arXiv subjects

E. G. Nikonov

Publications and source records attributed to E. G. Nikonov.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Separate chemical freeze-outs of strange and non-strange hadrons and problem of residual chemical non-equilibrium of strangeness in relativistic heavy ion collisions

We present an elaborate version of the hadron resonance gas model with the combined treatment of separate chemical freeze-outs for strange and non-strange hadrons and with an additional $γ_{s}$ factor which accounts for the remaining strange particle non-equilibration. Within suggested approach the parameters of two chemical freeze-outs are connected by the conservation laws of entropy, baryonic charge, third isospin projection and strangeness. The developed model enables us to perform a high-quality fit of the hadron multiplicity ratios measured at AGS, SPS and RHIC with $χ^2/dof \simeq 0.93$. A special attention is paid to a successful description of the Strangeness Horn. The well-known problem of selective suppression of $\bar Λ$ and $\bar Ξ$ hyperons is also discussed. The main result is that for all collision energies the $γ_{s}$ factor is about 1 within the error bars, except for the center of mass collision energy 7.6 GeV at which we find about 20\% enhancement of strangeness. Also we confirm an existence of strong jumps in pressure, temperature and effective number of degrees of freedom at the stage of strange particle chemical freeze-out, when the center of mass collision energy changes from 4.3 to 4.9 GeV. We argue that these irregularities may signal about the quark-hadron phase transition.

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arXiv2015

A possible evidence of observation of two mixed phases in nuclear collisions

Using an advanced version of the hadron resonance gas model we have found several remarkable irregularities at chemical freeze-out. The most prominent of them are two sets of highly correlated quasi-plateaus in the collision energy dependence of the entropy per baryon, total pion number per baryon, and thermal pion number per baryon which we found at center of mass energies 3.6-4.9 GeV and 7.6-10 GeV. The low energy set of quasi-plateaus was predicted a long time ago. On the basis of the generalized shock-adiabat model we demonstrate that the low energy correlated quasi-plateaus give evidence for the anomalous thermodynamic properties of the mixed phase at its boundary to the quark-gluon plasma. The question is whether the high energy correlated quasi-plateaus are also related to some kind of mixed phase. In order to answer this question we employ the results of a systematic meta-analysis of the quality of data description of 10 existing event generators of nucleus-nucleus collisions in the range of center of mass collision energies from 3.1 GeV to 17.3 GeV. These generators are divided into two groups: the first group includes the generators which account for the quark-gluon plasma formation during nuclear collisions, while the second group includes the generators which do not assume the quark-gluon plasma formation in such collisions. Comparing the quality of data description of more than a hundred of different data sets of strange hadrons by these two groups of generators, we find two regions of the equal quality of data description which are located at the center of mass collision energies 4.3-4.9 GeV and 10.-13.5 GeV. These two regions of equal quality of data description we interpret as regions of the hadron-quark-gluon mixed phase formation.

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arXiv2015

New Signals of Quark-Gluon-Hadron Mixed Phase Formation

Here we present several remarkable irregularities at chemical freeze-out which are found using an advanced version of the hadron resonance gas model. The most prominent of them are the sharp peak of the trace anomaly existing at chemical freeze-out at the center of mass energy 4.9 GeV and two sets of highly correlated quasi-plateaus in the collision energy dependence of the entropy per baryon, total pion number per baryon, and thermal pion number per baryon which we found at the center of mass energies 3.8-4.9 GeV and 7.6-10 GeV. The low energy set of quasi-plateaus was predicted a long time ago. On the basis of the generalized shock-adiabat model we demonstrate that the low energy correlated quasi-plateaus give evidence for the anomalous thermodynamic properties inside the quark-gluon-hadron mixed phase. It is also shown that the trace anomaly sharp peak at chemical freeze-out corresponds to the trace anomaly peak at the boundary between the mixed phase and quark gluon plasma. We argue that the high energy correlated quasi-plateaus may correspond to a second phase transition and discuss its possible origin and location. Besides we suggest two new observables which may serve as clear signals of these phase transformations.

