B. Hong

Experimental studies of the collisions of heavy nuclei at relativistic energies have established the properties of the quark–gluon plasma (QGP), a state of hot, dense nuclear matter in which quarks and gluons are not bound into hadrons1–4. In this state, matter behaves as a nearly inviscid fluid5 that efficiently translates initial spatial anisotropies into correlated momentum anisotropies among the particles produced, creating a common velocity field pattern known as collective flow. In recent years, comparable momentum anisotropies have been measured in small-system proton–proton (p+p) and proton–nucleus (p+A) collisions, despite expectations that the volume and lifetime of the medium produced would be too small to form a QGP. Here we report on the observation of elliptic and triangular flow patterns of charged particles produced in proton–gold (p+Au), deuteron–gold (d+Au) and helium–gold (3He+Au) collisions at a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy $$\sqrt {s_{{\mathrm{NN}}}}$$ = 200 GeV. The unique combination of three distinct initial geometries and two flow patterns provides unprecedented model discrimination. Hydrodynamical models, which include the formation of a short-lived QGP droplet, provide the best simultaneous description of these measurements. A quark–gluon plasma is produced in proton–gold, deuteron–gold and helium–gold collisions. Observing elliptic and triangular flow in this nearly inviscid fluid from these different initial geometries provides a unique benchmark for hydrodynamic models.

Many neutron star (NS) properties, such as the proton fraction within a NS, reflect the symmetry energy contributions to the Equation of State that dominate when neutron and proton densities differ strongly. To constrain these contributions at supra-saturation densities, we measure the spectra of charged pions produced by colliding rare isotope tin (Sn) beams with isotopically enriched Sn targets. Using ratios of the charged pion spectra measured at high transverse momenta, we deduce the slope of the symmetry energy to be $42 < L < 117$ MeV. This value is slightly lower but consistent with the $L$ values deduced from a recent measurement of the neutron skin thickness of $^{208}$Pb.

Identified ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+/\ensuremath{-}}$, ${K}^{+/\ensuremath{-}}$, $p$, and $\overline{p}$ transverse momentum spectra at midrapidity in $\sqrt{{s}_{\mathrm{NN}}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}130\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\mathrm{GeV}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions were measured by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC as a function of collision centrality. Average transverse momenta increase with the number of participating nucleons in a similar way for all particle species. Within errors, all midrapidity particle yields per participant are found to be increasing with the number of participating nucleons. There is an indication that ${K}^{+/\ensuremath{-}}$, $p$, and $\overline{p}$ yields per participant increase faster than the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+/\ensuremath{-}}$ yields. In central collisions at high transverse momenta $({p}_{T}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}2\mathrm{GeV}/c)$, $\overline{p}$ and $p$ yields are comparable to the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+/\ensuremath{-}}$ yields.

We present results for the charged-particle multiplicity distribution at midrapidity in Au-Au collisions at square root of [s(NN)] = 130 GeV measured with the PHENIX detector at RHIC. For the 5% most central collisions we find dN(ch)/d eta(vertical line eta = 0) = 622+/-1(stat)+/-41(syst). The results, analyzed as a function of centrality, show a steady rise of the particle density per participating nucleon with centrality.

Using the large acceptance apparatus FOPI, we study pion emission in the reactions (energies in AGeV are given in parentheses): 40Ca + 40Ca (0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, 1.93), 96Ru + 96Ru (0.4, 1.0, 1.5), 96Zr + 96Zr (0.4, 1.0, 1.5), 197Au + 197Au (0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.5). The observables include longitudinal and transverse rapidity distributions and stopping, polar anisotropies, pion multiplicities, transverse momentum spectra, ratios (π+/π−) of average transverse momenta and of yields, directed flow, elliptic flow. The data are compared to earlier data where possible and to transport model simulations.

Event shapes for Au + Au collisions at 11.4 GeV/c per nucleon were studied over nearly the full solid angle with the E877 apparatus. The analysis was performed by Fourier expansion of azimuthal distributions of the transverse energy (ET) measured in different pseudorapidity intervals. For semicentral collisions a pronounced event anisotropy is identified with a clear forward-backward anticorrelation. In the forward pseudorapidity interval up to 9% of the ET is in a directed component. The signal decreases for peripheral and very central collisions.Received 12 May 1994DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.73.2532©1994 American Physical Society

Two-particle azimuthal correlation functions are presented for charged hadrons produced in Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (sqrt [s(NN)]=130 GeV). The measurements permit determination of elliptic flow without event-by-event estimation of the reaction plane. The extracted elliptic flow values (v2) show significant sensitivity to both the collision centrality and the transverse momenta of emitted hadrons, suggesting rapid thermalization and relatively strong velocity fields. When scaled by the eccentricity of the collision zone epsilon, the scaled elliptic flow shows little or no dependence on centrality for charged hadrons with relatively low p(T). A breakdown of this epsilon scaling is observed for charged hadrons with pT >1.0 GeV/c.

