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Observations of interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations in correlation with trapped particle fluctuations are discussed. From observations of particle-redistribution effects, properties of the magnetospheric electric field are derived. The obtained results suggest that the interplanetary B(sub z) field fluctuations might represent a strong driving source for particle diffusion.
An important tool in studying the subfemtoscale spacetime structure of matter in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions is Hanbury Brown–Twiss (HBT) intensity interferometry of identical particles in the final state of the collisions. We propose that a variant of the entanglement enabled intensity interferometry (𝐸 2 𝐼 2 ) framework introduced by Cotler and Wilczek can provide a powerful alternative to HBT interferometry in extracting fundamental nonperturbative features of quantum chromodynamics at high energies. We apply this framework to demonstrate that the spatial distributions of color singlet (pomeron) configurations in nuclei are sensitive to measurements of exclusive resonant decays of 𝜌 mesons into 𝜋 ± pairs in ultrarelativistic ultraperipheral nuclear collisions (UPCs) at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider. A preliminary analysis suggests that the model-independent extraction of pomeron distributions will require careful treatment of the interplay of 𝐸 2 𝐼 2 in the vector meson exclusive decay with the incoherent cross section for exclusive vector meson production. The 𝐸 2 𝐼 2 framework developed here is quite general. It can also be employed as a tool to extract information on the spin structure of pomeron couplings as well as enhance the discovery potential for rare odderon configurations from exclusive vector meson decays into few-particle final states both in UPCs and at the Electron-Ion Collider.
We report precision measurements on cumulants (𝐶 𝑛 ) and factorial cumulants (𝜅 𝑛 ) of (net) proton number distributions up to fourth order in Au + Au collisions over center-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7–27 GeV from phase II of the Beam Energy Scan program at RHIC. (Anti)protons are selected at midrapidity (|𝑦| < 0.5) within a transverse momentum range of 0.4 < 𝑝 𝑇 < 2.0 GeV/𝑐. Relative to various noncritical-point model calculations and peripheral collision 70%–80% data, the net proton 𝐶 4 /𝐶 2 measurement in 0%–5% collisions shows a minimum around 19.6 GeV for significance of deviation at ∼2–5𝜎. A minimum in 𝐶 4 /𝐶 2 with respect to a noncritical baseline is expected to be a characteristic feature of the signature associated with a critical point in the QCD phase diagram. In addition, deviations from noncritical baselines around the same collision energy region are also seen in proton factorial cumulant ratios, especially in 𝜅 2 /𝜅 1 and 𝜅 3 /𝜅 1 . As a result, dynamical model calculations including a critical point are called for in order to understand these precision measurements.
This Letter presents the first measurement of event-by-event fluctuations of the net number (difference between the particle and antiparticle multiplicities) of multistrange hadrons Ξ − and $\overline{Ξ}$ + and its correlation with the net-kaon number using the data collected by the ALICE Collaboration in pp, p-Pb, and Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The statistical hadronization model with a correlation over three units of rapidity between hadrons having the same and opposite strangeness content successfully describes the results. On the other hand, string-fragmentation models that mainly correlate strange hadrons with opposite strange quark content over a small rapidity range fail to describe the data.
The D-measure of net-charge fluctuations quantifies the variance of net charge in strongly interacting matter. It was introduced over 20 years ago as a potential signal of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in heavy-ion collisions, where it is expected to be suppressed due to the fractional electric charges of quarks. Measurements have been performed at RHIC and LHC, but the conclusion has been elusive in the absence of quantitative calculations for both scenarios. We address this issue by employing a recently developed formalism of density correlations and incorporate resonance decays, local charge conservation, and experimental kinematic cuts. We find that the hadron gas scenario is in fair agreement with the ALICE data for $\sqrt{{𝑠}_{\textrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV Pb–Pb collisions only when a very short rapidity range of local charge conservation is enforced, while the QGP scenario is in excellent agreement with experimental data and largely insensitive to the range of local charge conservation. A Bayesian analysis of the data utilizing different priors yields moderate evidence for the freeze-out of charge fluctuations in the QGP phase relative to hadron gas. The upcoming high-fidelity measurements from LHC Run 2 will serve as a precision test of the two scenarios.
The chiral magnetic effect (CME) refers to generation of the electric current along a magnetic field in a chirally imbalanced system of quarks. The latter is predicted by quantum chromodynamics to arise from quark interaction with nontrivial topological fluctuations of the vacuum gluonic field. The CME has been actively searched for in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, where such gluonic field fluctuations and a strong magnetic field are believed to be present. The CME-sensitive observables are unfortunately subject to a possibly large non-CME background, and firm conclusions on a CME observation have not yet been reached. In this perspective, we review the experimental status and progress in the CME search, from the initial measurements more than a decade ago to the dedicated program of isobar collisions in 2018 and the release of the isobar blind analysis result in 2022 to intriguing hints of a possible CME signal in Au + Au collisions, and discuss future prospects of a potential CME discovery in the anticipated high-statistic Au + Au collision data at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider by 2025. We hope such a perspective will help sharpening our focus on the fundamental physics of the CME and steer its experimental search.