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arXiv2015

Recent Results of the Hadron Resonance Gas Model and the Chemical Freeze-out of Strange Hadrons

A detailed discussion of recent results obtained within the hadron resonance gas model with the multi-component hard core repulsion is presented. Among them there are the adiabatic chemical freeze-out criterion, the concept of separate chemical freeze-out of strange particles and the effects of enhancement and sharpening of wide resonances and quark gluon bags occurring in a thermal medium. These findings are discussed in order to strengthen the planned heavy-ion collision experimental programs at low collision energies. We argue, that due to found effects, at the center of mass collision energy 4-8 GeV the quark gluon bags may appear directly or in decays as new heavy resonances with the narrow width of about 50-150 MeV and with the mass above 2.5 GeV.

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arXiv2014

Non-smooth Chemical Freeze-out and Apparent Width of Wide Resonances and Quark Gluon Bags in a Thermal Environment

Here we develop the hadron resonance gas model with the Gaussian width of hadron resonances. This model allows us to treat the usual hadrons and the quark gluon bags on the same footing and to study the stability of the results obtained within different formulations of the hadron resonance gas model. In this work we perform a successful fit of 111 independent hadronic multiplicity ratios measured for $\sqrt{s_{NN}} $= 2.7- 200 GeV. We demonstrate that in a narrow range of collision energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}} =$ 4.3-4.9 GeV there exist peculiar irregularities in various thermodynamic quantities found at chemical freeze-out. The most remarkable irregularity is an unprecedented jump of the number of effective degrees of freedom observed in this narrow energy range which is seen in all realistic versions of the hadron resonance gas model. Therefore, the developed concept is called the non-smooth chemical freeze-out. We are arguing that these irregularities evidence for the possible formation of quark gluon bags. In order to develop other possible signals of their formation here we study the apparent width of wide hadronic resonances and quark gluon bags in a thermal environment. Two new effects generated for the wide resonances and quark gluon bags by a thermal medium are discussed here: the near threshold thermal resonance enhancement and the near threshold thermal resonance sharpening. On the basis of the new effects we argue that the most optimistic chance to find experimentally the quark gluon bags may be related to their sharpening and enhancement in a thermal medium. In this case the wide quark gluon bags may appear directly or in decays as narrow resonances that are absent in the tables of elementary particles and that have the apparent width about 50-120 MeV and the mass about or above 2.5 GeV.

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arXiv2014

Strangeness enhancement at the hadronic chemical freeze-out

The chemical freeze-out of hadrons created in the high energy nuclear collisions is studied within the realistic version of the hadron resonance gas model. The chemical non-equilibrium of strange particles is accounted via the usual $γ_{s}$ factor which gives us an opportunity to perform a high quality fit with $χ^2/dof \simeq 63.5/55 \simeq 1.15$ of the hadronic multiplicity ratios measured from the low AGS to the highest RHIC energies. In contrast to previous findings, at low energies we observe the strangeness enhancement instead of a suppression. In addition, the performed $γ_{s}$ fit allows us to achieve the highest quality of the Strangeness Horn description with $χ^2/dof=3.3/14$. For the first time the top point of the Strangeness Horn is perfectly reproduced, which makes our theoretical horn as sharp as an experimental one. However, the $γ_{s}$ fit approach does not sizably improve the description of the multi-strange baryons and antibaryons. Therefore, an apparent deviation of multi-strange baryons and antibaryons from chemical equilibrium requires further explanation.

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arXiv2013

Chemical freeze-outs of strange and non-strange particles and residual chemical non-equilibrium

We propose an elaborate version of the hadron resonance gas model with the combined treatment of separate chemical freeze-outs for strange and non-strange hadrons and with an additional γ_{s} factor which accounts for the remaining strange particle non-equilibration. Two sets of chemical freeze-outs parameters are connected by the conservation laws of entropy, baryonic charge, isospin projection and strangeness. The developed approach enables us to perform a high-quality fit of the hadron multiplicity ratios for AGS, SPS and RHIC energies with total χ^2/dof \simeq 1.05. A special attention is paid to a complete description of the Strangeness Horn. A well-known \bar p, \bar Λand \bar Ξselective suppression problem is also discussed.