Transverse momentum spectra and yields of hadrons are measured by the PHENIX collaboration in Au+Au collisions at sNN=130GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The time-of-flight resolution allows identification of pions to transverse momenta of 2GeV∕c and protons and antiprotons to 4GeV∕c. The yield of pions rises approximately linearly with the number of nucleons participating in the collision, while the number of kaons, protons, and antiprotons increases more rapidly. The shape of the momentum distribution changes between peripheral and central collisions. Simultaneous analysis of all the pT spectra indicates radial collective expansion, consistent with predictions of hydrodynamic models. Hydrodynamic analysis of the spectra shows that the expansion velocity increases with collision centrality and collision energy. This expansion boosts the particle momenta, causing the yield from soft processes to exceed that for hard to large transverse momentum, perhaps as large as 3GeV∕c.21 MoreReceived 9 July 2003DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.69.024904©2004 American Physical Society

Using the large acceptance apparatus FOPI, we study central collisions in the reactions (energies in A GeV are given in parentheses): 40Ca + 40Ca (0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, 1.93), 58Ni + 58Ni (0.15, 0.25, 0.4), 96Ru + 96Ru (0.4, 1.0, 1.5), 96Zr + 96Zr (0.4, 1.0, 1.5), 129Xe + CsI (0.15, 0.25, 0.4), 197Au + 197Au (0.09, 0.12, 0.15, 0.25, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.5). The observables include cluster multiplicities, longitudinal and transverse rapidity distributions and stopping, and radial flow. The data are compared to earlier data where possible and to transport model simulations.

Using the large acceptance apparatus FOPI, we study central and semi-central collisions in the reactions (energies in AGeV are given in parentheses): 40Ca + 40Ca (0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, 1.93), 58Ni + 58Ni (0.15, 0.25, 0.4), 96Ru + 96Ru (0.4, 1.0, 1.5), 96Zr + 96Zr (0.4, 1.0, 1.5), 129Xe + CsI (0.15, 0.25, 0.4), 197Au + 197Au (0.09, 0.12, 0.15, 0.25, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.5). The observables include directed and elliptic flow. The data are compared to earlier data where possible and to transport model simulations. A stiff nuclear equation of state is found to be incompatible with the data. Evidence for extra-repulsion of neutrons in compressed asymmetric matter is found.

In the past two decades, pions created in the high density regions of heavy ion collisions have been predicted to be sensitive at high densities to the symmetry energy term in the nuclear equation of state, a property that is key to our understanding of neutron stars. In a new experiment designed to study the symmetry energy, the multiplicities of negatively and positively charged pions have been measured with high accuracy for central 132Sn+124Sn, 112Sn+124Sn, and 108Sn+112Sn collisions at E/A=270 MeV with the SπRIT Time Projection Chamber. While individual pion multiplicities are measured to 4% accuracy, those of the charged pion multiplicity ratios are measured to 2% accuracy. We compare these data to predictions from seven major transport models. The calculations reproduce qualitatively the dependence of the multiplicities and their ratios on the total neutron and proton number in the colliding systems. However, the predictions of the transport models from different codes differ too much to allow extraction of reliable constraints on the symmetry energy from the data. This finding may explain previous contradictory conclusions on symmetry energy constraints obtained from pion data in Au+Au system. These new results call for still better understanding of the differences among transport codes, and new observables that are more sensitive to the density dependence of the symmetry energy.

Collisions of Au on Au at incident energies of 150, 250 and 400 A·MeV were studied with the FOPI-facility at GSI Darmstadt. Nuclear charge (Z ⩽ 15) and velocity of the products were detected with full azimuthal acceptance at laboratory angles 1° ⩽ θlab ⩽ 30°. Isotope separated light charged particles were measured with movable multiple telescopes in an angular range of 6–90°. Central collisions representing about 1% of the reaction cross section were selected by requiring high total transverse energy, but vanishing side flow. The velocity space distributions and yields of the emitted fragments are reported. the data are analysed in terms of a thermal model including radial flow. A comparison with predictions of the quantum molecular model is presented.

Transverse momentum spectra of electrons from Au+Au collisions at square root[s(NN)] = 130 GeV have been measured at midrapidity by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The spectra show an excess above the background from photon conversions and light hadron decays. The electron signal is consistent with that expected from semileptonic decays of charm. The yield of the electron signal dN(e)/dy for p(T) > 0.8 GeV/c is 0.025+/-0.004(stat)+/-0.010(syst) in central collisions, and the corresponding charm cross section is 380+/-60(stat)+/-200(syst) microb per binary nucleon-nucleon collision.

