arXiv subjects

J. Magnin

Publications and source records attributed to J. Magnin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2012

Monte Carlo approach for hadron azimuthal correlations in high energy proton and nuclear collisions

We use a Monte Carlo approach to study hadron azimuthal angular correlations in high energy proton-proton and central nucleus-nucleus collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) energies at mid-rapidity. We build a hadron event generator that incorporates the production of $2\to 2$ and $2\to 3$ parton processes and their evolution into hadron states. For nucleus-nucleus collisions we include the effect of parton energy loss in the Quark-Gluon Plasma using a modified fragmentation function approach. In the presence of the medium, for the case when three partons are produced in the hard scattering, we analyze the Monte Carlo sample in parton and hadron momentum bins to reconstruct the angular correlations. We characterize this sample by the number of partons that are able to hadronize by fragmentation within the selected bins. In the nuclear environment the model allows hadronization by fragmentation only for partons with momentum above a threshold $p_T^{\tiny{thresh}}=2.4$ GeV. We argue that one should treat properly the effect of those partons with momentum below the threshold, since their interaction with the medium may lead to showers of low momentum hadrons along the direction of motion of the original partons as the medium becomes diluted.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Heavy flavor nuclear modification factor: more baryons than mesons less energy loss

The suppression of the nuclear modification factor for heavy flavor hadrons is usually attributed to the energy loss of heavy quarks propagating in a QCD plasma. Nevertheless it is puzzling that the suppression is as strong as for light flavors. We show that when accounting for the quark momentum shift associated to the opening of the recombination/coalescence channel for hadron production in the plasma, it is not necessary to invoke such strong energy loss. This shift is expressed in terms of an increase of the heavy baryon to meson ratio in nuclear with respect to proton collisions. When this mechanism is included along with a moderate energy loss, data from RHIC and LHC for the nuclear modification factor of electrons coming from heavy flavor decays as well as of charm mesons, can be reasonably described.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2011

Three-hadron angular correlations from pQCD at RHIC and LHC

We study three-hadron azimuthal angular correlations in high energy proton-proton and central nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC and LHC at mid-rapidity. We use the LO parton matrix elements for 2 \rightarrow 3 processes and include the effect of parton energy loss in the Quark-Gluon Plasma using the modified fragmentation function approach. For the case when the produced hadrons have either same or not too different momenta, we observe two away side peaks at 2pi/3 and 4pi/3. We consider the dependence of the angular correlations on energy loss parameters that have been used in studies of single inclusive hadron production at RHIC. Our results on the angular dependence of the cross section agree well with preliminary data by the PHENIX collaboration. We comment on the possible contribution of 2 \rightarrow 3 processes to di-hadron angular correlations and how a comparison of the two processes may help characterize the plasma further.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

The broad away side of azimuthal correlations: 3 vs 2 final state particles in high energy nuclear collisions

In high energy heavy ion collisions at RHIC there are important aspects of the medium induced dynamics, that are still not well understood. In particular, there is a broadening and even a double hump structure of the away-side peak appearing in azimuthal correlation studies in Au+Au collisions which is absent in p+p collisions at the same energies. These features are already present but suppressed in p+p collisions: 2 to 3 parton processes produce such structures but are suppressed with respect to 2 to 2 processes. We argue that in A+A collisions the different geometry for the trajectories of 3 as opposed to 2 particles in the final state, together with the medium induced energy loss effects on the different cross sections, create a scenario that enhances processes with 3 particles in the final state, which gives on average this double hump structure.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2011

The structure of the strange sea of the proton

In this work we study the strange sea of the proton using a version of the Meson Cloud Model containing both, efective and perturbative degrees of freedom. We construct the $s$ and $\bar{s}$ parton distributions functions at the initial energy scale, $Q_0^2$, where QCD evolution starts. The initial $s$ and $\bar s$ pdfs depend on a number of parameters which we fix by comparison to parameterizations of the strange sea of the nucleon obtained in a recent global fit to experimental data, allowing for a $s-\bar{s}$ asymmetry. We show that the model describes well the strange sea of the proton and argue that it can be a phenomenologically motivated alternative to the usual input parameterizations used in fits to experimental DIS data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Measuring asymmetries in flavor asymmetric machines

