arXiv subjects

Marcus Bleicher

Publications and source records attributed to Marcus Bleicher.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

A twisted emission geometry in non-central Pb+Pb collisions measurable via azimuthally sensitive HBT

We use the Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) model to simulate Pb+Pb collisions. In the freeze out geometry of non-central Pb+Pb collisions we observe a tilt of the particle emission zone in the collision plane away from the beam axis. We find that the magnitude of this tilt depends on the scale at which the distribution is measured. We quantify this "twisting" behavior with a parameterization and propose to measure it experimentally via azimuthally sensitive Hanbury-Brown Twiss correlations. Additionally we show that the twist is related to the emission of particles from different times during the evolution of the source. A systematic comparison between the theoretically observed twist in the freeze out position distribution and a mock experimental analysis of the model calculations via HBT correlations is shown.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Possibility for $J/Ψ$ suppression in high multiplicity proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=7\,$TeV

We study $J/Ψ$ absorption in high multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN}}=7\,$TeV. We predict a modification of the $J/Ψ$-yield within the UrQMD transport approach, where explicit interactions of the $J/Ψ$ with the surrounding comovers and a prehadronic phase with adjusted cross sections and $J/Ψ$ melting is included. We present the analog of the nuclear modification factor in pp collisions at various charged particle multiplicities. It turns out that $J/Ψ$-Mesons may be suppressed towards higher particle multiplicities in pp collisions at LHC energies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Non-thermal p/pi ratio at LHC as a consequence of hadronic final state interactions

Recent LHC data on Pb+Pb reactions at sqrt(s_{NN})=2.7 TeV suggests that the p/pi is incompatible with thermal models. We explore several hadron ratios (K/pi, p/pi, Lambda/pi, Xi/pi) within a hydrodynamic model with hadronic after burner, namely UrQMD 3.3, and show that the deviations can be understood as a final state effect. We propose the p/pi as an observable sensitive on whether final state interactions take place or not. The measured values of the hadron ratios do then allow to gauge the transition energy density from hydrodynamics to the Boltzmann description. We find that the data can be explained with transition energy densities of 840 +- 150 MeV/fm^3.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Influence of an inhomogeneous and expanding medium on signals of the QCD phase transition

According to a fluid dynamic expansion of the fireball we investigate how the inhomogeneity of the system influences the chiral phase transition of QCD. We compare the averaged values of the order parameter in equilibrium with that of a homogeneous system. If the temperature is averaged over a certain region of the fireball the corresponding correlation length does not diverge in an expansion with a critical point.

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arXiv2013

Chiral fluid dynamics with explicit propagation of the Polyakov loop

We present a fully dynamical model to study nonequilibrium effects in both the chiral and the deconfinement phase transition. The sigma field and the Polyakov loop as the corresponding order parameters are propagated by Langevin equations of motion. The locally thermalized background is provided by a fluid of quarks and antiquarks. Allowing for an exchange of energy and momentum through dissipative and stochastic processes we ensure that the total energy of the coupled system remains conserved. We study its relaxational dynamics in different quench scenarios and are able to observe critical slowing down as well as the enhancement of long wavelength modes at the critical point. During the fluid dynamical expansion of a hot plasma fireball typical nonequilibrium effects like supercooling and domain formation occur when the system evolves through the first order phase transition.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Fluctuations and correlations in Polyakov loop extended chiral fluid dynamics

We study nonequilibrium effects at the QCD phase transition within the framework of Polyakov loop extended chiral fluid dynamics. The quark degrees of freedom act as a locally equilibrated heat bath for the sigma field and a dynamical Polyakov loop. Their evolution is described by a Langevin equation with dissipation and noise. At a critical point we observe the formation of long-range correlations after equilibration. During a hydrodynamical expansion nonequilibrium fluctuations are enhanced at the first order phase transition compared to the critical point.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Heavy quark transport at RHIC and LHC

We calculate the heavy quark evolution in heavy ion collisions and show results for the elliptic flow $v_2$ as well as the nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$ at RHIC and LHC energies. For the calculation we implement a Langevin approach for the transport of heavy quarks in the UrQMD (hydrodynamics + Boltzmann) hybrid model. As drag and diffusion coefficients we use a Resonance approach for elastic heavy-quark scattering and assume a decoupling temperature of the charm quarks from the hot medium of $130\,\text{MeV}$. At RHIC energies we use a coalescence approach at the decoupling temperature for the hadronization of the heavy quarks to D-mesons and B-mesons and a sub-following decay to heavy flavor electrons using PYTHIA. At LHC we use an additional fragmentation mechanism to account for the higher transverse momenta reached at higher collision energies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Heavy quark transport in heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC within the UrQMD transport model

