Violent collisions can reveal hexadecapole deformation of nuclei

A new observable in heavy ion collision experiments was identified to be sensitive to the hexadecapole deformation of the colliding nuclei.Such deformation is difficult to measure in traditional nuclear electric transition measurements,as it is often overwhelmed by the nuclear quadrupole deformation.This opens the door to gain new insight into nuclear structure with experiments that were designed to study hot and dense nuclear matter.

Electromagnetic fields in ultra-peripheral relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Ultra-peripheral heavy-ion collisions(UPCs)offer unique opportunities to study processes under strong electromagnetic fields.In these collisions,highly charged fast-moving ions carry strong electromagnetic fields that can be effectively treated as photon fluxes.The exchange of photons can induce photonuclear and two-photon interactions and excite ions.This excitation of the ions results in Coulomb dissociation with the emission of photons,neutrons,and other particles.Additionally,the electromagnetic fields generated by the ions can be sufficiently strong to enforce mutual interactions between the two colliding ions.Consequently,the two colliding ions experience an electromagnetic force that pushes them in opposite directions,causing a back-to-back correlation in the emitted neutrons.Using a Monte Carlo simulation,we qualitatively demonstrate that the above electromagnetic effect is large enough to be observed in UPCs,which would provide a clear means to study strong electromagnetic fields and their effects.

Silurian Sedimentation in the South Qilian Belt: Arc-Continent Collision-related Deposition in the NE Tibet Plateau?

The South Qilian belt mainly comprises an early Paleozoic arc-ophiolite complex, accretionary prism, microcontinental block, and foreland basin. These elements represent accretion-collision during Cambrian to Silurian time in response to closure of the Proto-Tethyan Ocean in the NE of the present-day Tibet Plateau. Closure of the Proto-Tethyan Ocean between the Central Qilian block and the Oulongbuluke block and the associated collision took place from NE to SW in a zipper-like style. Sediment would have been dispersed longitudinally SW-ward with a progressive facies migration from marginal alluvial sediments toward slope deep-water and deep-sea turbidites. This migration path indicates an ocean basin that shrank toward the SW. The Balonggongga'er Formation in the western South Qilian belt represents the fill of a latest Ordovician-Silurian remnant ocean basin that separated the Oulongbuluke block from the Central Qilian block, and records Silurian closure of the Proto-Tethyan Ocean and subduction beneath the Central Qilian block. However, alluvial deposits in the Lajishan area were accumulated in a retro-foreland basin, indicating that continent-continent collision in the eastern South Qilian belt occurred at c. 450–440 Ma. These results demonstrate that the Proto-Tethyan Ocean closed diachronously during early Paleozoic time.

Investigating the elliptic anisotropy of identified particles in p-Pb collisions with a multi-phase transport model

The elliptic azimuthal anisotropy coefficient(v_(2))of the identified particles at midrapidity(|η|<0.8)was investigated in p-Pb collisions at√s_(NN)=5.02 TeV using a multi-phase transport model(AMPT).The calculations of differential v_(2)based on the advanced flow extraction method of light flavor hadrons(pions,kaons,protons,andΛ)in small collision systems were extended to a wider transverse momentum(p_(T))range of up to 8 GeV/c for the first time.The string-melting version of the AMPT model provides a good description of the measured p_(T)-differential v_(2)of the mesons but exhibits a slight deviation from the baryon v_(2).In addition,we observed the features of mass ordering at low p_(T)and the approximate number-of-constituentquark(NCQ)scaling at intermediate p_(T).Moreover,we demonstrate that hadronic rescattering does not have a significant impact on v_(2)in p-Pb collisions for different centrality selections,whereas partonic scattering dominates in generating the elliptic anisotropy of the final particles.This study provides further insight into the origin of collective-like behavior in small collision systems and has referential value for future measurements of azimuthal anisotropy.

Production of the X(4014)as the Spin-2 Partner of X(3872)in e^(+)e^(-)Collisions

In 2021,the Belle collaboration reported the first observation of a new structure in theψ(2S)γfinal state produced in the two-photon fusion process.In the hadronic molecule picture,this new structure can be associatedwith the shallow isoscalar D*D* bound state and as such is an excellent candidate for the spin-2 partner of the X(3872)with the quantum numbers J^(PC)=2^(++)conventionally named X_(2).