Two-pion correlations in square root[s(NN)] = 130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC have been measured over a broad range of pair transverse momentum k(T) by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. The k(T) dependent transverse radii are similar to results from heavy-ion collisions at square root[s(NN)] = 4.1, 4.9, and 17.3 GeV, whereas the longitudinal radius increases monotonically with beam energy. The ratio of the outwards to sidewards transverse radii (R(out)/R(side)) is consistent with unity and independent of k(T).

We present measurements of the excitation function of elliptic flow at midrapidity in Au + Au collisions at beam energies from 0.09 to 1.49 GeV per nucleon. For the integral flow, we discuss the interplay between collective expansion and spectator shadowing for three centrality classes. A complete excitation function of transverse momentum dependence of elliptic flow is presented for the first time in this energy range, revealing a rapid change with incident energy below 0.4AGeV, followed by an almost perfect scaling at the higher energies. The equation of state of compressed nuclear matter is addressed through comparisons to microscopic transport model calculations.

The first measurement of energy produced transverse to the beam direction at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory is presented. The midrapidity transverse energy density per participating nucleon rises steadily with the number of participants, closely paralleling the rise in charged-particle density, such that <E(T)>/<N(ch)> remains relatively constant as a function of centrality. The energy density calculated via Bjorken's prescription for the 2% most central Au+Au collisions at square root[s(NN)] = 130 GeV is at least epsilon(Bj) = 4.6 GeV/fm(3), which is a factor of 1.6 larger than found at sqrt[s(NN)] = 17.2 GeV ( Pb+Pb at CERN).

Four different combinations of 96 44 Ru and 96 40 Zr nuclei, both as projectile and target, were investigated at the same bombarding energy of 400A MeV using a 4π detector.The degree of isospin mixing between projectile and target nucleons is mapped across a large portion of the phase space using two different isospin-tracer observables, the number of measured protons and the t/ 3 He yield ratio.The experimental results show that the global equilibrium is not reached even in the most central collisions.Quantitative measures of stopping and mixing are extracted from the data.They are found to exhibit a quite strong sensitivity to the in-medium (n,n) cross section used in microscopic transport calculations.

Results are presented of an analysis of proton and charged pion azimuthal distributions measured with respect to the reaction plane in Au + Au collisions at a beam momentum of about 11A GeV/c. The azimuthal anisotropy is studied as a function of particle rapidity and transverse momentum for different centralities of the collisions. The triple differential (in rapidity, transverse momentum, and azimuthal angle) distributions are reconstructed. A comparison of the results with a previous analysis of charged-particle and transverse energy flow as well as with model predictions are presented.Received 30 June 1997DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.56.3254©1997 American Physical Society

We present results on the measurement of $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ and $\overline{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ production in $\mathrm{A}\mathrm{u}+\mathrm{A}\mathrm{u}$ collisions at $\sqrt{{s}_{NN}}=130\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}$ with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The transverse momentum spectra were measured for minimum bias and for the 5% most central events. The $\overline{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}/\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ ratios are constant as a function of ${p}_{T}$ and the number of participants. The measured net $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ density is significantly larger than predicted by models based on hadronic strings (e.g., HIJING) but in approximate agreement with models which include the gluon-junction mechanism.

A Time-Projection Chamber (TPC) called the SAMURAI Pion-Reconstruction and Ion-Tracker (S$\pi$RIT) has recently been constructed at Michigan State University as part of an international effort to constrain the symmetry-energy term in the nuclear Equation of State (EoS). The S$\pi$RIT TPC will be used in conjunction with the SAMURAI spectrometer at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory (RIBF) at RIKEN to measure yield ratios for pions and other light isospin multiplets produced in central collisions of neutron-rich heavy ions, such as $^{132}$Sn + $^{124}$Sn. The S$\pi$RIT TPC can function both as a TPC detector and as an active target. It has a vertical drift length of 50 cm, parallel to the magnetic field. Gas multiplication is achieved through the use of a multi-wire anode. Image charges are produced in the 12096 pads, and are read out with the recently developed Generic Electronics for TPCs.

