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Zhangbu Xu

Publications and source records attributed to Zhangbu Xu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2022

Report on Progress in Physics: Observation of the Breit-Wheeler Process and Vacuum Birefringence in Heavy-Ion Collisions

This Report reviews the effort over several decades to observe the linear Breit-Wheeler process ($γγ\rightarrow e^+e^-$) and vacuum birefringence in high-energy particle and heavy-ion collider experiment. This Report, motivated by STAR's recent observations, attempts to summarize the key issues related to the interpretation of polarized $γγ\rightarrow l^+l^-$ measurements in high-energy experiments. To that end, we start by reviewing the historical context and essential theoretical developments, before focusing on the decades of progress made in high-energy collider experiments. Special attention is given to the evolution in experimental approaches in response to various challenges and the demanding detector capabilities required to unambiguously identify the linear Breit-Wheeler process and to detect the signatures of vacuum birefringence. We close the report with a discussion, followed by a look at near-future opportunities for utilizing these discoveries and for testing QED in previously unexplored regimes.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

Exploring gluon tomography with polarization dependent diffractive J/$ψ$ production

We study azimuthal asymmetries in diffractive J/$ψ$ production in ultraperipheral heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies using the color glass condensate effective theory. Our calculation successfully describes azimuthal averaged $J/ψ$ production cross section measured by STAR and ALICE. We further predict very large $\cos 2ϕ$ and $\cos 4ϕ$ azimuthal asymmetries for diffractive $J/ψ$ production both in UPCs at RHIC and LHC energies and in eA collisions at EIC energy. These novel polarization dependent observables may provide complementary information for constraining gluon transverse spatial distribution inside large nuclei. As compared to all previous analysis of diffractive $J/ψ$ production, the essential new elements integrated in our theoretical calculations are: the double-slit interference effect, the linear polarization of coherent photons, and the final state soft photon radiation effect.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

Production of light antinuclei in $pp$ collisions by dynamical coalescence and their fluxes in cosmic rays near earth

Light antinucleus yields are calculated in a multiphase transport model (AMPT) coupled with a dynamical coalescence model. The model is tuned to reproduce the transverse momentum and rapidity distributions of antiproton in $pp$ collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s}$ = 7.7 GeV to 7 TeV. By applying a widely used cosmic ray propagation model, the antinucleus fluxes near the earth are estimated over a broad range of kinetic energies. Our result on the antideuteron flux is consistent with the calculations in the literature, while our upper limit on the antihelium-3 flux sits in-between calculations in the field that span an order of magnitude in its value. This study suggests that further accurate estimation of secondary antihelium-3 flux could be improved with more ground-based experiments and model simulations. Most importantly, our value of antinucleus background from hadronic source is far below the projected sensitivity of AMS-02 with 5 years of integration time, which supports the idea of searching for new physics by measurements of light antinuclei in upcoming decade.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2021

Mapping the Electromagnetic Fields of Heavy-Ion Collisions with the Breit-Wheeler Process

Ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions are expected to produce the strongest electromagnetic fields in the known Universe. These highly-Lorentz contracted fields can manifest themselves as linearly polarized quasi-real photons that can interact via the Breit-Wheeler process to produce lepton anti-lepton pairs. The energy and momentum distribution of the produced dileptons carry information about the strength and spatial distribution of the colliding fields. Recently it has been demonstrated that photons from these fields can interact even in heavy-ion collisions with hadronic overlap, providing a purely electromagnetic probe of the produced medium. In this review we discuss the recent theoretical progress and experimental advances for mapping the ultra-strong electromagnetic fields produced in heavy-ion collisions via measurement of the Breit-Wheeler process.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2021

Nonequilibrium kinetic freeze-out properties in relativistic heavy ion collisions from energies employed at the RHIC beam energy scan to those available at the LHC

In this paper, we investigate the kinetic freeze-out properties in relativistic heavy ion collisions at different collision energies. We present a study of standard Boltzmann-Gibbs Blast-Wave (BGBW) fits and Tsallis Blast-Wave (TBW) fits performed on the transverse momentum spectra of identified hadrons produced in Au + Au collisions at collision energies of $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=$ 7.7 - 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), and in Pb + Pb collisions at collision energies of $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=$ 2.76 and 5.02 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The behavior of strange and multi-strange particles is also investigated. We found that the TBW model describes data better than the BGBW one overall, and the contrast is more prominent as the collision energy increases as the degree of non-equilibrium of the produced system is found to increase. From TBW fits, the kinetic freeze-out temperature at the same centrality shows a weak dependence of collision energy between 7.7 and 39 GeV, while it decreases as collision energy continues to increase up to 5.02 TeV. The radial flow is found to be consistent with zero in peripheral collisions at RHIC energies but sizable at LHC energies and central collisions at all RHIC energies. We also observed that the strange hadrons, with higher temperature and similar radial flow, approach equilibrium more quickly from peripheral to central collisions than light hadrons. The dependence of temperature and flow velocity on non-equilibrium parameter ($q-1$) is characterized by two second-order polynomials. Both $a$ and $dξ$ from the polynomials fit, related to the influence of the system bulk viscosity, increase toward lower RHIC energies.

