arXiv subjects

F. Becattini

Publications and source records attributed to F. Becattini.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Quantum corrections to the stress-energy tensor in thermodynamic equilibrium with acceleration

We show that the stress-energy tensor has additional terms with respect to the ideal form in states of global thermodynamic equilibrium in flat spacetime with non-vanishing acceleration and vorticity. These corrections are of quantum origin and their leading terms are second order in the gradients of the thermodynamic fields. Their relevant coefficients can be expressed in terms of correlators of the stress-energy tensor operator and the generators of the Lorentz group. With respect to previous assessments, we find that there are more second order coefficients and that all thermodynamic functions including energy density receive acceleration and vorticity dependent corrections. Notably, also the relation between ρand p, that is the equation of state, is affected by acceleration and vorticity. We have calculated the corrections for a free real scalar field -- both massive and massless -- and we have found that they increase, particularly for a massive field, at very high acceleration and vorticity and very low temperature. Finally, these non-ideal terms depend on the explicit form of the stress-energy operator, implying that different stress-energy tensor of the scalar field -- canonical or improved -- are thermodynamically inequivalent.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

A study of vorticity formation in high energy nuclear collisions

We present a quantitative study of vorticity formation in peripheral ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions at sqrt(s)NN = 200 GeV by using the ECHO-QGP numerical code, implementing relativistic dissipative hydrodynamics in the causal Israel-Stewart framework in 3+1 dimensions with an initial Bjorken flow profile. We consider and discuss different definitions of vorticity which are relevant in relativistic hydrodynamics. After demonstrating the excellent capabilities of our code, which proves to be able to reproduce Gubser flow up to 8 fm/c, we show that, with the initial conditions needed to reproduce the measured directed flow in peripheral collisions corresponding to an average impact parameter b=11.6 fm and with the Bjorken flow profile for a viscous Quark Gluon Plasma with η/s=0.1 fixed, a vorticity of the order of some 10^{-2} c/fm can develop at freezeout. The ensuing polarization of Lambda baryons does not exceed 1.4% at midrapidity. We show that the amount of developed directed flow is sensitive to both the initial angular momentum of the plasma and its viscosity.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

Local thermodynamical equilibrium and the beta frame for a quantum relativistic fluid

We discuss the concept of local thermodynamical equilibrium in relativistic hydrodynamics in flat spacetime in a quantum statistical framework without an underlying kinetic description, suitable for strongly interacting fluids. We show that the appropriate definition of local equilibrium naturally leads to the introduction of a relativistic hydrodynamical frame in which the four-velocity vector is the one of a relativistic thermometer at equilibrium with the fluid, parallel to the inverse temperature four-vector β, which then becomes a primary quantity. We show that this frame is the most appropriate for the expansion of stress-energy tensor from local thermodynamical equilibrium and that therein the local laws of thermodynamics take on their simplest form. We discuss the difference between the βframe and Landau frame and present an instance where they differ.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Centrality dependence of hadronization and chemical freeze-out conditions in heavy ion collisions at \sqrt s_{NN} = 2.76 TeV

We present an analysis of hadronic multiplicities measured in Pb-Pb collisions at \sqrt s_{NN} = 2.76 TeV as a function of the collision centrality within the statistical hadronization model. Evidence is found of a dependence of the chemical freeze-out temperature as a function of centrality, with a slow rise from central to peripheral collisions, which we interpret as an effect of post-hadronization inelastic scatterings. Using correction factors calculated by means of a simulation based on the UrQMD model, we are able to obtain a significant improvement in the statitical model fit quality and to reconstruct the primordial chemical equilibrium configuration. This is characterized by a nearly constant temperature of about 164 MeV which we interpret as the actual hadronization temperature.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Relativistic viscous hydrodynamics for heavy-ion collisions with ECHO-QGP

We present ECHO-QGP, a numerical code for $(3+1)$-dimensional relativistic viscous hydrodynamics designed for the modeling of the space-time evolution of the matter created in high energy nuclear collisions. The code has been built on top of the \emph{Eulerian Conservative High-Order} astrophysical code for general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamics [\emph{Del Zanna et al., Astron. Astrophys. 473, 11, 2007}] and here it has been upgraded to handle the physics of the Quark-Gluon Plasma. ECHO-QGP features second-order treatment of causal relativistic viscosity effects in both Minkowskian or Bjorken coordinates; partial or complete chemical equilibrium of hadronic species before kinetic freeze-out; initial conditions based on the optical Glauber model, including a Monte-Carlo routine for event-by-event fluctuating initial conditions; a freeze-out procedure based on the Cooper-Frye prescription. The code is extensively validated against several test problems and results always appear accurate, as guaranteed by the combination of the conservative (shock-capturing) approach and the high-order methods employed. ECHO-QGP can be extended to include evolution of the electromagnetic fields coupled to the plasma.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Relativistic distribution function for particles with spin at local thermodynamical equilibrium