We have implemented a Langevin approach for the transport of heavy quarks in the UrQMD hybrid model. The UrQMD hybrid approach provides a realistic description of the background medium for the evolution of relativistic heavy ion collisions. We have used two different sets of drag and diffusion coefficients, one based on a $T$-Matrix approach and one based on a resonance model for the elastic scattering of heavy quarks within the medium. In case of the resonance model we have investigated the effects of different decoupling temperatures of the heavy quarks from the medium, ranging between $130\,\text{MeV}$ and $180\,\text{MeV}$. We present calculations of the nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$, as well as of the elliptic flow $v_2$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200\,\text{GeV}$ and Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=2.76\,\text{TeV}$. To make our results comparable to experimental data at RHIC and LHC we have implemented a Peterson fragmentation and a quark coalescence approach followed by the semileptonic decay of the D- and B-mesons to electrons. We find that our results strongly depend on the decoupling temperature and the hadronization mechanism. At a decoupling temperature of $130\,\text{MeV}$ we reach a good agreement with the measurements at both, RHIC and LHC energies, simultaneously for the elliptic flow $v_2$ and the nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Relativistic Hydrodynamics on Graphic Cards

We show how to accelerate relativistic hydrodynamics simulations using graphic cards (graphic processing units, GPUs). These improvements are of highest relevance e.g. to the field of high-energetic nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC and LHC where (ideal and dissipative) relativistic hydrodynamics is used to calculate the evolution of hot and dense QCD matter. The results reported here are based on the Sharp And Smooth Transport Algorithm (SHASTA), which is employed in many hydrodynamical models and hybrid simulation packages, e.g. the Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics model (UrQMD). We have redesigned the SHASTA using the OpenCL computing framework to work on accelerators like graphic processing units (GPUs) as well as on multi-core processors. With the redesign of the algorithm the hydrodynamic calculations have been accelerated by a factor 160 allowing for event-by-event calculations and better statistics in hybrid calculations.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Medium information from anisotropic flow and jet quenching in relativistic heavy ion collisions

Within a multiphase transport (AMPT) model, where the initial conditions are obtained from the recently updated HIJING 2.0 model, the recent anisotropic flow and suppression data for charged hadrons in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC center of mass energy of 2.76 TeV are explored to constrain the properties of the partonic medium formed. In contrast to RHIC, the measured centrality dependence of charged hadron multiplicity dN_ch/deta at LHC provides severe constraint to the largely uncertain gluon shadowing parameter s_g. We find final-state parton scatterings reduce considerably hadron yield at midrapidity and enforces a smaller s_g to be consistent with dN_ch/deta data at LHC. With the parton shadowing so constrained, hadron production and flow over a wide transverse momenta range are investigated in AMPT. The model calculations for the elliptic and triangular flow are found to be in excellent agreement with the RHIC data, and predictions for the flow coefficients v_n(p_T, cent) at LHC are given. The magnitude and pattern of suppression of the hadrons in AMPT are found consistent with the measurements at RHIC. However, the suppression is distinctly overpredicted in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC energy. Reduction of the QCD coupling constant alpha_s by ~30% in the higher temperature plasma formed at LHC reproduces the measured hadron suppression.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Net-baryon-, net-proton-, and net-charge kurtosis in heavy-ion collisions within a relativistic transport approach

We explore the potential of net-baryon, net-proton and net-charge kurtosis measurements to investigate the properties of hot and dense matter created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Contrary to calculations in a grand canonical ensemble we explicitly take into account exact electric and baryon charge conservation on an event-by-event basis. This drastically limits the width of baryon fluctuations. A simple model to account for this is to assume a grand-canonical distribution with a sharp cut-off at the tails. We present baseline predictions of the energy dependence of the net-baryon, net-proton and net-charge kurtosis for central ($b\leq 2.75$ fm) Pb+Pb/Au+Au collisions from $E_{lab}=2A$ GeV to $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV from the UrQMD model. While the net-charge kurtosis is compatible with values around zero, the net-baryon number decreases to large negative values with decreasing beam energy. The net-proton kurtosis becomes only slightly negative for low $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

UrQMD calculations of two-pion HBT correlations in p+p and Pb+Pb collisions at LHC energies

Two-pion Hanbury-Brown-Twiss (HBT) correlations for p+p and central Pb+Pb collisions at the Large-Hadron-Collider (LHC) energies are investigated with the ultra-relativistic quantum molecular dynamics model combined with a correlation afterburner. The transverse momentum dependence of the Pratt-Bertsch HBT radii $R_{long}$, $R_{out}$, and $R_{side}$ is extracted from a three-dimensional Gaussian fit to the correlator in the longitudinal co-moving system. In the p+p case, the dependence of correlations on the charged particle multiplicity and formation time is explored and the data allows to constrain the formation time in the string fragmentation to $τ_f \leq 0.8$ fm/c. In the Pb+Pb case, it is found that $R_{out}$ is overpredicted by nearly 50%. The LHC results are also compared to data from the STAR experiment at RHIC. For both energies we find that the calculated $R_{out}/R_{side}$ ratio is always larger than data, indicating that the emission in the model is less explosive than observed in the data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Charm quark transport in Pb+Pb reactions at sqrt{s}_NN=2.76 TeV from a (3+1) dimensional hybrid approach