The leaping forward of the economy has promoted the rapid growth of road traffic demand, resulting in the carbon emissions of road traffic increasing significantly. It is well known that a one-size-fits-all emission reduction policy is not feasible. Therefore, conducting an investigation on the carbon emissions of all provincial-level regions within a country can assist the government in formulating carbon emission policies at a macro level tailored to different regions. In this study, the whole provincial-level administrative regions in the mainland of China were selected to quantify the carbon emissions of road traffic, and the carbon emissions from 2006 to 2021 were obtained by employing the top-down model. What's more, spatiotemporal characteristics of road transportation carbon emissions in those regions were explored based on Moran's I spatial autocorrelation method. In addition, the LMDI model was constructed based on five driving factors, namely energy intensity, energy consumption intensity, industrial scale, economic development, and population size, and the decomposition analysis of driving factors is carried out. The results show that carbon emissions from road traffic in all provincial regions showed an overall rising trend in the research period, with an average annual growth rate of 11.83 %. The distribution of road transportation carbon emissions exhibited an east-high, west-low distribution, with significantly higher emissions in the eastern and coastal regions compared to inland areas, additionally, China's seven geographical regions showed an initial rapid increase in carbon emissions followed by a stable growth trend. Secondly, five types of spatial clustering were identified of carbon emissions within provincial regions. Thirdly, the impacts of energy intensity and industrial scale were detrimental to road transportation carbon emissions, whereas economic development, energy consumption intensity, and population size had contrasting effects. Implications according to the above conclusions were put forward, aiming to provide guidance for the sustainable development of road transportation and expediting the achievement of the "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" objective.

Experimental results and a detailed analysis are presented of the transverse energy and charged particle azimuthal distributions measured by the E877 Collaboration for different centralities of Au+Au collisions at a beam momentum of 10.8A GeV/c. The anisotropy of these distributions is studied with respect to the reaction plane reconstructed on an event-by-event basis using the transverse energy distribution measured by calorimeters. Results are corrected for the reaction plane resolution. For semicentral events we observe directed flow signals of up to 10%. We observe a stronger anisotropy for slow charged particles. For both the charged particle and transverse energy distributions we observe a small but nonzero elliptic anisotropy with the major axis pointing into the reaction plane. Combining the information on transverse energy and charged particle flow we obtain information on the flow of nucleons and pions. The data are compared to event generators and the need to introduce a mean field or nucleon-nucleon potential is discussed.Received 15 October 1996DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.55.1420©1997 American Physical Society

We present a complete systematics (excitation functions and system-size dependences) of global stopping and side flow for heavy ion reactions in the energy range between $0.09A$ and $1.93A\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$. For the heaviest system, $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$, we observe a plateau of maximal stopping extending from about $0.2A$ to $0.8A\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ with a fast drop on both sides. The degree of stopping, which is shown to remain significantly below the expectations of a full stopping scenario, is found to be highly correlated to the amount of side flow.

For animal PET systems to achieve high sensitivity without adversely affecting spatial resolution, they must have the ability to measure depth-of-interaction (DOI). In this paper, we propose a novel four-layer PET system, and present the performances of modules built to verify the concept of the system. Each layer in the four-layer PET system has a relative offset of half a crystal pitch from other layers. Performances of the four-layer detector were estimated using a GATE Monte Carlo simulation code. The proposed system consists of six H9500 PMTs, each of which contains 3193 crystals. A sensitivity of 11.8% was obtained at the FOV center position of the proposed system. To verify the concept, we tested a PET module constructed using a H9500 flat panel PMT and LYSO crystals of cross-sectional area 1.5 × 1.5 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . The PET module was irradiated with a 1.8 MBq <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">22</sup> Na radiation source from the front or side of the crystals to obtain flood images of each crystal. Collimation for side irradiation was achieved using a pair of lead blocks of dimension 50 × 100 × 200 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup> . All crystals in the four layers were clearly identified in flood images, thus verifying the DOI capability of the proposed four-layer PET system. We also investigated the optimal combination of crystal lengths in the four-layer PET system using the GATE Monte Carlo simulation code to generate events from simulated radiation sources, and using the ML-EM algorithm to reconstruct simulated radiation sources. The combination of short crystal lengths near radiation sources and long crystal lengths near the PMT provides better spatial resolution than combinations of same crystal lengths in the four-layer PET system.

and reflect the initial geometry.Good agreement is observed between the measured

Recently, multiparticle-correlation measurements of relativistic p/d/^{3}He+Au, p+Pb, and even p+p collisions show surprising collective signatures. Here, we present beam-energy-scan measurements of two-, four-, and six-particle angular correlations in d+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200, 62.4, 39, and 19.6 GeV. We also present measurements of two- and four-particle angular correlations in p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. We find the four-particle cumulant to be real valued for d+Au collisions at all four energies. We also find that the four-particle cumulant in p+Au has the opposite sign as that in d+Au. Further, we find that the six-particle cumulant agrees with the four-particle cumulant in d+Au collisions at 200 GeV, indicating that nonflow effects are subdominant. These observations provide strong evidence that the correlations originate from the initial geometric configuration, which is then translated into the momentum distribution for all particles, commonly referred to as collectivity.

