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Relativistic mean-field theories for neutron-star physics based on chiral effective field theory

We describe and implement a procedure for determining the couplings of a relativistic mean-field theory (RMFT) that is optimized for application to neutron star phenomenology. In the standard RMFT approach, the couplings are constrained by comparing the theory's predictions for symmetric matter at saturation density with measured nuclear properties. The theory is then applied to neutron stars which consist of neutron-rich matter at densities ranging up to several times saturation density, which allows for additional astrophysical constraints. In our approach, rather than using the RMFT to extrapolate from symmetric to neutron-rich matter and from finite-sized nuclei to uniform matter, we fit the RMFT to properties of uniform pure neutron matter obtained from chiral effective field theory. Chiral effective field theory incorporates the experimental data for nuclei in the framework of a controlled expansion for nuclear forces valid at nuclear densities and enables us to account for theoretical uncertainties when fitting the RMFT. We construct four simple RMFTs that span the uncertainties provided by chiral effective field theory for neutron matter, and are consistent with current astrophysical constraints on the equation of state. Lastly, our RMFTs can be used to model the properties of neutron-rich matter across the vast range of densities and temperatures encountered in neutron stars and their mergers.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

3D structure of anisotropic flow in small collision systems at energies available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Here, we present (3 + 1)-dimensional [(3 + 1)D] dynamical simulations of asymmetric nuclear collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Employing a dynamical initial state model coupled to (3 + 1)D viscous relativistic hydrodynamics, we explore the rapidity dependence of anisotropic flow in the RHIC small system scan at 200 GeV center-of-mass energy. We calibrate parameters to describe central 3 He + Au collisions and make extrapolations to d + Au and p + Au collisions. Our calculations demonstrate that approximately 50% of the v 3 (p T ) difference between the measurements by the STAR and PHENIX Collaborations can be explained by the use of reference flow vectors from different rapidity regions. This emphasizes the importance of longitudinal flow decorrelation for anisotropic flow measurements in asymmetric nuclear collisions, and the need for (3 + 1)D simulations. We also present results for the beam energy dependence of particle spectra and anisotropic flow in d + Au collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Secondary neutron production from thick target deuteron breakup

Thick target deuteron breakup is a variable-energy accelerator-based source of high-energy neutrons, with applications in fundamental and applied nuclear science and engineering. However, the breakup mechanism remains poorly understood, and data on neutron yields from thick target breakup remain relatively scarce. In this work, the double-differential neutron yields from deuteron breakup have been measured on a thick beryllium target at ϵ d = 33 and 40 MeV, using both time-of-flight and activation techniques. We have also introduced a simple hybrid model for the double-differential deuteron breakup cross section, applicable in the ϵ d = 10-100 MeV energy range on light (Z ≤ 6) targets. This model features four empirical parameters that have been fit to reproduce experimental breakup measurements on beryllium targets, using the method of least squares. It was shown that these parameters extrapolate well to higher energies, and to other low-Z target materials. Here, we also include optimization of the parameters that modify the Kalbach systematics for compound and preequilibrium reactions, in order to better reproduce the experimental data for beryllium targets at large angles.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Measurement of the J/ψ photoproduction cross section over the full near-threshold kinematic region

Here, we report the total and differential cross sections for $J/\psi$ photoproduction with the large acceptance GlueX spectrometer for photon beam energies from the threshold at 8.2 GeV up to 11.44 GeV and over the full kinematic range of momentum transfer squared, $t$. Such coverage facilitates the extrapolation of the differential cross sections to the forward ($t = 0$) point beyond the physical region. The forward cross section is used by many theoretical models and plays an important role in understanding $J/\psi$ photoproduction and its relation to the $J/\psi$-proton interaction. These measurements of $J/\psi$ photoproduction near threshold are also crucial inputs to theoretical models that are used to study important aspects of the gluon structure of the proton, such as the gluon Generalized Parton Distribution (GPD) of the proton, the mass radius of the proton, and the trace anomaly contribution to the proton mass. We observe possible structures in the total cross section energy dependence and find evidence for contributions beyond gluon exchange in the differential cross section close to threshold, both of which are consistent with contributions from open-charm intermediate states.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Measurement of electrons from beauty-hadron decays in $pp$ and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = $5.02$ TeV