The correlations between event-by-event fluctuations of symmetry planes are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV recorded by the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. This analysis is conducted using the Gaussian estimator technique, which is insensitive to biases from correlations between different flow amplitudes. The study presents, for the first time, the centrality dependence of correlations involving up to five different symmetry planes. The correlation strength varies depending on the harmonic order of the symmetry plane and the collision centrality. Comparisons with measurements from lower energies indicate no significant differences within uncertainties. Additionally, the results are compared with hydrodynamic model calculations. Although the model predictions provide a qualitative explanation of the experimental results, they overestimate the data for some observables. This is particularly true for correlators that are sensitive to the nonlinear response of the medium to initial-state anisotropies in the collision system. As these new correlators provide unique information—independent of flow amplitudes—their usage in future model developments can further constrain the properties of the strongly interacting matter created in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.
Correlations between event-by-event fluctuations of anisotropic flow harmonics are measured in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV, as recorded by the ALICE detector at the LHC. This study presents correlations up to the hexagonal flow harmonic 𝑣 6 , which was measured for the first time. The magnitudes of these higher-order correlations are found to vary as a function of collision centrality and harmonic order. These measurements are compared to viscous hydrodynamic model calculations with EKRT initial conditions and to the iEBE-VISHNU model with T R ENTo initial conditions. The observed discrepancies between the data and the model calculations vary depending on the harmonic combinations. Due to the sensitivity of model parameters estimated with Bayesian analyses to these higher-order observables, the results presented in this work provide new and independent constraints on the initial conditions and transport properties in theoretical models used to describe the system created in heavy-ion collisions.
A measurement is presented of elliptic (𝑣 2 ) and triangular (𝑣 3 ) azimuthal anisotropy coefficients for charged particles produced in Pb + Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.44nb −1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2018. The values of 𝑣 2 and 𝑣 3 are measured for charged particles over a wide range of transverse momentum (𝑝 T ), 1–400 GeV, and Pb + Pb collision centrality, 0–60%, using the scalar-product and multiparticle cumulant methods. These methods are sensitive to event-by-event fluctuations and nonflow effects in the measurements of azimuthal anisotropies. Positive values of 𝑣 2 are observed up to a 𝑝 T of approximately 100 GeV from both methods across all centrality intervals. Positive values of 𝑣 3 are observed up to approximately 25 GeV using both methods, though the application of the three-subevent technique to the multiparticle cumulant method leads to significant changes at the highest 𝑝 T . At high 𝑝 T (𝑝 T ⪆ 10 GeV), charged particles are dominantly from jet fragmentation. These jets, and hence the measurements presented here, are sensitive to the path-length dependence of parton energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma produced in Pb + Pb collisions.
We present event-by-event simulations for central asymmetric light+heavy and Au +Au collisions to investigate the formation and evolution of vortex-ring structures in the longitudinal flow velocity profile. The production-plane polarization of Λ hyperons, defined with respect to the Λ momentum and the beam, can track the “vortex-ring” feature in the event, a characteristic vortical structure generated by longitudinal flow gradients. We make comprehensive model predictions for the rapidity-dependent vortex-ring observables for different collision system sizes at √s NN = 200 and 72 GeV. Furthermore, our predictions at the latter energy can be explored in the future LHCb fixed-target experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.
The PHENIX experiment measured the centrality dependence of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlation functions in $\sqrt{𝑠{𝑁𝑁}}$ = 200 GeV Au + Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The data are well represented by Lévy-stable source distributions. The extracted source parameters are the correlation-strength parameter 𝜆, the Lévy index of stability 𝛼, and the Lévy-scale parameter 𝑅 as a function of transverse mass 𝑚 𝑇 and centrality. The 𝜆(𝑚 𝑇 ) parameter is constant at larger values of 𝑚 𝑇 , but decreases as 𝑚 𝑇 decreases. The Lévy-scale parameter 𝑅(𝑚 𝑇 ) decreases with 𝑚 𝑇 and exhibits proportionality to the length scale of the nuclear overlap region. The Lévy exponent 𝛼(𝑚 𝑇 ) is independent of 𝑚 𝑇 within uncertainties in each investigated centrality bin, but shows a clear centrality dependence. At all centralities, the Lévy exponent 𝛼 is significantly different from that of Gaussian (𝛼 = 2) or Cauchy (𝛼 = 1) source distributions. Comparisons to the predictions of Monte-Carlo simulations of resonance-decay chains show that, in all but the most peripheral centrality class (50%–60%), the obtained results are inconsistent with the measurements, unless a significant reduction of the in-medium mass of the 𝜂′ meson is included. Finally, in each centrality class, the best value of the in-medium 𝜂′ mass is compared to the mass of the 𝜂 meson, as well as to several theoretical predictions that consider restoration of U 𝐴 (1) symmetry in hot hadronic matter.