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arXiv2013

Chemical Freeze-out of Strange Particles and Possible Root of Strangeness Suppression

Two approaches to treat the chemical freeze-out of strange particles in hadron resonance gas model are analyzed. The first one employs their non-equillibration via the usual γ_s factor and such a model describes the hadron multiplicities measured in nucleus-nucleus collisions at AGS, SPS and RHIC energies with χ^2/dof = 1.15. Surprisingly, at low energies we find not the strangeness suppression, but its enhancement. Also we suggest an alternative approach to treat the strange particle freeze-out separately, but with the full chemical equilibration. This approach is based on the conservation laws which allow us to connect the freeze-outs of strange and non-strange hadrons. Within the suggested approach the same set of hadron multiplicities can be described better than within the conventional approach with χ^2/dof = 1.06. Remarkably, the fully equilibrated approach describes the strange hyperons and antihyperons much better than the conventional one.

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arXiv2012

Adiabatic Chemical Freeze-out and Wide Resonance Modification in a Thermal Medium

Here we develop a model equation of state which successfully parameterizes the thermodynamic functions of hadron resonance gas model at chemical freeze-out and which allows us to naturally explain the adiabatic chemical freeze-out criterion. The present model enables us to clearly demonstrate that at chemical freeze-out the resulting hadronic mass spectrum used in the hadron resonance gas model is not an exponential-like, but a power-like. We argue that such a property of hadronic mass spectrum at chemical freeze-out can be explained by the two new effects found here for wide resonances existing in a thermal environment: the near threshold thermal resonance enhancement and the near threshold resonance sharpening. The effect of resonance sharpening is studied for a sigma meson and our analysis shows that for the temperatures well below 92 MeV the effective width of sigma meson is about 50 to 70 MeV. Thus, the effect of resonance sharpening justifies the usage of the sigma-like field-theoretical models for the strongly interacting matter equation of state at such temperatures. Also we argue that the most optimistic hope to find the quark gluon bags experimentally may be related to their sharpening and enhancement in a thermal medium. In this case the wide quark gluon bags may appear directly or in decays as narrow resonances that are absent in the tables of elementary particles and that have the width about 50-150 MeV and the mass about or above 2.5 GeV.

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arXiv2011

Physical mechanism of the (tri)critical point generation

We discuss some ideas resulting from a phenomenological relation recently declared between the tension of string connecting the static quark-antiquark pair and surface tension of corresponding cylindrical bag. This relation analysis leads to the temperature of vanishing surface tension coefficient of the QGP bags at zero baryonic charge density as T_σ= 152.9 +- 4.5 MeV. We develop the view point that this temperature value is not a fortuitous coincidence with the temperature of (partial) chiral symmetry restoration as seen in the lattice QCD simulations. Besides, we argue that T_σdefines the QCD (tri)critical endpoint temperature and claim that a negative value of surface tension coefficient recently discovered is not a sole result, but should also exist in ordinary liquids at the supercritical temperatures.

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arXiv2011

Can We Rigorously Define Phases in a Finite System?

Here we propose the generalized statistical multifragmentation model which includes the liquid phase pressure of the most general form. This allows us to get rid of the absolute incompressibility of the nuclear liquid. Also the present model employes a very general form the surface tension coefficient of nuclear fragments. Such a model is solved analytically for finite volumes by the Laplace-Fourier transform method to isobaric ensemble. A complete analysis of the isobaric partition singularities of this model is also done for finite volumes. It is shown that the real part of any simple pole of the isobaric partition defines the free energy of the corresponding state, whereas its imaginary part, depending on the sign, defines the inverse decay/formation time of this state. The developed formalism allows us to exactly define the finite volume analogs of gaseous, liquid and mixed phases of the class of similar models from the first principles of statistical mechanics and demonstrate the pitfalls of earlier works. The finite width effects for large nuclear fragments and quark gluon bags are also discussed.