The LHC offers a unique opportunity to investigate an ample spectra of phenomenous ranging from the Electro-Weak (EW) to the QCD sector of the Standard Model (SM). Among the quantities which can be measured in the LHC experiments are the CP and production asymmetries for several particles in a wide variety of decay modes. In this work we discuss about the interplay between production and CP asymmetries for particles produced in proton-proton interactions and the effects of one on the measurement of the other. This kind of effects are not present in flavor symmetric machines like the Tevatron or $e^+-e^-$ colliders.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Three and two-hadron correlations in \sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV proton-proton and nucleus-nucleus collisions

We compare the azimuthal correlations arising from three and two hadron production in high energy proton-proton and nucleus-nucleus collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV, using the leading order matrix elements for two-to-three and two-to-two parton-processes in perturbative QCD. We first compute the two and three hadron production cross sections in mid-rapidity proton-proton collisions. Then we consider Au + Au collisions including parton energy loss using the modified fragmentation function approach. By examining the geometrical paths the hard partons follow through the medium, we show that the two away-side partons produced in two-to-three processes have in average a smaller and a greater path length than the average path length of the away-side parton in two-to-two processes. Therefore there is a large probability that in the former processes one of the particles escapes while the other gets absorbed. This effect leads to an enhancement in the azimuthal correlations of the two-to-three with respect to the two-to-two parton-processes when comparing to the same processes in proton-proton collisions since in average the particle with the shortest path length looses less energy with respect to the away side particle in two-to-two processes. We argue that this phenomenon may be responsible for the shape of the away-side in azimuthal correlations observed in mid-rapidity Au + Au collisions at RHIC.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2009

Dynamical heavy-quark recombination and the non-photonic single electron puzzle at RHIC

We show that the single, non-photonic electron nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}^e$ is affected by the thermal enhancement of the heavy-baryon to heavy-meson ratio in relativistic heavy-ion collisions with respect to proton-proton collisions. We make use of the dynamical quark recombination model to compute such ratio and show that this produces a sizable suppression factor for $R_{AA}^e$ at intermediate transverse momenta. We argue that such suppression factor needs to be considered, in addition to the energy loss contribution, in calculations of $R_{AA}^e$

nucl-th↗

arXiv2009

Spin alignment of vector mesons in heavy ion and proton - proton collisions

The spin alignment matrix element rho_{00} for the vector mesons K^{*0} and phi(1020) has been measured in RHIC at central rapidities. These measurements are consistent with the absence of polarization with respect to the reaction plane in mid-central Au + Au collisions whereas, when measured with respect to the production plane in the same reactions and in p + p collisions, a non-vanishing and p_perp-dependent rho_{00} is found. We show that this behavior can be understood in a simple model of vector meson production where the spin of their constituent quarks is oriented during hadronization as the result of Thomas precession.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Collisional parton energy loss in a finite size QCD medium revisited: Off mass-shell effects

We study the collisional energy loss mechanism for particles produced off mass-shell in a finite size QCD medium. The off mass-shell effects introduced are to consider particles produced in wave packets instead of plane waves and the length scale associated to an in-medium particles' life-time. We show that these effects reduce the energy loss as compared to the case when the particles are described as freely propagating from the source. The reduction of the energy loss is stronger as this scale becomes of the order or smaller than the medium size. We discuss possible consequences of the result on the description of the energy loss process in the parton recombination scenario.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2007

On the s-sbar asymmetry of the nucleon sea

We study the $s-\bar s$ asymmetry in the nucleon sea using a model in which the proton wave function includes a Kaon-Hyperon Fock state. Parameters of the model are fixed by fitting the $s-\bar s$ asymmetry obtained from global fits to Deep Inelastic Scattering data. We discuss possible effects of the $s-\bar s$ asymmetry on the measurement of the Weinberg angle by the NuTeV Collaboration.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2006