We present an extension of relativistic single-particle distribution function for weakly interacting particles at local thermodynamical equilibrium including spin degrees of freedom, for massive spin 1/2 particles. We infer, on the basis of the global equilibrium case, that at local thermodynamical equilibrium particles acquire a net polarization proportional to the vorticity of the inverse temperature four-vector field. The obtained formula for polarization also implies that a steady gradient of temperature entails a polarization orthogonal to particle momentum. The single-particle distribution function in momentum space extends the so-called Cooper-Frye formula to particles with spin 1/2 and allows to predict their polarization in relativistic heavy ion collisions at the freeze-out.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Lambda Polarization in Peripheral Heavy Ion Collisions

We predict the polarization of Lambda and antiLambda hyperons in peripheral heavy ion collisions at ultrarelativistic energy, based on the assumption of local thermodynamical equilibrium at freeze-out. The polarization vector is proportional to the curl of the inverse temperature four-vector field and its length, of the order of percents, is maximal for particle with moderately high momentum lying on the reaction plane. A selective measurement of these particles could make Lambda polarization detectable.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Hadronic Freeze-Out in A+A Collisions meets the Lattice QCD Parton-Hadron Transition Line

We analyze hadrochemical freeze-out in central Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS and LHC energies. Employing the UrQMD hybrid transport model we study the effects of the final hadron/resonance expansion phase on the hadron multiplicities established at hadronization. The bulk meson yields freeze out directly at hadronization whereas the baryon-antibaryon sector is subject to significant alterations, due to annihilation and regeneration processes. We quantify the latter changes by survival factors for each species which are applied to modify the statistical model predictions for the data. The modified SM analysis recovers the hadronization points, which coincide with the recent lattice QCD predictions of the parton-hadron transition line at finite baryochemical potential.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Nonequilibrium Thermodynamical Inequivalence of Quantum Stress-energy and Spin Tensors

It is shown that different pairs of stress-energy and spin tensors of quantum relativistic fields related by a pseudo-gauge transformation, i.e. differing by a divergence, imply different mean values of physical quantities in thermodynamical nonequilibrium situations. Most notably, transport coefficients and the total entropy production rate are affected by the choice of the spin tensor of the relativistic quantum field theory under consideration. Therefore, at least in principle, it should be possible to disprove a fundamental stress-energy tensor and/or to show that a fundamental spin tensor exists by means of a dissipative thermodynamical experiment.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

A Monte-Carlo generator for statistical hadronization in high energy e+e- collisions

We present a Monte-Carlo implementation of the Statistical Hadronization Model in e+e- collisions. The physical scheme is based on the statistical hadronization of massive clusters produced by the event generator Herwig within the microcanonical ensemble. We present a preliminary comparison of several observables with measurements in e+e- collisions at the Z peak. Although a fine tuning of the model parameters is not carried out, a general good agreement between its predictions and data is found.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Covariant statistical mechanics and the stress-energy tensor

After recapitulating the covariant formalism of equilibrium statistical mechanics in special relativity and extending it to the case of a non-vanishing spin tensor, we show that the relativistic stress-energy tensor at thermodynamical equilibrium can be obtained from a functional derivative of the partition function with respect to the inverse temperature four-vector β. For usual thermodynamical equilibrium, the stress-energy tensor turns out to be the derivative of the relativistic thermodynamic potential current with respect to the four-vector β, i.e. T^{μν} = - \partial Φ^μ/\partial β_ν. This formula establishes a relation between stress-energy tensor and entropy current at equilibrium possibly extendable to non-equilibrium hydrodynamics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

Statistical hadronization with exclusive channels in e+e- annihilation

We perform a systematic analysis of exclusive hadronic channels in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies between 2.1 and 2.6 GeV within the statistical hadronization model. Because of the low multiplicities involved, calculations have been carried out in the full microcanonical ensemble, including conservation of energy-momentum, angular momentum, parity, isospin, and all relevant charges. We show that the data is in an overall good agreement with the model for an energy density of about 0.5 GeV/fm^3 and an extra strangeness suppression parameter gamma_S ~ 0.7, essentially the same values found with fits to inclusive multiplicities at higher energy.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Validity of the Hadronic Freeze-Out Curve