The production of electrons from beauty-hadron decays was measured at midrapidity in proton-proton ($pp$) and central Pb-Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV, using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The cross section measured in p p collisions in the transverse momentum interval $2$ < $p_T$ < $26$ $\mathrm{GeV}$ / $c$ was compared with models based on perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations. The yield in the 10% most central Pb-Pb collisions, measured in the interval $2$ < $p_T$ < $26$ $\mathrm{GeV}$ / $c$, was used to compute the nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$, extrapolating the $pp$ reference cross section to $p_T$ larger than 8 $\mathrm{GeV}$ / $c$. The measured $R_{AA}$ shows significant suppression of the yield of electrons from beauty-hadron decays at high $p_T$ and does not show a significant dependence above 8 $\mathrm{GeV}$ / $c$ within uncertainties. The results are described by several theoretical models based on different implementations of the interaction of heavy quarks with a quark-gluon plasma, which predict a smaller energy loss for beauty quarks compared to light and charm quarks.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Absolute cross section of the C 12 ( p , γ ) N 13 reaction

Solar neutrino measurements have recently reached a level of sensitivity such that CNO fluxes can now be experimentally determined. While these first measurements are still only sensitive to the higher energy neutrinos resulting from the β + decays of 15 Ο produced by the 14 Ν ⁡( p ,$\gamma$)⁢ 15 O reaction, future measurements will work towards detection of neutrinos from the β + decay of 13 N from the 12 C ⁡( p ,$\gamma$)⁢ 13 N reaction. Here, this paper reports on a recent measurement of the 12 C ⁡( p ,$\gamma$)⁢ 13 N reaction covering a broad laboratory energy range between 1.0 and 2.5 MeV. The measurement was made to better determine the overall normalization of the absolute cross section and to explore the interference effects between the two broad, overlapping resonances at proton energies of 0.460 and 1.689 MeV and the direct capture to the ground state of 13 N in the framework of a multichannel R -matrix analysis. This work takes into account previous radiative capture as well as elastic 12 C ( p , p ) 12 C scattering data, making uncertainty estimations using a Bayesian framework, to determine a reliable extrapolation of the low energy S factor towards the stellar energy range of CNO hydrogen burning. These new experimental results, and a detailed investigation of the past literature data, suggest that the resonant component of the cross section should be 30% lower than previously accepted.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Nuclear-matter saturation and symmetry energy within Δ -full chiral effective field theory

Nuclear saturation and the symmetry energy are key properties of low-energy nuclear physics that depend on fine details of the nuclear interaction. The equation of state around saturation is also an important anchor for extrapolations to higher densities and studies of neutron stars. Here we develop a unified statistical framework that uses realistic nuclear forces to link the theoretical modeling of finite nuclei and infinite nuclear matter. We construct fast and accurate emulators for nuclear-matter observables and employ an iterative history-matching approach to explore and reduce the enormous parameter domain of Δ -full chiral interactions. We perform rigorous uncertainty quantification and find that model calibration including O 16 observables gives saturation predictions that are more precise than those that only use few-body data. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Bayesian mixture model approach to quantifying the empirical nuclear saturation point

The equation of state (EOS) in the limit of infinite symmetric nuclear matter exhibits an equilibrium density, $n_0 \approx 0.16 \, \mathrm{fm}^{-3}$, at which the pressure vanishes and the energy per particle attains its minimum, $E_0 \approx -16 \, \mathrm{MeV}$. Although not directly measurable, the nuclear saturation point $(n_0,E_0)$ can be extrapolated by density functional theory (DFT), providing tight constraints for microscopic interactions derived from chiral effective field theory (EFT). However, when considering several DFT predictions for $(n_0,E_0)$ from Skyrme and Relativistic Mean Field (RMF) models together, a discrepancy between these model classes emerges at high confidence levels that each model prediction's uncertainty cannot explain. How can we leverage these DFT constraints to rigorously benchmark nuclear saturation properties of chiral interactions? To address this question, we present a Bayesian mixture model that combines multiple DFT predictions for $(n_0,E_0)$ using an efficient conjugate prior approach. The inferred posterior distribution for the saturation point's mean and covariance matrix follows a Normal-inverse-Wishart class, resulting in posterior predictives in the form of correlated, bivariate $t$-distributions. The DFT uncertainty reports are then used to mix these posteriors using an ordinary Monte Carlo approach. At the 95\% credibility level, we estimate $n_0 \approx 0.157 \pm 0.010 \, \mathrm{fm}^{-3}$ and $E_0 \approx -15.97 \pm 0.40 \, \mathrm{MeV}$ for the marginal (univariate) $t$-distributions. Combined with chiral EFT calculations of the pure neutron matter EOS, we obtain bivariate normal distributions for the nuclear symmetry energy and its slope parameter evaluated at $n_0$: $S_v \approx 32.0 \pm 1.1 \, \mathrm{MeV}$ and $L\approx 52.6\pm 8.1 \, \mathrm{MeV}$ (95\%), respectively. Furthermore, our Bayesian framework is publicly available, so practitioners can readily use and extend our results.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

