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Mikolaj Chojnacki

Publications and source records attributed to Mikolaj Chojnacki.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

THERMINATOR 2: THERMal heavy IoN generATOR 2

We present an extended version of THERMINATOR, a Monte Carlo event generator dedicated to studies of the statistical production of particles in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The increased functionality of the code contains the following features: The input of any shape of the freeze-out hypersurface and the expansion velocity field, including the 3+1 dimensional profiles, in particular those generated externally with various hydrodynamic codes. The hypersufraces may have variable thermal parameters, which allows for studies departing significantly from the mid-rapidity region, where the baryon chemical potential becomes large. We include a library of standard sets of hypersurfaces and velocity profiles describing the RHIC Au+Au data at sqrt(s_(NN)) = 200 GeV for various centralities, as well as those anticipated for the LHC Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt(s_(NN)) = 5.5 TeV. A separate code, FEMTO-THERMINATOR, is provided to carry out the analysis of femtoscopic correlations which are an important source of information concerning the size and expansion of the system. We also include several useful scripts that carry out auxiliary tasks, such as obtaining an estimate of the number of elastic collisions after the freeze-out, counting of particles flowing back into the fireball and violating causality (typically very few), or visualizing various results: the particle p_T-spectra, the elliptic flow coefficients, and the HBT correlation radii. We also investigate the problem of the back-flow of particles into the hydrodynamic region, as well as estimate the elastic rescattering in terms of trajectory crossings. The package is written in C++ and uses the CERN ROOT environment.

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Hydrodynamic predictions for Pb+Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

Using the newest data for pp scattering at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) combined with the Glauber model, we make hydrodynamic predictions for the soft hadronic observables planned to be measured in the forthcoming Pb+Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV.

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Size fluctuations of the initial source and the event-by-event transverse momentum fluctuations in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We show that the event-by-event fluctuations of the transverse size of the initial source, which follow directly from the Glauber treatment of the earliest stage of relativistic heavy-ion collisions, cause, after hydrodynamic evolution, fluctuations of the transverse flow velocity at hadronic freeze-out. This in turn leads to event-by-event fluctuations of the average transverse momentum, p_T. Simulations with GLISSANDO for the Glauber phase, followed by a realistic hydrodynamic evolution and statistical hadronization carried out with THERMINATOR, lead to agreement with the RHIC data. In particular, the magnitude of the effect, its centrality dependence, and the weak dependence on the incident energy are properly reproduced. Our results show that bulk of the observed event-by-event p_T fluctuations may be explained by the fluctuations of the size of the initial source.

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Fluctuations in relativistic heavy-ion collisions from the Glauber models

In the first part of the talk we discuss the role of the two-body nucleon-nucleon correlations on signatures of the heavy-ion collisions which are a priori expected to be sensitive to these effects. We find that while the fluctuations of the number of produced particles are indeed affected, other quantities (v_2 fluctuations, size fluctuations) are insensitive to the presence of the NN correlations in the nucleon distributions. In the second part we show that the fluctuations of the transverse size of the initial source cause, after a suitable hydrodynamic evolution, fluctuations of the transverse flow velocity at hadronic freeze-out. This in turn yields the event-by-event fluctuations of the transverse momentum of the produced particles, p_T. Our results demonstrate that practically all of the observed event-by-event p_T fluctuations may be explained this way.

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Hydrodynamic description of particle production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Our recently developed 2+1 (boost-invariant) hydrodynamic model has been presented and used to i) describe the soft hadronic data collected in the central region of the relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and ii) to make predictions for the heavy-ion collisions at the LHC energies. We have addressed both the one- and two-particle observables: the transverse momentum spectra, the elliptic flow coefficient v2, and the pion HBT radii. The realistic equation of state for strongly interacting matter has been constructed that interpolates between the hadron gas model and the results of the QCD lattice simulations. The computational platform has been constructed, which combines the results of our hydrodynamic code with the statistical hadronization model THERMINATOR. The satisfactory description of the soft hadronic RHIC data has been achieved with the standard initial conditions obtained from the optical limit of the Glauber model. Predictions for the future heavy-ion collisions at LHC have been formulated. The solution of the RHIC HBT puzzle has been proposed. It suggests the use of the modified Gaussian-type initial conditions for the energy density in the transverse plane. Finally, the processes of the free streaming of partons followed by the sudden equilibration have been incorporated in the model. The inclusion of the free-streaming stage allows for the delayed start of the hydrodynamic evolution, which is a desirable effect in the context of the early thermalization problem.