We analyze hadro-chemical freeze-out in central Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS energies, employing the hybrid version of UrQMD which models hadronization by the Cooper-Frye mechanism, and matches to a final hadron-resonance cascade. We fit the results both before and after the cascade stage using the Statistical Hadronization Model, to assess the effect of the cascade phase. We observe a strong effect on antibaryon yields except anti-Ω, resulting in a shift in T and μ_B. We discuss the implications for the freeze-out curve.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Thermodynamical inequivalence of quantum stress-energy and spin tensors

It is shown that different couples of stress-energy and spin tensors of quantum relativistic fields, which would be otherwise equivalent, are in fact inequivalent if the second law of thermodynamics is taken into account. The proof of the inequivalence is based on the analysis of a macroscopic system at full thermodynamical equilibrium with a macroscopic total angular momentum and a specific instance is given for the free Dirac field, for which we show that the canonical and Belinfante stress-energy tensors are not equivalent. For this particular case, we show that the difference between the predicted angular momentum densities for a rotating system at full thermodynamical equilibrium is a quantum effect, persisting in the non-relativistic limit, corresponding to a polarization of particles of the order of \hbar ω/KT (ωbeing the angular velocity) and could in principle be measured experimentally. This result implies that specific stress-energy and spin tensors are physically meaningful even in the absence of gravitational coupling and raises the issue of finding the thermodynamically right (or the right class of) tensors. We argue that the maximization of the thermodynamic potential theoretically allows to discriminate between two different couples, yet for the present we are unable to provide a theoretical method to single out the "best" couple of tensors in a given quantum field theory. The existence of a non-vanishing spin tensor would have major consequences in hydrodynamics, gravity and cosmology.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Predictions of hadron abundances in pp collisions at the LHC

Based on the statistical hadronization model, we obtain quantitative predictions for the relative abundances of hadron species in pp collisions at the LHC. By using the parameters of the model determined at sqrt s = 200 GeV, and extrapolating the overall normalization from ppbar collisions at the SPS and Tevatron, we find that the expected rapidity densities are almost grand-canonical. Therefore, at LHC the ratios between different species become essentially energy-independent, provided that the hadronization temperature T_H and the strangeness suppression factor gamma_S retain the stable values observed in the presently explored range of pp and ppbar collisions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

MCSTHAR++, a Monte Carlo code for the microcanonical hadronization

MCSTHAR++ is a new Monte Carlo code implementing the Statistical Hadronization Model. This model assumes that hadronization proceeds through the microcanonical decay of massive extended clusters. Unlike other hadronization models, in this approach very few free parameters are needed, as has been demonstrated in previous studies. The tuning of the model and the comparison with the data is ongoing.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

The ideal relativistic rotating gas as a perfect fluid with spin

We show that the ideal relativistic spinning gas at complete thermodynamical equilibrium is a fluid with a non-vanishing spin density tensor σ_μν. After having obtained the expression of the local spin-dependent phase space density f(x,p)_(στ) in the Boltzmann approximation, we derive the spin density tensor and show that it is proportional to the acceleration tensor Omega_μνconstructed with the Frenet-Serret tetrad. We recover the proper generalization of the fundamental thermodynamical relation, involving an additional term -(1/2) Ω_μνσ^μν. We also show that the spin density tensor has a non-vanishing projection onto the four-velocity field, i.e. t^μ= sigma_μνu^ν\ne 0, in contrast to the common assumption t^μ= 0, known as Frenkel condition, in the thus-far proposed theories of relativistic fluids with spin. We briefly address the viewpoint of the accelerated observer and inertial spin effects.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2010

A comparative analysis of statistical hadron production

We perform a systematic comparison of the statistical model parametrization of hadron abundances measured in high energy pp, AA and e+e- collisions. The basic aim of the study is to test if the quality of the description depends on the nature of the collision process. In particular, we want to see if nuclear collisions, with multiple initial interactions, lead to "more thermal" average multiplicities than elementary pp collisions or e+e- annihilation. Such a comparison is meaningful only if it is based on data for the same or similar hadronic species and if the analyzed data has quantitatively similar errors. When these requirements are maintained, the quality of the statistical model description is found to be the same for the different initial collision configurations.

hep-ph↗