nucl-th↗
arXiv2020

New opportunities at the photon energy frontier

Ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) involving heavy ions and protons are the energy frontier for photon-mediated interactions. UPC photons can be used for many purposes, including probing low-$x$ gluons via photoproduction of dijets and vector mesons, probes of beyond-standard-model processes, such as those enabled by light-by-light scattering, and studies of two-photon production of the Higgs.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2020

Exploring the double-slit interference with linearly polarized photons

The linearly polarized quasi-real photons from the highly Lorentz-contracted Coulomb fields of relativistic heavy ions can fluctuate to quark-antiquark pairs, scatter off a target nucleus and emerge as vector mesons. In the process, the two colliding nuclei can switch roles to act as photon emitter or target, forming a double-slit interference pattern. The product from photoproduction inherits the photon polarization states, leading to the asymmetries of the decay angular distributions. In this letter, we study the interference effect in polarization dimension from the asymmetries of the decay angular distributions for photoprodution in heavy-ion collisions and find a periodic oscillation with the transverse momentum of vector meson, which could reasonably explain the transverse momentum dependence of the 2nd-order modulation in azimuth for the $ρ^{0}$ decay observed by the STAR collaboration.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2020

Acoplanarity of QED pairs accompanied by nuclear dissociation in ultra-peripheral heavy ion collisions

This paper investigates the transverse momentum broadening effect for electromagnetic production of dileptons in ultra-peripheral heavy ion collisions accompanied by nuclear dissociation. The electromagnetic dissociation probability of nuclei for different neutron multiplicities is estimated, which could serve as a centrality definition (i.e. impact parameter estimate) in ultra-peripheral collisions. In the framework of lowest-order QED, the acoplanarity of dilepton pairs is calculated for different neutron emission scenarios in ultra-peripheral collisions, indicating significant impact-parameter dependence. The verification of impact-parameter dependence is crucially important to understand the broadening effect observed in hadronic heavy-ion collisions.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2020

Yield ratio of hypertriton to light nuclei in heavy-ion collisions from $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 4.9 GeV to 2.76 TeV

We resolve the difference in the yield ratio $\rm S_3$ = $\rm \frac{N_{^3_ΛH}/N_Λ}{N_{^3He}/N_p}$ measured in Au+Au collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV and in Pb-Pb collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV by adopting a different treatment of the weak decay contribution to the proton yield in Au+Au collisions at $\rm \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. We then use the coalescence model to extract information on the $Λ$ and nucleon density fluctuations at the kinetic freeze-out of heavy ion collisions. We also show from available experimental data that the yield ratio $\rm S_2$ = $\rm \frac{N_{^3_ΛH}}{N_ΛN_ d}$ is a more promising observable than $\rm S_3$ for probing the local baryon-strangeness correlation in the produced medium.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2019

Recalibration of the binding energy of hypernuclei measured in emulsion experiments and its implications

The $Λ$ separation energy for $Λ$-hypernuclei, denoted $B_Λ$, measured in 1967, 1968, and 1973 are recalibrated using the current best mass estimates for particles and nuclei. The recalibrated $B_Λ$ are systematically larger (except in the case of $^6_Λ$He) than the original published values by about 100 keV. The effect of this level of recalibration is very important for light hypernuclei, especially for the hypertriton. The early $B_Λ$ values measured in 1967, 1968, and 1973 are widely used in theoretical research, and the new results provide better constraints on the conclusions from such studies.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2019

Initial transverse-momentum broadening of Breit-Wheeler process in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We calculate the cross section and transverse-momentum ($P_{\bot}$) distribution of the Breit-Wheeler process in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and their dependence on collision impact parameter ($b$). To accomplish this, the Equivalent Photon Approximation (EPA) was generalized in a more differential way compared to the approach traditionally used for inclusive collisions. In addition, a lowest-order QED calculation with straightline assumption was performed as a standard baseline for comparison. The cross section as a function of $b$ is consistent with previous calculations using the equivalent one-photon distribution function. Most importantly, the $P_{\bot}$ shape from this model is strongly dependent on impact parameter and can quantitatively explain the $P_{\bot}$ broadening observed recently by RHIC and LHC experiments. This broadening effect from the initial QED field strength should be considered in studying possible trapped magnetic field and multiple scattering in a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). The impact-parameter sensitive observable also provides a controllable tool for studying extreme electromagnetic fields.

nucl-th↗
arXiv2019

Studies on ion back-flow of Time Projection Chamber based on GEM and anode wire grid