High-precision mass measurement of 103 Sn restores smoothness of the mass surface

As a step towards the ultimate goal of a high-precision mass measurement of doubly magic 100 Sn, the mass of 103 Sn was measured at the Low Energy Beam and Ion Trap (LEBIT) located at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). Utilizing the time-of-flight ion cyclotron resonance technique, a mass uncertainty of 3.7 keV was achieved, an improvement by more than an order of magnitude compared to a recent measurement performed in 2023 at the Cooler Storage Ring (CSRe) in Lanzhou. Although the LEBIT and CSRe mass measurements of 103 Sn are in agreement, they diverge from the experimental mass value reported in the 2016 version of the Atomic Mass Evaluation (AME2016), which was derived from the measured 𝑄 𝛽 + value and the mass of 103 In. In AME2020, this indirectly measured 103 Sn mass was classified as a “seriously irregular mass” and replaced with an extrapolated value, which aligns with the most recent measured values from CSRe and LEBIT. As such, the smoothness of the mass surface is confidently reestablished for 103 Sn. Here, LEBIT's mass measurement of 103 Sn enabled a significant reduction in the mass uncertainties of five parent isotopes which are now dominated by uncertainties in their respective 𝑄 values.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Pair momentum dependence of a tilted source in heavy-ion collisions

In noncentral heavy-ion collisions, the particle-emitting source can be tilted away from the beam direction, an effect that becomes particularly significant at collision energies of a few GeV and lower. This phenomenon, manifest itself in many observables such as directed flow, polarization, and vorticity, is therefore important to investigate. Here, in this paper, we study the consistency between the tilt extracted directly from the freeze-out distribution of pions and the tilt parameter obtained using the azimuthally sensitive femtoscopy (asHBT) method. Using the Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics model, we demonstrate a strong dependence of the tilt parameter extracted with asHBT on the momentum of the particle pair. Considering the experimental challenges in accessing low particle momenta—where the tilt parameter extracted with asHBT closely matches the tilt of the freeze-out distribution of pions—we propose an exponential extrapolation method to obtain the tilt of the entire freeze-out distribution. This approach aims to enhance the accuracy of experimental measurements of tilt in noncentral heavy-ion collisions.

particle correlations & fluctuations↗

From chiral effective field theory to perturbative QCD: A Bayesian model mixing approach to symmetric nuclear matter

Constraining the equation of state (EOS) of strongly interacting, dense matter is the focus of intense experimental, observational, and theoretical effort. Chiral effective field theory (𝜒⁢EFT ) can describe the EOS between the typical densities of nuclei and those in the outer cores of neutron stars, while perturbative QCD (pQCD) can be applied to properties of deconfined quark matter, both with quantified theoretical uncertainties. However, describing the full range of densities in between with a single EOS that has well-quantified uncertainties is a challenging problem. Bayesian multimodel inference from 𝜒⁢EFT and pQCD can help bridge the gap between the two theories. In this work, we introduce a correlated Bayesian model mixing framework that uses a Gaussian process (GP) to assimilate different information into a single QCD EOS for symmetric nuclear matter. The present implementation uses a stationary GP to infer this mixed EOS solely from the EOSs of 𝜒⁢EFT and pQCD while accounting for the truncation errors of each theory. The GP is trained on the pressure as a function of number density in the low- and high-density regions where 𝜒⁢EFT and pQCD are, respectively, valid. We impose priors on the GP kernel hyperparameters to suppress unphysical correlations between these regimes. This, together with the assumption of stationarity, results in smooth 𝜒⁢EFT-to-pQCD curves for both the pressure and the speed of sound. We show that using uncorrelated mixing requires uncontrolled extrapolation of at least one of 𝜒⁢EFT or pQCD into regions where the perturbative series breaks down and leads to an acausal EOS. Here, we also discuss extensions of this framework to nonstationary and less differentiable GP kernels, its future application to neutron-star matter, and the incorporation of additional constraints from nuclear theory, experiment, and multimessenger astronomy.