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Free-streaming approximation in early dynamics of relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We investigate an approximation to early dynamics in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, where after formation the partons are free streaming and around the proper time of 1 fm/c undergo a sudden equilibration described in terms of the Landau matching condition. We discuss physical and formal aspects of this approach. In particular, we show that initial azimuthally asymmetric transverse flow develops for non-central collisions as a consequence of the sudden equilibration. Moreover, the energy-momentum tensor from the free-streaming stage matches very smoothly to the form used in the transverse hydrodynamics, whereas matching to isotropic hydrodynamics requires a more pronounced change in the energy-momentum tensor. After the hydrodynamic phase statistical hadronization is carried out with the help of THERMINATOR. The physical results for the transverse-momentum spectra, the elliptic-flow, and the Hanbury-Brown--Twiss correlation radii, including the ratio R_out/R_side as well as the dependence of the radii on the azimuthal angle (azHBT), are properly described within our approach. The agreement is equally good for a purely hydrodynamic evolution started at an early proper time of 0.25 fm/c, or for the free streaming started at that time, followed by the sudden equilibration at tau ~1 fm/c and then by perfect hydrodynamics. Thus, the inclusion of free streaming allows us to delay the start of hydrodynamics to more realistic times of the order of 1 fm/c.

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Azimuthally-sensitive femtoscopy from RHIC to LHC in hydrodynamics with statistical hadronization

Azimuthally-sensitive femtoscopy for heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC is explored within the approach consisting of the hydrodynamics of perfect fluid followed by statistical hadronization. It is found that for the RHIC initial conditions the very same framework that reproduces the standard soft observables (including the transverse-momentum spectra, the elliptic flow, and the azimuthally-averaged HBT radii) leads to a proper description of the azimuthally-sensitive femtoscopic observables - we find that the azimuthal variation of the side and out HBT radii is very well reproduced for all centralities, while the out-side correlation is somewhat too large for non-central events. Concerning the dependence of the femtoscopic parameters on kT we find that it is very well reproduced for the out and side radii, and fairly well for the long radius. The model is then extrapolated for the LHC energy. We predict the overall moderate growth of the HBT radii and the decrease of their azimuthal oscillations. Such effects are naturally caused by longer evolution times. In addition, we discuss in detail the space-time patterns of particle emission. We show that they are quite complex and argue that the overall shape seen by the femtoscopic methods cannot be easily disentangled on the basis of simple-minded arguments.

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Soft-hadronic observables for relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC

The relativistic hydrodynamics together with the single-freeze-out statistical hadronization model is used to describe the midrapidity hadron production in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC. At the highest RHIC energy our approach gives a quite satisfactory global description of soft hadronic observables including the HBT radii. With the increased initial energy, from RHIC to LHC, we expect the saturation of the pion elliptic flow and the moderate increase of the correlation radii.

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Initial condition for hydrodynamics, partonic free streaming, and the uniform description of soft observables at RHIC

We investigate the role of the initial condition used for the hydrodynamic evolution of the system formed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions and find that an appropriate choice motivated by the models of early-stage dynamics, specifically a simple two-dimensional Gaussian profile, leads to a uniform description of soft observables measured in the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). In particular, the transverse-momentum spectra, the elliptic-flow, and the Hanbury-Brown--Twiss correlation radii, including the ratio R_out/R_side as well as the dependence of the radii on the azimuthal angle (azHBT), are properly described. We use the perfect-fluid hydrodynamics with a realistic equation of state based on lattice calculations and the hadronic gas at high and low temperatures, respectively. We also show that the inclusion of the partonic free-streaming in the early stage allows to delay the start of the hydrodynamical description to comfortable times of the order of 1 fm/c. Free streaming broadens the initial energy-density profile, but generates the initial transverse and elliptic flow. The data may be described equally well when the hydrodynamics is started early, or with a delay due to partonic free-streaming.

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Soft heavy-ion physics from hydrodynamics with statistical hadronization - predictions for the Large Hadron Collider

Hydrodynamics merged with single-freeze-out statistical hadronization is used to describe the midrapidity hadron production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the highest RHIC energies and to make predictions for the LHC. Thermodynamic properties of the quark-gluon plasma are taken from lattice simulations, at low temperatures the hadron-gas equation of state is used, while in the cross-over region an interpolation between the two equations of state is constructed. The initial condition for hydrodynamics is obtained from a Glauber profile for the entropy, with the initial central temperature Ti. The conditions obtained from the hydrodynamic expansion at the freeze-out temperature Tf are used as input for the thermal event generator THERMINATOR. Basic physical observables are obtained: the transverse-momentum spectra, the elliptic flow coefficient v2, and the HBT radii. The femtoscopic observables are evaluated with the help of the two-particle method which accounts for the resonance decays and Coulomb final-state interactions. The problem of a simultaneous description of all discussed observables is addressed, with the conclusion that at the highest RHIC energies our approach gives a quite satisfactory global description of soft hadronic observables. Some discrepancies may be attributed to the absence of the final-state elastic interactions among hadrons. Extrapolating Ti to higher values allows for global predictions for soft hadronic physics at the LHC. We test Ti=400, 450, and 500 MeV, and observe the expected growth of particle multiplicities and the increase of the flow, resulting in smaller slopes of the pT-spectra. The elliptic flow of pions exhibits saturation, with v2 remaining practically constant, while the HBT radii increase moderately with Ti.