Impact of initial fluctuations and nuclear deformations in isobar collisions

Relativistic isobar^(96)_(44)Ru+^(96)_(44)Ru and^(96)_(40)Zr+^(96)_(40)Zrcollisions have revealed intricate differences in their nuclear size and shape,inspiring unconventional studies of nuclear structure using relativistic heavy ion collisions.In this study,we investigate the relative differences in the mean multiplicityR_(<Nch>)and the secondR_(ε2)and third-order eccentricityR_(ε3)between isobar collisions using initial state Glauber models.It is found that initial fluctuations and nuclear deformations have negligible effects on R_(<Nch>)in most central collisions,while both are important for the R_(ε2)and R_(ε3),the degree of which is sensitive to the underlying nucleonic or sub-nucleonic degree of freedom.These features,compared to real data,may probe the particle production mechanism and the physics underlying nuclear structure.

Cosmological Redshift Caused by Head-On Collisions with CMB Photons, Not by Expansion of Space

The Big Bang model was first proposed in 1931 by Georges Lemaitre. Lemaitre and Hubble discovered a linear correlation between distances to galaxies and their redshifts. The correlation between redshifts and distances arises in all expanding models of universe as the cosmological redshift is commonly attributed to stretching of wavelengths of photons propagating through the expanding space. Fritz Zwicky suggested that the cosmological redshift could be caused by the interaction of propagating light photons with certain inherent features of the cosmos to lose a fraction of their energy. However, Zwicky did not provide any physical mechanism to support his tired light hypothesis. In this paper, we have developed the mechanism of producing cosmological redshift through head-on collision between light and CMB photons. The process of repeated energy loss of visual photons through n head-on collisions with CMB photons, constitutes a primary mechanism for producing the Cosmological redshift z. While this process results in steady reduction in the energy of visual photons, it also results in continuous increase in the number of photons in the CMB. After a head-on collision with a CMB photon, the incoming light photon, with reduced energy, keeps moving on its original path without any deflection or scattering in any way. After propagation through very large distances in the intergalactic space, all light photons will tend to lose bulk of their energy and fall into the invisible region of the spectrum. Thus, this mechanism of producing cosmological redshift through gradual energy depletion, also explains the Olbers’s paradox.

Transverse momentum balance of dijets in Xe+Xe collisions at the LHC

We present a theoretical study of the medium modifications of the p_(T)balance (x_(J)) of dijets in Xe+Xe collisions at■.The initial production of dijets was carried out using the POWHEG+PYTHIA8 prescription,which matches the next-toleading-order (NLO) QCD matrix elements with the parton shower (PS) effect.The SHELL model described the in-medium evolution of nucleus–nucleus collisions using a transport approach.The theoretical results of the dijet xJin the Xe+Xe collisions exhibit more imbalanced distributions than those in the p+p collisions,consistent with recently reported ATLAS data.By utilizing the Interleaved Flavor Neutralisation,an infrared-and-collinear-safe jet flavor algorithm,to identify the flavor of the reconstructed jets,we classify dijets processes into three categories:gluon–gluon (gg),quark–gluon (qg),and quark–quark (qq),and investigated the respective medium modification patterns and fraction changes of the gg,qg,and qq components of the dijet sample in Xe+Xe collisions.It is shown that the increased fraction of qg component at a small x_(J)contributes to the imbalance of the dijet;in particular,the q_(1)g_(2)(quark-jet-leading) dijets experience more significant asymmetric energy loss than the g_(1)q_(2)(gluon-jet-leading) dijets traversing the QGP.By comparing the■of inclusive,■ dijets in Xe+Xe collisions,we observe■.Moreover,ρ_(Xe),P_(b),the ratios of the nuclear modification factors of dijets in Xe+Xe to those in Pb+Pb,were calculated,which indicates that the yield suppression of dijets in Pb+Pb is more pronounced than that in Xe+Xe owing to the larger radius of the lead nucleus.

Properties of collective flow and pion production in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions with a relativistic quantum molecular dynamics model

The relativistic mean-field approach was implemented in the Lanzhou quantum molecular dynamics transport model(LQMD.RMF). Using the LQMD.RMF, the properties of collective flow and pion production were investigated systematically for nuclear reactions with various isospin asymmetries. The directed and elliptic flows of the LQMD.RMF are able to describe the experimental data of STAR Collaboration. The directed flow difference between free neutrons and protons was associated with the stiffness of the symmetry energy, that is, a softer symmetry energy led to a larger flow difference. For various collision energies, the ratio between the π^(-) and π^(+) yields increased with a decrease in the slope parameter of the symmetry energy. When the collision energy was 270 MeV/nucleon, the single ratio of the pion transverse momentum spectra also increased with decreasing slope parameter of the symmetry energy in both nearly symmetric and neutron-rich systems.However, it is difficult to constrain the stiffness of the symmetry energy with the double ratio because of the lack of threshold energy correction on the pion production.