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arXiv2010

Asymptotic Regge Trajectories of Non-strange Mesons

We analyze the asymptotic behavior of Regge trajectories of non-strange mesons. In contrast to an existing belief, it is demonstrated that for the asymptotically linear Regge trajectories the width of heavy hadrons cannot linearly depend on their mass. Using the data on masses and widths of rho_J, omega_J, a_J and f_J mesons for the spin values J \leq 6, we extract the parameters of the asymptotically linear Regge trajectory predicted by the finite width model of quark gluon bags. As it is shown the obtained parameters for the data set B correspond to the cross-over temperature lying in the interval 170.9-175.3 MeV which is consistent with the kinetic freeze-out temperature of early hadronizing particles found in relativistic heavy ion collisions at and above the highest SPS energy.

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arXiv2003

Evolution of Baryon-Free Matter Produced in Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

A 3-fluid hydrodynamic model is introduced for simulating heavy-ion collisions at incident energies between few and about 200 AGeV. In addition to the two baryon-rich fluids of 2-fluid models, the new model incorporates a third, baryon-free (i.e. with zero net baryonic charge) fluid which is created in the mid-rapidity region. Its evolution is delayed due to a formation time $τ$, during which the baryon-free fluid neither thermalizes nor interacts with the baryon-rich fluids. After formation it thermalizes and starts to interact with the baryon-rich fluids. It is found that for $τ$=0 the interaction strongly affects the baryon-free fluid. However, at reasonable finite formation time, $τ$=1 fm/c, the effect of this interaction turns out to be substantially reduced although still noticeable. Baryonic observables are only slightly affected by the interaction with the baryon-free fluid.

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arXiv2003

Three-Fluid Simulations of Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

A relativistic 3-fluid 3D hydrodynamic model has been developed for describing heavy-ion collisions at incident energies between few and $\sim$ 200 A$\cdot$GeV. In addition to two baryon-rich fluids which simulate mutually decelerating counterflows of target and projectile nucleons, the new model incorporates evolution of a third, retarded baryon-free fluid created by this decelerated baryonic matter. Different equations of state, including those with the deconfinement phase transition, are treated. A reasonable agreement with experiment is illustrated by proton rapidity spectra, their dependence on collision centrality and beam energy.

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arXiv2003

Strangeness Production in Nuclear Matter and Expansion Dynamics

Thermodynamical properties of hot and dense nuclear matter are analyzed and compared for different equation of state (EoS). It is argued that the softest point of the equation of state and the strangeness separation on the phase boundary can manifest themselves in observables. The influence of the EoS and the order of the phase transition on the expansion dynamics of nuclear matter and strangeness excitation function is analyzed. It is shown that bulk properties of strangeness production in A-A collisions depend only weakly on the particular form of the EoS. The predictions of different models are related with experimental data on strangeness production.

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arXiv2000

Dynamical interpretation of chemical freeze-out in heavy ion collisions

It is demonstrated that there exists a direct correlation between chemical freeze-out point and the softest point of the equation of state where the pressure divided by the energy density, $p(ε)/ε$, has a minimum. A dynamical model is given as an example where the passage of the softest point coincides with the condition for chemical freeze-out, namely an average energy per hadron $\approx$ 1 GeV. The sensitivity of the result to the equation of state used is discussed.

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arXiv2000

Directed Flow of Baryons in Heavy-Ion Collisions

The collective motion of nucleons from high-energy heavy-ion collisions is analyzed within a relativistic two-fluid model for different equations of state (EoS). As function of beam energy the theoretical slope parameter F_y of the differential directed flow is in good agreement with experimental data, when calculated for the QCD-consistent EoS described by the statistical mixed-phase model. Within this model, which takes the deconfinement phase transition into account, the excitation function of the directed flow turns out to be a smooth function in the whole range from SIS till SPS energies. This function is close to that for pure hadronic EoS and exhibits no minimum predicted earlier for a two-phase bag-model EoS. Attention is also called to a possible formation of nucleon antiflow (F_y < 0) at energies of the order of 100 A GeV.

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arXiv1999

Dynamical Interpretation of Chemical Freeze-Out Parameters

It is shown that the condition for chemical freeze-out, average energy per hadron approximately 1 GeV, selects the softest point of the equation of state, namely the point where the pressure divided by the energy density has a minimum. The sensitivity to the equation of state used is discussed. The previously proposed mixed phase model, which is consistent with lattice QCD data naturally leads to the chemical freeze-out condition.

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