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Hydrodynamics of transversally thermalized partons in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The hydrodynamic description of transversally thermalized matter, possibly formed at the early stages of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, is developed. The formalism is based on the thermodynamically consistent approach with all thermodynamic variables referring to two-dimensional objects, the so-called transverse clusters, which are identified with the particles having the same rapidity. The resulting hydrodynamic equations for a single cluster have the form of the two-dimensional hydrodynamic equations of the perfect fluid. Since the clusters do not perform any work in the longitudinal direction, their energy is completely transformed and used to generate strong radial and elliptic flows that turn out to be compatible with the experimental data.

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Temperature dependent sound velocity in hydrodynamic equations for relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We analyze the effects of different forms of the sound-velocity function cs(T) on the hydrodynamic evolution of matter formed in the central region of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. At high temperatures (above the critical temperature Tc) the sound velocity is calculated from the recent lattice simulations of QCD, while in the low temperature region it is obtained from the hadron gas model. In the intermediate region we use different interpolations characterized by the values of the sound velocity at the local maximum (at T = 0.4 Tc) and local minimum (at T = Tc). In all considered cases the temperature dependent sound velocity functions yield the entropy density, which is consistent with the lattice QCD simulations at high temperature. Our calculations show that the presence of a distinct minimum of the sound velocity leads to a very long (about 20 fm/c) evolution time of the system, which is not compatible with the recent estimates based on the HBT interferometry. Hence, we conclude that the hydrodynamic description is favored in the case where the cross-over phase transition renders the smooth sound velocity function with a possible shallow minimum at Tc.

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Temperature dependence of sound velocity and hydrodynamics of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The effects of different forms of the sound-velocity function c_s(T) on the hydrodynamic evolution of matter created in the central region of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions are studied. At high temperatures (above the critical temperature T_c) we use the sound velocity function obtained from the recent lattice simulations of QCD, whereas at low temperatures we use the ideal hadron gas model. At moderate temperatures different interpolations between those two results are employed. They are characterized by different values of the local maximum (at T = 0.4 T_c) and local minimum (at T=T_c). The extreme values are chosen in such a way that at high temperature all considered sound-velocity functions yield the entropy density consistent with the lattice simulations of QCD. We find that the presence of a distinct minimum of the sound velocity leads to a very long (~ 20 fm/c) evolution time of the system. Since such long evolution times are not compatible with the recent estimates based on the HBT interferometry, we conclude that the hydrodynamic description becomes adequate if the QCD cross-over phase transition renders the smooth temperature variations of the sound velocity, with a possible shallow minimum at T_c where the values of c_s^2(T) remain well above 0.1.

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Cylindrically asymmetric hydrodynamic equations

We show that the boost-invariant and cylindrically asymmetric hydrodynamic equations for baryon-free matter may be rewritten as only two coupled partial differential equations. In the case where the system exhibits the cross-over phase transition, the standard numerical methods may be applied to solve these equations. An example of our results describing non-central gold on gold collisions at RHIC energies is presented.

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Characteristic form of boost-invariant and cylindrically non-symmetric hydrodynamic equations

It is shown that the boost-invariant and cylindrically non-symmetric hydrodynamic equations for baryon-free matter may be reduced to only two coupled differential equations. In the case where the system exhibits the cross-over phase transition, the standard numerical methods may be applied to solve these equations and the proposed scheme allows for a very convenient analysis of the cylindrically non-symmetric hydrodynamic expansion.

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On the formation of Hubble flow in Little Bangs

A dynamical appearance of scaling solutions in the relativistic hydrodynamics applied to describe ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is studied. We consider the boost-invariant cylindrically symmetric systems and the effects of the phase transition are taken into account by using a temperature dependent sound velocity inferred from the lattice simulations of QCD. We find that the transverse flow acquires the scaling form r/t within the short evolution times, 10 - 15 fm, only if the initial transverse flow originating from the pre-equilibrium collective behavior is present at the initial stage of the hydrodynamic evolution. The amount of such pre-equilibrium flow is correlated with the initial pressure gradient; larger gradients require smaller initial flow. The results of the numerical calculations support the phenomenological parameterizations used in the Blast-Wave, Buda-Lund, and Cracow models of the freeze-out process.

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