Four different reactions, 32S+12C and 20Ne+12C at 25 and 50 MeV/nucleon, have been measured with the FAZIA detector capable of full isotopic identification of most forward emitted reaction products. Fragment multiplicities, angular distributions and energy spectra have been measured and compared with Monte Carlo simulations, i.e., the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics (AMD) and the heavy-ion phase space exploration (HIPSE) models. These models are combined with two different afterburner codes (HFℓ and SIMON) to describe the decay of the excited primary fragments. In the case of AMD, the effect of including the clustering and interclustering processes to form bound particles and fragments is discussed. A clear confirmation of the role of the cluster aggregation in the reaction dynamics and particle production for these light systems, for which the importance of the clustering process increases with bombarding energy, is obtained.6 MoreReceived 11 October 2022Accepted 1 March 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.107.044614©2023 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasLow & intermediate energy heavy-ion reactionsModels & methods for nuclear reactionsNuclear reactionsTechniquesMulti-purpose particle detectorsNuclear Physics

Experimental data on K+ meson and proton sideward flow measured with the FOPI detector at SIS/GSI in the reactions Ru+Ru at 1.69A GeV and Ni+Ni at 1.93A GeV are presented. The K+ sideward flow is found to be anti-correlated (correlated) with the one of protons at low (high) transverse momenta. When compared to the predictions of a transport model, the data favour the existence of an in-medium repulsive K+-nucleon potential.

We present proton and pion tranverse momentum spectra and rapidity distributions for Au+Au collisions at 10.8A GeV/c. The proton spectra exhibit collective transverse flow effects. Evidence of the influence of the Coulomb interaction from the fireball is found in the pion transverse momentum spectra. The data are compared with the predictions of the RQMD event generator.

PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron pT spectra from Au+Au collisions at sNN=130 GeV. The truncated mean pT decreases with centrality for pT>2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high pT hadron production. For central collisions the yield at high pT is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon–nucleon collision scaling of p+p data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e., for collisions with less than ∼140 participating nucleons. The observed pT and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions.

The development of an interaction data base and a numerical solution to the transport of baryons through an arbitrary shield material based on a straight ahead approximation of the Boltzmann equation are described. The code is most accurate for continuous energy boundary values, but gives reasonable results for discrete spectra at the boundary using even a relatively coarse energy grid (30 points) and large spatial increments (1 cm in H2O). The resulting computer code is self-contained, efficient and ready to use. The code requires only a very small fraction of the computer resources required for Monte Carlo codes.

We present measurements of the elliptic flow (v2) as a function of transverse momentum (pT), pseudorapidity (η), and centrality in d+Au collisions at sNN=200, 62.4, 39, and 19.6 GeV. The beam-energy scan of d+Au collisions provides a testing ground for the onset of flow signatures in small collision systems. We measure a nonzero v2 signal at all four collision energies, which, at midrapidity and low pT, is consistent with predictions from viscous hydrodynamic models. Comparisons with calculations from parton transport models (based on the ampt Monte Carlo generator) show good agreement with the data at midrapidity to forward (d-going) rapidities and low pT. At backward (Au-going) rapidities and pT>1.5GeV/c, the data diverges from ampt calculations of v2 relative to the initial geometry, indicating the possible dominance of nongeometry related correlations, referred to as nonflow. We also present measurements of the charged-particle multiplicity (dNch/dη) as a function of η in central d+Au collisions at the same energies. We find that in d+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV the v2 scales with dNch/dη over all η in the PHENIX acceptance. At sNN=62.4, and 39 GeV, v2 scales with dNch/dη at midrapidity and forward rapidity, but falls off at backward rapidity. This departure from the dNch/dη scaling may be a further indication of nonflow effects dominating at backward rapidity.11 MoreReceived 24 August 2017Revised 14 November 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.96.064905©2017 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasCollective flowParticle productionRelativistic heavy-ion collisionsNuclear Physics

An investigation of the isospin equilibration process in the reactions $^{58,64}\mathrm{Ni}+^{58,64}\mathrm{Ni}$ at two bombarding energies in the Fermi regime (32 and 52 MeV/nucleon) is presented. Data have been acquired during the first experimental campaign of the coupled INDRA-FAZIA apparatus in GANIL. Selecting from peripheral to semicentral collisions, both the neutron content of the quasiprojectile residue and that of the light ejectiles coming from the quasiprojectile evaporation have been used as probes of the dynamical process of isospin diffusion between projectile and target for the asymmetric systems. The isospin transport ratio technique has been employed. The relaxation of the initial isospin imbalance with increasing centrality has been clearly evidenced. The isospin equilibration appears stronger for the reactions at 32 MeV/nucleon, as expected due to the longer projectile-target interaction time than at 52 MeV/nucleon. Coherent indications of isospin equilibration come from the quasiprojectile residue characteristics and from particles ascribed to the quasiprojectile decay.