This work aims to differentiate strangeness produced from hard processes (jetlike) and softer processes (underlying event) by measuring the angular correlation between a high-momentum trigger hadron (ℎ) acting as a jet proxy and a produced strange hadron [𝜙(1020) meson]. Measuring ℎ−𝜙 correlations at midrapidity in 𝑝-Pb collisions at √ s NN = 5.02TeV as a function of event multiplicity provides insight into the microscopic origin of strangeness enhancement in small collision systems. The jetlike and the underlying-event-like strangeness production are investigated as a function of event multiplicity. They are also compared between a lower and higher momentum region. The evolutions of the per-trigger yields within the near-side (aligned with the trigger hadron) and away-side (in the opposite direction of the trigger hadron) jets are studied separately, allowing for the characterization of two distinct jetlike production regimes. Furthermore, the ℎ−𝜙 correlations within the underlying event give access to a production regime dominated by soft production processes, which can be compared directly to the in-jet production. Comparisons between ℎ−𝜙 and dihadron correlations show that the observed strangeness enhancement is largely driven by the underlying event, where the 𝜙/ℎ ratio is significantly larger than within the jet regions. As multiplicity increases, the fraction of the total 𝜙(1020) yield coming from jets decreases compared to the underlying event production, leading to high-multiplicity events being dominated by the increased strangeness production from the underlying event.
First measurements of hadron-Λ (ℎ−Λ) azimuthal angular correlations in 𝑝-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider are presented. These correlations are used to separate the production of associated Λ baryons into three different kinematic regions, namely those produced in the direction of the trigger particle (near side), those produced in the opposite direction (away side), and those whose production is uncorrelated with the jet axis (underlying event). The per-trigger associated Λ yields in these regions are extracted, along with the near- and away-side azimuthal peak widths, and the results are studied as a function of associated particle 𝑝 T and event multiplicity. Comparisons with the dpmjet event generator and previous measurements of the 𝜙(1020) meson are also made. The final results indicate that strangeness production in the highest multiplicity 𝑝-Pb collisions is enhanced relative to low multiplicity collisions in both the jetlike regions and the underlying event. The production of Λ relative to charged hadrons is also enhanced in the underlying event when compared to the jetlike regions. Additionally, the results hint that strange quark production in the away-side of the jet is modified by soft interactions with the underlying event.
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.
The chiral magnetic effect (CME) is a phenomenon in which electric charge is separated by a strong magnetic field from local domains of chirality imbalance in quantum chromodynamics. The CME-sensitive, azimuthal correlator difference Δ𝛾 between opposite-sign (OS) and same-sign (SS) charged hadron pairs is contaminated by a major physics background proportional to the particle elliptic anisotropy (𝑣 2 ). The CME signal, on the other hand, contributes to the difference in the pair elliptic anisotropies between OS and SS pairs (Δ 𝑣 2,pair ). We investigate Δ 𝑣 2,pair and find its sensitivity to CME to be similar to that of the Δ𝛾 observable.
Modeling proton-deuteron interactions is particularly challenging. Due the deuteron's large size, the interaction can extend over several femtometers. The degree to which it can be modeled as a two-body problem might also be questioned. One way to study these interactions is through femtoscopic correlation measurements of particle pairs, extracting information using available theoretical models. In this work, we examine two approaches for describing proton-deuteron correlations: the Lednický-Lyuboshits formalism and full numerical solutions of the Schrödinger equation. Here, our results show that the differences between these methods are significant. Furthermore, we demonstrate that incorporating higher-order partial waves—particularly the p wave—is essential for accurately capturing the dynamics of proton–deuteron interactions and the full potential of the strong force.
This paper presents a measurement of jet-track correlations in photon-jet events, using 1.72 nb −1 of Pb+Pb data at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events with energetic photon-jet pairs are selected, where the photon and jet are approximately back-to-back in azimuth. The angular correlation between jets and charged-particle tracks with transverse momentum (𝑝 T ) in the range 0.5–2.0 GeV in the hemisphere opposite to the jet, |Δ𝜙(jet,track)|>𝜋/2, is measured as a function of their relative pseudorapidity difference, |Δ𝜂(jet,track)|. In central Pb+Pb collisions, these correlations are predicted to be sensitive to the diffusion wake in the quark-gluon plasma resulting from the lost energy of high-𝑝T partons traversing the plasma, with a characteristic modification as a function of |Δ𝜂(jet,track)|. The correlations are examined with different selections on the jet-to-photon 𝑝 T ratio to select events with different degrees of energy loss. No diffusion wake signal is observed within the current sensitivity and upper limits at 95% confidence level on the diffusion wake amplitude are reported.
The notion of charge balance function, originally designed to study the evolution of charge production in heavy-ion collisions, is extended to consider quark flavor balancing. This extension is considered based on simulations performed with the PYTHIA 8 event generator in the context of pp collisions at √𝑠 = 13.6, 7, and 2.76 TeV but can be trivially applied to any other scenario and implemented in measurements of correlated particle production in pp, pA, and AA collisions at colliders. Correlation of selected flavor balancing pairs is examined as a function of the produced charged particle multiplicity. One finds that the amplitude of the correlations increases monotonically with the number of balanced flavors and the actual flavor content of correlated particles.