Gated wires are widely used in Time Projection Chamber (TPC) to avoid ion back-flow (IBF) in the drift volume. The anode wires can provide stable gain at high voltage with a long lifetime. However, switching on and off the gated grid (GG) leads to a dead time and also limit the readout efficiency of the TPC. Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) foil provides a possibility of continuous readout for TPC, which can suppress IBF efficiently while keeping stable gain. A prototype chamber including two layers of GEM foils and anode wires has been built to combine both advantages from GEM and anode wire. Using Garfield++ and the finite element analysis (FEA) method, simulations of the transmission processes of electrons and ions are performed and results on absorption ratio of ions, gain and IBF ratio are obtained. The optimized parameters from simulation are then applied to the prototype chamber to test the IBF and other performances. Both GEM foils are run at low voltage (255V), while most of the gain is provided by the anode wire. The measurement shows that the IBF ratio can be suppressed to ~0.58% with double-layer GEM foils (staggered) at an effective gain about 2500 with an energy resolution about 10%.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2018

Photoproduction of J/$ψ$ in non-single-diffractive p+p collisions

Recently, significant enhancements of J/$ψ$ production at very low transverse momenta were observed by the ALICE and STAR collaboration in peripheral hadronic A+A collisions. The anomaly excesses point to evidence of coherent photon-nucleus interactions in violent hadronic heavy-ion collisions, which were conventionally studied only in ultra-peripheral collisions. Assuming that the coherent photoproduction is the underlying mechanism which is responsible for the excess observed in peripheral A+A collisions, its contribution in p+p collisions with nuclear overlap, i.e. non-single-diffractive collisions, is of particular interest. In this paper, we perform a calculation of exclusive J/$ψ$ photoproduction in non-single-diffractive p+p collisions at RHIC and LHC energies base on the pQCD motivated parametrization from world-wide experimental data, which could be further employed to improve the precision of phenomenal calculations for photoproduction in A+A collisions. The differential rapidity and transverse momentum distributions of J/$ψ$ from photoproduction are presented. In comparison with the J/$ψ$ production from hadronic interactions, we find that the contribution of photoproduction is negligible.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2018

Double-slit experiment at fermi scale: coherent photoproduction in heavy-ion collisions

The double-slit experiment has become a classic thought experiment, for its clarity in expressing the central puzzle of quantum mechanics -- wave-particle complementarity. Such wave-particle duality continues to be challenged and investigated in a broad range of entities with electrons, neutrons, helium atoms, C$_{60}$ fullerenes, Bose-Einstein condensates and biological molecules. All existing experiments are performed with the scale larger than angstrom. In this article, we present a double-slit scenario at fermi scale with new entities -- coherent photon products in heavy-ion collisions. Virtual photons from the electromagnetic fields of relativistic heavy ions can fluctuate to quark-antiquark pairs, scatter off a target nucleus and emerge as vector mesons. The two colliding nuclei can take turns to act as targets, forming a double-slit interference pattern. Furthermore, the `which-way' information can be partially solved by the violent strong interactions in the proposed scenario, which demonstrates a key concept of quantum mechanics -- complementary principle.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2018

Coherent photo-produced J$/ψ$ and dielectron yields in isobaric collisions

Recently, significant enhancements of J/$ψ$ and $e^{+} e^{-}$ pair production at very low transverse momenta were observed by the STAR and ALICE collaboration in peripheral hadronic A+A collisions. The anomaly excesses point to evidence of coherent photon-nucleus and photon-photon interactions in violent hadronic heavy-ion collisions, which were conventionally studied only in ultra-peripheral collisions. The isobaric collisions performed at RHIC provides a unique opportunity to test the existence of coherent photon products in hadronic heavy-ion collisions. The idea is that the possible production of coherent photon products is significantly different in different collision systems due to the variations in their charge and nuclear density distributions. In this letter, we focus on the peripheral collisions and provide theoretical predictions for coherent production of J/$ψ$ and dielectron in isobaric collisions. We show that the expected yields differ significantly to perform the experimental test.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2018

Antinuclei in Heavy-Ion Collisions

We review progress in the study of antinuclei, starting from Dirac's equation and the discovery of the positron in cosmic-ray events. The development of proton accelerators led to the discovery of antiprotons, followed by the first antideuterons, demonstrating that antinucleons bind into antinuclei. With the development of heavy-ion programs at the Brookhaven AGS and CERN SPS, it was demonstrated that central collisions of heavy nuclei offer a fertile ground for research and discoveries in the area of antinuclei. In this review, we emphasize recent observations at Brookhaven's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, namely, the antihypertriton and the antihelium-4, as well as measurements of the mass difference between light nuclei and antinuclei, and the interaction between antiprotons. Physics implications of the new observations and different production mechanisms are discussed. We also consider implications for related fields, such as hypernuclear physics and space-based cosmic-ray experiments.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2018

MWPC prototyping and performance test for the STAR inner TPC upgrade

A new prototype of STAR inner Time Projection Chamber (iTPC) MWPC sector has been fabricated and tested in an X-ray test system. The wire chamber built at Shandong University has a wire tension precision better than 6$\%$ and wire pitch precision better than 10 $μ$m. The gas gain uniformity and energy resolution are measured to be better than 1$\%$ (RMS) and 20$\%$ (FWHM), respectively, using an $^{55}$Fe X-ray source. The iTPC upgrade project is to replace all 24 STAR TPC inner sectors as a crucial detector upgrade for the RHIC beam energy scan phase II program. The test results show that the constructed iTPC prototype meets all project requirements.

physics.ins-det↗