our study establish a novel paradigm for exploring interactions of Bessel-like beams with vortex dynamics. This, in turn, has the potential to spark innovations in optical applications, fostering new methodologies to harness and manipulate complex light structures. Our experimental findings could spur new methods of generating logical states of light and new opportunities for material processing control. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Wang, Tianhong (ORCID:0000000169104201)↗

Selection-bias effects on high-𝑝 𝑇 yield and correlation measurements in oxygen + oxygen collisions

Oxygen + oxygen (O+O) collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) offer a unique experimental opportunity to observe the onset of jet quenching in intermediate relativistic collision systems. As with the smaller proton-nucleus or larger nucleus-nucleus systems, measurements of centrality-selected high-𝑝 T processes in O+O collisions are expected to be sensitive to selection bias effects, which will be necessary to quantify or mitigate before a definitive conclusion on the presence of jet quenching. Using two Monte Carlo heavy-ion event generators, we provide a survey of centrality bias effects on high-𝑝 T yield and correlation measurements. Some highlights of our findings include that (1) bias factors for the accessible kinematic range at RHIC show a nontrivial 𝑝 T dependence, compared to a negligible one at the LHC given the smaller accessible Bjorken-𝑥 range, (2) centrality definitions based on multiplicity are less sensitive to bias effects than those based on the transverse energy, (3) the Angantyr generator gives qualitatively similar but larger-magnitude bias factors than Hijing, and (4) correlation measurements have a much smaller sensitivity to bias effects than do yield measurements. Furthermore, the findings here are intended to guide the experimental design and interpretation of O+O jet quenching and other hard-process measurements.

Hard scattering↗

Distributed ADMM Using Private Blockchain for Power Flow Optimization in Distribution Network With Coupled and Mixed-Integer Constraints

The optimization problem for scheduling distributed energy resources (DERs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) integrated with the power grid is important to minimize energy consumption from conventional sources in response to demand. Conventionally this optimization problem is solved in a centralized manner, limiting the size of the problem that can be solved and creating a high communication overhead because all the data is transferred to the central controller. These limitations are addressed by the proposed distributed consensus-based alternating direction method of multiplier (DC-ADMM) optimization algorithm, which decomposes the optimization problem into subproblems with private cost function and constraints. The distribution feeder is partitioned into low coupling subnetworks/regions, which solves the private subproblem locally and exchanges information with the neighboring regions to reach consensus. The relaxation strategy is employed for mixed-integer and coupled constraints introduced in the optimal power flow (OPF) problem by stationary and transportable BESS because DC-ADMM convergence is only guaranteed for strict convex problems. The information exchange and synchronization between subnetworks/regions are vital for distributed optimization. In this work, both of these aspects are addressed by the blockchain. The smart contract deployed on the blockchain network acts as a mediator for secure data exchange and synchronization in distributed computation. The blockchain-based distributed optimization problem’s effectiveness is tested for a 0.5-MW laboratory microgrid for one hour ahead and day-ahead for the IEEE 123-bus and EPRI J1 test feeders, and results are compared with a centralized solution.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Networked Microgrid Operations: Supporting a Resilient Electric Power Infrastructure

Modern electric power systems operate using large generating units managed with a centralized control structure. The current systems are the result of over a hundred years of technological development and consolidation to leverage economies of scale. While the existing systems have proven cost effective and reliable, modern systems are experiencing a wide range of operational challenges that are causing a reexamination of the centralized control structure. Despite the nearly universal adoption of centralized control, electric power systems are fractal in their operational requirements. Specifically, the fundamental operational requirements are the same, regardless of the system size. While past technologies have not allowed for exploitation of this fractal behavior, emerging technologies are making it possible; these technologies include grid-forming inverters, modern telecommunications systems, and distributed control architectures. Here we show emerging technologies that allow the fractal operational requirements of electric power systems to be exploited as networked microgrids to increase the resiliency of the world’s critical electrical infrastructure.

Schneider, Kevin P.↗

Gradient Coding With Iterative Block Leverage Score Sampling

Gradient coding is a method for mitigating straggling servers in a centralized computing network that uses erasure-coding techniques to distributively carry out first-order optimization methods. Randomized numerical linear algebra uses randomization to develop improved algorithms for large-scale linear algebra computations. In this study, we propose a method for distributed optimization that combines gradient coding and randomized numerical linear algebra. The proposed method uses a randomized ℓ 2 -subspace embedding and a gradient coding technique to distribute blocks of data to the computational nodes of a centralized network, and at each iteration the central server only requires a small number of computations to obtain the steepest descent update. The novelty of our approach is that the data is replicated according to importance scores, called block leverage scores, in contrast to most gradient coding approaches that uniformly replicate the data blocks. Furthermore, we do not require a decoding step at each iteration, avoiding a bottleneck in previous gradient coding schemes. We show that our approach results in a valid ℓ 2 -subspace embedding, and that our resulting approximation converges to the optimal solution.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