Bayesian methods↗

𝐹 𝐾 ⁡/𝐹 𝜋 from Möbius domain-wall fermions solved on gradient-flowed HISQ ensembles

We report the results of a lattice quantum chromodynamics calculation of 𝐹 𝐾 ⁡/𝐹 𝜋 using Möbius domain-wall fermions computed on gradient-flowed 𝑁 𝑓 =2 +1 +1 highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) ensembles. The calculation is performed with five values of the pion mass ranging from 130 ≲ 𝑚 𝜋 ≲ 400 MeV , four lattice spacings of 𝑎 ∼ 0.15, 0.12, 0.09 and 0.06 fm and multiple values of the lattice volume. The interpolation/extrapolation to the physical pion and kaon mass point, the continuum, and infinite volume limits are performed with a variety of different extrapolation functions utilizing both the relevant mixed-action effective field theory expressions as well as discretization-enhanced continuum chiral perturbation theory formulas. We find that the 𝑎 ∼ 0.06 fm ensemble is helpful, but not necessary to achieve a subpercent determination of 𝐹 𝐾 ⁡/𝐹 𝜋 . We also include an estimate of the strong isospin breaking corrections and arrive at a final result of 𝐹 $\hat{K}$ + ⁡ /𝐹 $\hat{𝜋}$ + = 1.1942⁢(45) with all sources of statistical and systematic uncertainty included. This is consistent with the Flavour Lattice Averaging Group average value, providing an important benchmark for our lattice action. Combining our result with experimental measurements of the pion and kaon leptonic decays leads to a determination of |𝑉 𝑢⁢𝑠 |/|𝑉 𝑢⁢𝑑 | = 0.2311⁢(10).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Hadronic interaction model sibyll 2.3d and extensive air showers

We present a new version of the hadron interaction event generator SIBYLL. While the core ideas of the model have been preserved, the new version handles the production of baryon pairs and leading particles in a new way. In addition, production of charmed hadrons is included. Updates to the model are informed by high-precision measurements of the total and inelastic cross sections with the forward detectors at the LHC that constrain the extrapolation to ultrahigh energy. Minimum-bias measurements of particle spectra and multiplicities support the tuning of fragmentation parameters. This paper demonstrates the impact of these changes on air-shower observables such as X max and N μ , drawing comparisons with other contemporary cosmic-ray interaction models.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Production of b b ¯ at forward rapidity in p + p collisions at s = 510 GeV

The cross section of bottom quark-antiquark ( b b ¯ ) production in p + p collisions at s = 510 GeV is measured with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The results are based on the yield of high mass, like-sign muon pairs measured within the PHENIX muon arm acceptance ( 1.2 < | y | < 2.2 ). The b b ¯ signal is extracted from like-sign dimuons by utilizing the unique properties of neutral B meson oscillation. We report a differential cross section of d σ b b ¯ → μ ± μ ± / d y = 0.16 ± 0.01 ( stat ) ± 0.02 ( syst ) ± 0.02 ( global ) nb for like-sign muons in the rapidity and p T ranges 1.2 < | y | < 2.2 and p T > 1 GeV / c , and dimuon mass of 5 – 10 GeV / c 2 . The extrapolated total cross section at this energy for b b ¯ production is 13.1 ± 0.6 ( stat ) ± 1.5 ( syst ) ± 2.7 ( global ) μ b . The total cross section is compared to a perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculation and is consistent within uncertainties. The azimuthal opening angle between muon pairs from b b ¯ decays and their p T distributions are compared to distributions generated using ps pythia 6, which includes next-to-leading order processes. The azimuthal correlations and pair p T distribution are not very well described by pythia calculations, but are still consistent within uncertainties. Flavor creation and flavor excitation subprocesses are favored over gluon splitting.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Nucleon mass with highly improved staggered quarks

We present the first computation in a program of lattice-QCD baryon physics using staggered fermions for sea and valence quarks. For this initial study, we present a calculation of the nucleon mass, obtaining 964 ±16 MeV with all sources of statistical and systematic errors controlled and accounted for. This result is the most precise determination to date of the nucleon mass from first principles. We use the highly improved staggered quark action, which is computationally efficient. Three gluon ensembles are employed, which have approximate lattice spacings 𝑎 ≈ 0.09, 0.12, and 0.15 fm, each with equal-mass 𝑢/𝑑, 𝑠, and 𝑐 quarks in the sea. Further, all ensembles have the light valence and sea 𝑢/𝑑 quarks tuned to reproduce the physical pion mass, avoiding complications from chiral extrapolations. Our work opens a new avenue for precise calculations of baryon properties, which are both feasible and relevant to experiments in particle and nuclear physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Gluon distributions and their applications to Ioffe-time distributions