The incident energy at which the azimuthal distributions in semicentral heavy-ion collisions change from in-plane to out-of-plane enhancement — Etran is studied as a function of mass of emitted particles, their transverse momentum and centrality for Au+Au collisions. The analysis is performed in a reference frame rotated with the sidewards flow angle (Θflow) relative to the beam axis. A systematic decrease of Etran as function of mass of the reaction products, their transverse momentum and collision centrality is evidenced. The predictions of a microscopic transport model (IQMD) are compared with the experimental results.

Semi-inclusive triple differential multiplicity distributions of positively charged kaons have been measured over a wide range in rapidity and transverse mass for central collisions of $^{58}$Ni with $^{58}$Ni nuclei. The transverse mass ($m_t$) spectra have been studied as a function of rapidity at a beam energy 1.93 AGeV. The $m_t$ distributions of K^+ mesons are well described by a single Boltzmann-type function. The spectral slopes are similar to that of the protons indicating that rescattering plays a significant role in the propagation of the kaon. Multiplicity densities have been obtained as a function of rapidity by extrapolating the Boltzmann-type fits to the measured distributions over the remaining phase space. The total K^+ meson yield has been determined at beam energies of 1.06, 1.45, and 1.93 AGeV, and is presented in comparison to existing data. The low total yield indicates that the K^+ meson can not be explained within a hadro-chemical equilibrium scenario, therefore indicating that the yield does remain sensitive to effects related to its production processes such as the equation of state of nuclear matter and/or modifications to the K^+ dispersion relation.

The production of charged pions, protons, and deuterons has been studied in central collisions of ${}^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$ on ${}^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$ at incident beam energies of $1.06A$, $1.45A$, and $1.93A$ GeV. The dependence of transverse-momentum and rapidity spectra on the beam energy and on the centrality of the collison is presented. It is shown that the scaling of the mean rapidity shift of protons established for between 10A and 200A GeV at the Brookhaven AGS and the CERN SPS accelerators energies is valid down to $1A$ GeV. The degree of nuclear stopping is discussed; quantum molecular dynamics calculations reproduce the measured proton rapidity spectra for the most central events reasonably well, but do not show any sensitivity between the soft and the hard equation of state. A radial flow analysis, using the midrapidity transverse-momentum spectra, delivers freeze-out temperatures $T$ and radial flow velocities ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{r}$ which increase with beam energy up to $2A$ GeV; in comparison to the existing data of Au on Au over a large range of energies, only ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{r}$ shows a system size dependence.

Data from Au + Au interactions at sqrt[s(NN)]=130 GeV, obtained with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider, are used to investigate local net charge fluctuations among particles produced near midrapidity. According to recent suggestions, such fluctuations may carry information from the quark-gluon plasma. This analysis shows that the fluctuations are dominated by a stochastic distribution of particles, but are also sensitive to other effects, like global charge conservation and resonance decays.

We present new experimental data on directed flow in collisions of $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au},$ $\mathrm{Xe}+\mathrm{CsI},$ and $\mathrm{Ni}+\mathrm{Ni}$ at incident energies from $90A$ to $400A\mathrm{MeV}.$ We study the centrality and system dependence of integral and differential directed flow for particles selected according to charge. All the features of the experimental data are compared with isospin quantum molecular dynamics (IQMD) model calculations in an attempt to extract information about the nuclear matter equation of state (EoS). We show that the combination of rapidity and transverse momentum analysis of directed flow allows to disentangle various parametrizations in the model. At $400A\mathrm{MeV},$ a soft EoS with momentum dependent interactions is best suited to explain the experimental data in $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ and $\mathrm{Xe}+\mathrm{CsI},$ but in the case of $\mathrm{Ni}+\mathrm{Ni}$ the model underpredicts flow for any EoS. At $90A\mathrm{MeV}$ incident beam energy, none of the IQMD parametrizations studied here are able to consistently explain the experimental data.

We present the centrality dependence of proton and deuteron rapidity distributions in Ru+Ru collisions at $400A\mathrm{MeV}.$ Data are compared with isospin quantum molecular dynamics (IQMD) calculations under various assumptions on the nucleon-nucleon cross section in the medium. The rapidity spectra of both particles can be reproduced by IQMD with a free nucleon-nucleon cross section for the most central collisions. The ratio of baryon rapidity distributions in isospin asymmetric collision systems shows incomplete mixing and partial transparency of the projectile and target nuclei at this beam energy.