Structural Relationships along a Neoarchean Arc-Continent Collision Zone, North China Craton

The Archean North China Craton is composed of the Western Block,Eastern Block and the intervening Central Orogenic Belt.A 4-10 km wide and 85 km long tectonic mélange belt informally called the Zanhuang tectonic

The study of intelligent algorithm in particle identification of heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies

Traditional particle identification methods face timeconsuming,experience-dependent,and poor repeatability challenges in heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies.Researchers urgently need solutions to the dilemma of traditional particle identification methods.This study explores the possibility of applying intelligent learning algorithms to the particle identification of heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies.Multiple intelligent algorithms,including XgBoost and TabNet,were selected to test datasets from the neutron ion multi-detector for reaction-oriented dynamics(NIMROD-ISiS)and Geant4 simulation.Tree-based machine learning algorithms and deep learning algorithms e.g.TabNet show excellent performance and generalization ability.Adding additional data features besides energy deposition can improve the algorithm’s performance when the data distribution is nonuniform.Intelligent learning algorithms can be applied to solve the particle identification problem in heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies.

Electron capture and excitation in intermediate-energy He^(2+)–H(1s,2s)collisions

The semiclassical non-perturbative atomic orbital close-coupling approach has been employed to study the electron capture and excitation processes in He^(2+)-H(1s)and He^(2+)-H(2s)collision systems.In order to ensure the accuracy of our calculated cross sections,a large number of high excited states and pseudostates are included in the expansion basis sets which are centered on the target and projectile,respectively.The total and partial charge transfer and excitation cross sections are obtained for a wide-energy domain ranging from 1 keV/amu to 200 keV/amu.The present calculations are also compared with the results from other theoretical methods.These cross section data are useful for the investigation of astrophysics and laboratory plasma.

Novel quantum phenomena induced by strong magnetic fields in heavy-ion collisions

The relativistic heavy-ion collisions create both hot quark–gluon matter and strong magnetic fields, and provide an arena to study the interplay between quantum chromodynamics and quantum electrodynamics. In recent years, it has been shown that such an interplay can generate a number of interesting quantum phenomena in hadronic and quark–gluon matter. In this short review, we first discuss some properties of the magnetic fields in heavy-ion collisions and then give an overview of the magnetic fieldinduced novel quantum effects. In particular, we focus on the magnetic effect on the heavy flavor mesons, the heavyquark transports, and the phenomena closely related to chiral anomaly.

Theoretical Investigation on Excitation, Ionization and Capture in H（1s, 2s） ＋ H（1s, 2s） Collisions

Cross sections of electron-loss in H（1s）＋ H（1s） collisions and total collisional destruction of H（2s） in H（1s） 4- H（2s） collisions are calculatted by four-body classical-trajectory Monte Caylo （CTMC） method and compared with previous theoretical and experimental data over the energy range of 4-100 keV. For the former a good agreement is obtained within different four-body CTMC calculations, and for the incident energy Ep 〉 10 keV, comparison with the experimental data shows a better agreement than the results calculated by the impact parameter approx- imation. For the latter, our theory predicts the correct experimental behaviour, and the discrepancies between our results and experimental ones are less than 30%. Based on the successive comparison with experiments, the cross sections for excitation to H（2p）, single- and double-ionization and H- formation in H（2s）＋H（2s） collisions are calculated in the energy range of 4-100 keV for the first time, and compared with those in H（1s）＋H（1s） and H（1s）＋U（2s） collisions.

Further developments of a multi-phase transport model for relativistic nuclear collisions

A multi-phase transport(AMPT)model was constructed as a self-contained kinetic theory-based description of relativistic nuclear collisions as it contains four main components:the fluctuating initial condition,a parton cascade,hadronization,and a hadron cascade.Here,we review the main developments after the first public release of the AMPT source code in 2004 and the corre-sponding publication that described the physics details of the model at that time.We also discuss possible directions for future developments of the AMPT model to better study the properties of the dense matter created in relativistic collisions of small or large systems.