We investigate unpolarized and polarized gluon distributions and their applications to the Ioffe-time distributions, which are related to lattice QCD calculations of parton distribution functions. Guided by the counting rules based on the perturbative QCD at large momentum fraction x and the color coherence of gluon couplings at small x, we parametrize gluon distributions in the helicity basis. By fitting the unpolarized gluon distribution, the inferred polarized gluon distribution from our parametrization agrees with the one from global analysis. A simultaneous fit to both unpolarized and polarized gluon distributions is also performed to explore the model uncertainty. The agreement with the global analysis supports the (1 - x) power suppression of the helicity-antialigned distribution relative to the helicity-aligned distribution. The corresponding Ioffe-time distributions and their asymptotic expansions are calculated from the gluon distributions. Our results of the Ioffe-time distributions can provide guidance to the extrapolation of lattice QCD data to the region lacking precise gluonic matrix elements. Therefore, they can help regulate the ill-posed inverse problem associated with extracting the gluon distributions from discrete data from first-principle calculations, which are available in a limited range of the nucleon momentum and the spatial separation between the gluonic currents. Given various limitations in obtaining lattice QCD data at large Ioffe time, phenomenological approaches can provide important complementary information to extract the gluon distributions in the entire momentum fraction region, especially at small x. The possibility of investigating higher-twist effects and other systematic uncertainties in the contemporary first-principle calculations of parton distributions from phenomenologically well-determined Ioffe-time distributions in the large Ioffe-time region is also discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Impact of binary interactions on the diffuse supernova neutrino background

Binary interactions, especially mass transfer and mergers, can strongly influence the evolution of massive stars and change their final properties and the occurrence of supernovae. Here, we investigate how binary interactions affect predictions of the diffuse flux of neutrinos. By performing stellar population syntheses including prescriptions for binary interactions, we show that the resulting detection rates of the diffuse supernova neutrino background is enhanced by 15%–20% compared to estimates without binary considerations. A source of significant uncertainty arises due to the presently sparse knowledge of the evolution of rapidly rotating carbon-oxygen cores, especially those created as a result of mergers near the white dwarf to core collapse boundary. As a result, the enhancement effect may be as small as a few percent if the effects of rotation in postmerger systems are neglected, or as large as 75% if trends are extrapolated. Our estimates serve to highlight that binary effects can be important.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Low-energy Scattering and Effective Interactions of Two Baryons at $m_{\pi}\sim$ 450 MeV from Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics

The interactions between two octet baryons are studied at low energies using lattice QCD (LQCD) with larger-than-physical quark masses corresponding to a pion mass of $m_{\pi}\sim 450$ MeV and a kaon mass of $m_{K}\sim 596$ MeV. The two-baryon systems that are analyzed range from strangeness $S=0$ to $S=-4$ and include the spin-singlet and triplet $NN$, $\Sigma N$ ($I=3/2$), and $\Xi\Xi$ states, the spin-singlet $\Sigma\Sigma$ ($I=2$) and $\Xi\Sigma$ ($I=3/2$) states, and the spin-triplet $\Xi N$ ($I=0$) state. The $s$-wave scattering phase shifts, low-energy scattering parameters, and binding energies when applicable, are extracted using L\"uscher's formalism. While the results are consistent with most of the systems being bound at this pion mass, the interactions in the spin-triplet $\Sigma N$ and $\Xi\Xi$ channels are found to be repulsive and do not support bound states. Using results from previous studies at a larger pion mass, an extrapolation of the binding energies to the physical point is performed and is compared with experimental values and phenomenological predictions. The low-energy coefficients in pionless EFT relevant for two-baryon interactions, including those responsible for $SU(3)$ flavor-symmetry breaking, are constrained. The $SU(3)$ symmetry is observed to hold approximately at the chosen values of the quark masses, as well as the $SU(6)$ spin-flavor symmetry, predicted at large $N_c$. A remnant of an accidental $SU(16)$ symmetry found previously at a larger pion mass is further observed. The $SU(6)$-symmetric EFT constrained by these LQCD calculations is used to make predictions for two-baryon systems for which the low-energy scattering parameters could not be determined with LQCD directly in this study, and to constrain the coefficients of all leading $SU(3)$ flavor-symmetric interactions, demonstrating the predictive power of two-baryon EFTs matched to LQCD.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