We present a systematic study of transverse energy (${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{T}}$) production in collisions of 11.4A GeV/c Au and 14.6A GeV/c Si ions with targets of Al, Au, and Pb. Comparison of data for Au+Au and Si+Al indicates that, for the heavier system, there is an increase in the amount of stopping which is accompanied by a decrease in the width of the ${\mathit{dE}}_{\mathit{T}}$/d\ensuremath{\eta} distribution. The ratio of the maximum ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{T}}$ observed for the two systems is significantly greater than the ratio of the total energy available in the center of mass frame.

We study for the first time the internal structure of 140 Te through the beta()-delayed gamma()-ray spectroscopy of 140 Sb.The very neutron-rich  Sb, Z = 51 and N = 89, ions were produced by the inflight fission of 238 U beam on a 9 Be target at 345 MeV per nucleon at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory, RIKEN.The half-life and spin-parity of 140 Sb are reported as 124(30) ms and (4  ), respectively.In addition to the excited states of 140 Te produced by the -decay branch, the -delayed one-neutron and two-neutron emission branches were also established.By identifying the first 2 + and 4 + excited states of 140 Te, we found that Te isotopes persist their vibrator character with E(4 + )/E(2 + ) = 2.We discuss the distinctive features manifest in this region, such as valence neutron symmetry and asymmetry, revealed in pairs of isotopes with the same neutron holes and particles with respect to N = 82.

PHENIX reports differential cross sections of $\mu\mu$ pairs from semileptonic heavy-flavor decays and the Drell-Yan production mechanism measured in $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV at forward and backward rapidity ($1.2<|\eta|<2.2$). The $\mu\mu$ pairs from $c\bar{c}$, $b\bar{b}$, and Drell-Yan are separated using a template fit to unlike- and like-sign muon pair spectra in mass and $p_T$. The azimuthal opening angle correlation between the muons from $c\bar{c}$ and $b\bar{b}$ decays and the pair-$p_T$ distributions are compared to distributions generated using {\sc pythia} and {\sc powheg} models, which both include next-to-leading order processes. The measured distributions for pairs from $c\bar{c}$ are consistent with {\sc pythia} calculations. The $c\bar{c}$ data presents narrower azimuthal correlations and softer $p_T$ distributions compared to distributions generated from {\sc powheg}. The $b\bar{b}$ data are well described by both models. The extrapolated total cross section for bottom production is $3.75{\pm}0.24({\rm stat}){\pm}^{0.35}_{0.50}({\rm syst}){\pm}0.45({\rm global})$[$\mu$b], which is consistent with previous measurements at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in the same system at the same collision energy, and is approximately a factor of two higher than the central value calculated with theoretical models. The measured Drell-Yan cross section is in good agreement with next-to-leading-order quantum-chromodynamics calculations.

The PHENIX Muon Arms detect muons at rapidities of |y|=(1.2–2.4) with full azimuthal acceptance. Each muon arm must track and identify muons and provide good rejection of pions and kaons (∼10−3). In order to accomplish this we employ a radial field magnetic spectrometer with precision tracking (Muon Tracker) followed by a stack of absorber/low resolution tracking layers (Muon Identifier). The design, construction, testing and expected run parameters of both the muon tracker and the muon identifier are described.

The ratio of K- to K+ meson yields has been measured in the systems RuRu at 1.69 A GeV, Ru+Zr at 1.69 A GeV, and Ni+Ni at 1.93 A GeV incident beam kinetic energy. The yield ratio is observed to vary across the measured phase space. Relativistic transport-model calculations indicate that the data are best understood if in-medium modifications of the kaons are taken into account.

We present measurements of pion transverse momentum (pt) spectra in central Si-nucleus collisions in the rapidity range 2.0 < y < 5.0 for pt down to and including pt = 0. The data exhibit an enhanced pion yield at low pt compared to what is expected for a purely thermal spectral shape. This enhancement is used to determine the Δ resonance abundance at freeze-out. The results are consistent with a direct measurement of the Δ resonance yield by reconstruction of proton-pion pairs and imply a temperature of the system at freeze-out close to 140 MeV.

We have measured cross sections for the synthesis of nuclei of mass A\ensuremath{\le}4 in collisions of 14.6A GeV/c $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ nuclei with targets of Pb, Cu, and Al. The data are measured at close to center-of-mass rapidities, and are unique in their exploration of the centrality dependence of nucleosynthesis. Simple coalescence models that were used to study nucleosynthesis at lower energies are inadequate for the description of our measurements. Our data and improved models are used to extract parameters related to the size of the interaction volume at freeze-out.