Loss of cold atoms due to collisions with residual gases in free flight in a magneto-optical trap

The loss rate of cold atoms in a trap due to residual gas collisions differs from that in a free state after the cold atoms are released from the trap. In this paper, the loss rate in a cold rubidium-87 atom cloud was measured in a magneto-optical trap （MOT） and during its free flight. The residual gas pressure was analyzed by a residual gas analyzer, and the pressure distribution in a vacuum chamber was numerically calculated by the angular coefficient method. The decay factor, which describes the decay behavior of cold atoms due to residual gas collisions during a free flight, was calculated. It was found that the decay factor agrees well with theoretical predictions under various vacuum conditions.

Recent development of hydrodynamic modeling in heavy-ion collisions

We present a concise review of the recent development of relativistic hydrodynamics and its applications to heavy-ion collisions.Theoretical progress on the extended formulation of hydrodynamics toward out-ofequilibrium systems is addressed,with emphasis on the socalled attractor solution.Moreover,recent phenomenological improvements in the hydrodynamic modeling of heavy-ion collisions with respect to the ongoing beam energy scan program,the quantitative characterization of transport coefficients in three-dimensionally expanding quark–gluon plasma,the fluid description of small colliding systems,and certain other interdisciplinary connections are discussed.

Modeling of softsphere normal collisions with characteristic of coefficient of restitution dependent on impact velocity

This letter presents a theoretical model of the normal （head-on） collisions between two soft spheres for predicting the experimental characteristic of the coefficient of restitution dependent on impact velocity. After the contact force law between the contacted spheres during a collision is phenomenologically formulated in terms of the compression or overlap displacement under considera- tion of an elastic-plastic loading and a plastic unloading subprocesses, the coefficient of restitution is gained by the dynamic equation of the contact process once an initial impact velocity is input. It is found that the theoretical predictions of the coefficient of restitution varying with the impact velocity are well in agreement with the existing experimental characteristics which are fitted by the explicit formula.

Multiplicity dependence of charged particle,? meson, and multistrange particle productions in p + p collisions at s^(1/2) = 200 GeV from PYTHIA simulation

We report the multiplicity dependence of charged particle production for the n~±, K~±, p, , and ? mesons at |y|<1:0 in p + p collisions at s^(1/2) = 200 GeV from a PYTHIA simulation. The impact of multiple parton interactions and gluon contributions is studied and found to be a possible source of the splitting of the particle yields as a function of p_T with respect to the multiplicity. No obvious particle species dependence of the splitting is observed.The multiplicity dependence of the ratios Kˉ/πˉ, K^+/π^+,/πˉ, p/π^+, and K_s^0 at mid-rapidity in p+ p collisions is found to follow a tendency similar to that in Au t Au collisions at (s_(NN))^(1/2) = 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, indicating similar underlying initial production mechanisms despite the differences in the initial colliding systems.

Investigations on molecular constants of the CD(X^2Π) radical and elastic collisions between ground-state C and D atoms at low temperatures

The potential energy curve of the CD（X2∏） radical is obtained using the coupled-cluster singles-doublesapproximate-triples [CCSD（T）] theory in combination with the correlation-consistent quintuple basis set augmented with diffuse functions, aug-cc-pV5Z. The potential energy curve is fitted to the Murrell-Sorbie function, which is used to determine the spectroscopic parameters. The obtained Do, De, Re, ωe, ωeXe, αe and Be values are 3.4971 eV, 3.6261 eV, 0.11197 nm, 2097.661 cm^-1, 34.6963 cm^-1, 0.2083 cm^-1 and 7.7962 cm^-1, respectively, which conform almost perfectly to the available measurements. With the potential obtained at the UCCSD（T）/aug-cc-pV5Z level of theory, a total of 24 vibrational states have been predicted for the first time when J = 0 by solving the radial Schrodinger equation of nuclear motion. The complete vibrational levels, the classical turning points, the inertial rotation constants and centrifugal distortion constants are reproduced from the CD（X2∏） potential when J = 0, and are in excellent agreement with the available measurements. The total and the various partial-wave cross sections are calculated for the elastic collisions between the ground-state C and D atoms at energies from 1.0×10^-11 to 1.0 × 10^-4 a.u. when the two atoms approach each other along the CD（X2∏） potential energy curve. Only one shape resonance is found in the total elastic cross sections, and the resonant energy is 8.36×10^-6 a.u. The results show that the shape of the total elastic cross section is mainly dominated by the s partial wave at very low temperatures. Because of the weak shape resonances coming from higher partial waves, most of them are passed into oblivion by the strong total elastic cross sections.