Charm particle production in hadronic collisions

We study charm particle production in hadron-hadron collisions. After calculating perturbatively the charm quark differential cross section, we study the hadronization mechanisms. It is shown that recombination is the key to understand the so called Leading Particle Effect in charm meson production. For charm baryon production, however, leading particle effects are due to a combination of contributions coming from both, the recombination and the fragmentation mechanisms. We compare our calculations to experimental data on charm hadron production in $π^- N$ and $p N$ interactions from several experiments and show that a consistent description of them can be reached without the aid of other mechanims than recombination and fragmentation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2006

Proton and pion transverse spectra at RHIC from radial flow and finite size effects

We show that the proton and pion transverse momentum distributions measured at RHIC for all collision centralities for pions and most of the collision centralities for protons, can be simultaneously described in terms of a thermal model with common values for the radial flow and temperature, when accounting for the finite size of the interaction region at the time of decoupling. We show that this description is obtained in terms of a simple scaling law of the size of the interaction region with the number of participants in the collision. The behavior of the proton to pion ratio at mid-rapidity can also be understood as a consequence of the strength of the radial flow and system size reached at RHIC energies.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2006

Finite size effects on pion spectra in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We compute the pion inclusive transverse momentum distribution assuming thermal equilibrium together with transverse flow and accounting for finite size effects and energy loss at the time of decoupling. We compare to data on mid-rapidity pions produced in central collisions in RHIC at sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV. We find that a finite size for the system of emitting particles results in a power-like fall-off of the spectra that follows the data up to larger p_t values, as compared to a simple thermal model.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Angra Neutrino Project: status and plans

We present the status and plans of the Angra Project, a new nuclear reactor neutrino oscillation experiment, proposed to be built in Brazil at the Angra dos Reis nuclear reactor complex. This experiment is aimed to measure theta_13, the last unknown of the three neutrino mixing angles. Combining a high luminosity design, very low background from cosmic rays and careful control of systematic errors at the 1% level, we propose a high sensitivity multi-detector experiment, able to reach a sensitivity to antineutrino disappearance down to sin^2(2*theta_13) = 0.006 in a three years running period, improving present limits constrained by the CHOOZ experiment by more than an order of magnitude.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2004

Longitudinal $\bar Λ_0$ polarization in heavy ion collisions as a probe for QGP formation

We present an analysis of the longitudinal $\bar Λ_0$ polarization in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The polarization of $\bar Λ_0$'s coming from the decay chain $\barΞ\to \barΛ_0+π$ exhibits a very well differentiated behavior depending on the production region of the primordial $\bar Ξ$'s. This effect reflects the different values of the $N_{\bar Ξ}/N_{\bar Λ_0}$ ratio in the QGP region, where nucleon-nucleon interactions take place in a hot and dense environment, and the peripherical region, in which ordinary nucleon-nucleon interactions occur. An increase in the longitudinal $\bar Λ_0$ polarization signals a strangeness enhancement which is thought as a property of the QGP phase.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2004

Mass of the rho^0 meson in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collision

We study the behavior of the rho vector mass in the context of the almost baryon-free environment of an ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collision. We show that rho scattering within the hadronic phase of the collision leads to a temperature dependent, decrease of its intrinsic mass at rest, compared to the value in vacuum. The main contributions arise from s-channel scattering with pions through the formation of a1 resonances as well as with nucleons through the formation of even parity, spin 3/2 [N(1720)] and 5/2 [Delta(1905)] nucleon resonances. We show that it is possible to achieve a shift in the intrinsic rho^0 mass of order - 40 MeV, when including the contributions of all the relevant mesons and baryons that take part in the scattering, for temperatures between chemical and kinetic freeze-out.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Pion and kaon parton distribution functions in a meson cloud model

In a model of hadrons in which the hadron wave function at low $Q^2$ is represented by a hadron-like Fock state expansion, we calculate the $π$ and $K$ parton distribution functions by comparing to experimental data. We show that the model gives an accurate description of available data and, in addition, gives a clear prediction of the initial flavors to be considered at the low $Q^2$ scale where perturbative evolution starts

hep-ph↗