We implement a Langevin approach for the transport of charm quarks in the UrQMD (hydrodynamics + Boltzmann) hybrid model. Due to the inclusion of event-by-event fluctuations and a full (3+1) dimensional hydrodynamic evolution, this approach provides a more realistic model for the evolution of the matter produced in heavy ion collisions as compared to simple homogeneous fireball expansions usually employed. As drag and diffusion coefficients we use a resonance approach for elastic heavy-quark scattering and assume a decoupling temperature of the charm quarks from the hot medium of 130 MeV. A coalescence approach at the decoupling temperature for the hadronization of the charm quarks to D-mesons is also included. We present calculations of the nuclear modification factor R_AA as well as the elliptic flow v_2 in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt s_NN=2.76 TeV. The comparison to ALICE measurements shows a very good agreement with our calculations.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Extraction of the sound velocity from rapidity spectra: Evidence for QGP formation at FAIR/RHIC-BES energies

We analyze longitudinal pion spectra from \sqrt{s_{NN}}= 2 GeV to \sqrt {s_{\rm NN}}=20 GeV within Landau's hydrodynamical model and the UrQMD hybrid approach. From the measured data on the widths of the pion rapidity spectra, we extract the sound velocity c_s^2 in the dense stage of the reactions. It is found that the sound velocity has a local minimum (indicating a softest point in the equation of state, EoS) at \sqrt{s_{NN}}= 4-9 GeV, an energy range accessible at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) as well as the RHIC-Beam Energy Scan (RHIC-BES). This softening of the EoS is compatible with the formation of a QGP at the onset of deconfinement. The extracted sound velocities are then used to calculate an excitation function for the mean transverse mass of pions from the hybrid model. We find that, above \sqrt{s_{NN}} \approx 10 GeV, even the lowest c_s^{2} gives a considerably larger of pions compared to data.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Effects of nuclear absorption on the antiLambda/antiproton ratio in relativistic heavy ion collisions

An enhanced antiLambda/antiproton ratio in heavy-ion relative to p+p collisions has been proposed as one of the signatures for the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) formation. A significantly large (antiLambda+antiSigma0+1.1*antiSigma-)/antiproton ratio of 3.5 has been observed in the mid-rapidity and low transverse momentum region in central Au+Au collisions at the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 4.9 GeV at the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS). This is an order of magnitude larger than the values in peripheral Au+Au collisions and p+p collisions at the corresponding energy. By using the Ultra-relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) transport model, we demonstrate that the observed large ratio can be explained by strong absorption of antiprotons (~99.9%) and antiLambdas (~99%) in dense nuclear matter created in central collisions. We find within the model that the initial antiLambda/antiproton ratio, mainly from string fragmentation, does not depend on the collision centrality, and is consistent with that observed in p+p collisions. This suggests that the observed large (antiLambda+antiSigma0+1.1*antiSigma-)/antiproton ratio at the AGS does not necessarily imply the formation of the QGP. We further study the excitation function of the ratio in UrQMD, which may help in the search and study of the QGP.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

How stable are transport model results to changes of resonance parameters? A UrQMD model study

The Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics [UrQMD] model is widely used to simulate heavy ion collisions in broad energy ranges. It consists of various components to implement the different physical processes underlying the transport approach. A major building block are the shared tables of constants, implementing the baryon masses and widths. Unfortunately, many of these input parameters are not well known experimentally. In view of the upcoming physics program at FAIR, it is therefore of fundamental interest to explore the stability of the model results when these parameters are varied. We perform a systematic variation of particle masses and widths within the limits proposed by the particle data group (or up to 10%). We find that the model results do only weakly depend on the variation of these input parameters. Thus, we conclude that the present implementation is stable with respect to the modification of not yet well specified particle parameters.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Hadronization and Hadronic Freeze-Out in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions

We analyze hadrochemical freeze-out in central Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS energies, employing the hybrid version of the Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics model, which describes the transition from a hydrodynamic stage to hadrons 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 Model, to assess the effect of the cascade phase. We observe a strong effect on antibaryon yields except anti-Omega, resulting in a shift in T and mu_B of the freeze-out curve. We discuss indications of a similar effect in SPS and RHIC data, and propose a method to recover the bulk hadron freeze-out conditions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Physics on Smallest Scales - An Introduction to Minimal Length Phenomenology

Many modern theories which try to unify gravity with the Standard Model of particle physics, as e.g. string theory, propose two key modifications to the commonly known physical theories: i) the existence of additional space dimensions; ii) the existence of a minimal length distance or maximal resolution. While extra dimensions have received a wide coverage in publications over the last ten years (especially due to the prediction of micro black hole production at the LHC), the phenomenology of models with a minimal length is still less investigated. In a summer study project for bachelor students in 2010 we have explored some phenomenological implications of the potential existence of a minimal length. In this paper we review the idea and formalism of a quantum gravity induced minimal length in the generalised uncertainty principle framework as well as in the coherent state approach to non-commutative geometry. These approaches are effective models which can make model-independent predictions for experiments and are ideally suited for phenomenological studies. Pedagogical examples are provided to grasp the effects of a quantum gravity induced minimal length. This article is intended for graduate students and non-specialists interested in quantum gravity.

physics.ed-ph↗