The K 0 meson production by À mesons of 1:15 GeV=c momentum on C, Al, Cu, Sn, and Pb nuclear targets was measured with the FOPI spectrometer at the Schwer-Ionen-Synchrotron accelerator of GSI.Inclusive production cross sections and the momentum distributions of K 0 mesons are compared to scaled elementary production cross sections and to predictions of theoretical models describing the in-medium production of kaons.The data represent a new reference for those models, which are widely used for interpretation of the strangeness production in heavy-ion collisions.The presented results demonstrate the sensitivity of the kaon production to the reaction amplitudes inside nuclei and point to the existence of a repulsive KN potential of 20 AE 5 MeV at normal nuclear matter density.

The neutron-proton equilibration process in 48 Ca+ 40 Ca at 35 MeV/nucleon bombarding energy has been experimentally estimated by means of the isospin transport ratio. Experimental data have been collected with a subset of the FAZIA telescope array, which permitted to determine Z and N of detected fragments. For the first time, the QP evaporative channel has been compared with the QP break-up one in a homogeneous and consistent way, pointing out to a comparable n-p equilibration which suggests close interaction time between projectile and target independently of the exit channel. Moreover, in the QP evaporative channel n-p equilibration has been compared with the prediction of the Antisymmetrized Molecular Dynamics (AMD) model coupled to the GEMINI statistical model as an afterburner, showing a larger probability of proton and neutron transfers in the simulation with respect to the experimental data.

Abstract A new rare-isotope beam (RIB) accelerator complex, RAON, is under construction in South Korea. RAON employs two RIB production methods, namely, isotope separation online (ISOL) and in-flight fragmentation (IF). According to the original design, ISOL and IF can run independently, and RAON ultimately combines them to provide more neutron-rich ion beams for the experiments. In 2021, due to the delay in developing high-energy superconducting cavities and modules, it was decided to proceed with the RAON construction project in two steps. In the first phase, the injector system, the low-energy accelerator system, ISOL, the IF separator, and all experimental devices will be completed by the end of 2022. The high-energy accelerator system will be developed, manufactured, installed, and commissioned in the second phase. In this article, the status of the superconducting accelerators, RIB production systems, and experimental equipment for RAON is reviewed.

Charged pion spectra measured in 58Ni58Ni collisions at 1.06, 1.45 and 1.93 AGeV are interpreted in terms of a thermal model including the decay of Δ resonances. The transverse momentum spectra of pions are well reproduced by adding the pions originating from the Δ -resonance decay to the component of thermal pions, deduced from the high transverse momentum part of the pion spectra. About 10 and 18% of the nucleons are excited to Δ states at freeze-out for beam energies of 1 and 2 AGeV, respectively.

Two-particle correlation functions for positive and negative pions have been measured in $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions at 10.8 GeV/c per nucleon. The data were analyzed using one- and three-dimensional correlation functions. From the results of the three-dimensional fit the phase space density of pions was calculated. It is consistent with local thermal equilibrium.

Detailed studies of the azimuthal dependence of the mean fragment and flow energies in the Au+Au and Xe+CsI systems are reported as a function of incident energy and centrality. Comparisons between data and model calculations show that the flow energy values along different azimuthal directions could be viewed as snapshots of the fireball expansion with different exposure times. For the same number of participating nucleons more transversally elongated participant shapes from the heavier system produce less collective transverse energy. Good agreement with Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck calculations is obtained for a soft nuclear equation of state.

First measurement of subthreshold \ensuremath{\Sigma}(1385) production is presented. Experimental data are presented for Al+Al reactions at $1.9A$ GeV measured with the FOPI detector at SIS/GSI. The $\ensuremath{\Sigma}(1385)/\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ ratio is found to be in good agreement with the transport and statistical model predictions. The results allow for a better understanding of subthreshold strangeness production and strangeness exchange reaction which is the dominant process for ${K}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ production below and close-to threshold.

New results concerning the production of neutral strange particles, ${K}^{0}$ and \ensuremath{\Lambda} in Ni+Ni collisions at $1.93A$ GeV, measured with the FOPI detector at GSI Darmstadt, are presented. Rapidity density distributions and Boltzmann slope parameter distributions are measured in nearly the full phase space of the reaction. The observables are compared to existing ${K}^{+}$ and proton data. While the ${K}^{0}$ data agree with previously reported ${K}^{+}$ measurements, the \ensuremath{\Lambda} distributions show a different behavior relative to that of protons. The strangeness balance and the production yield per participating nucleon as a function of the centrality of the reaction are discussed, for the first time at GSI Schwerionen Synchrotron (SIS) energies.

Azimuthal emission patterns of K ± mesons have been measured in Ni + Ni collisions with the FOPI spectrometer at a beam kinetic energy of 1.91 A GeV.The transverse momentum pT integrated directed and elliptic flow of K + and K -mesons as well as the centrality dependence of pT -differential directed flow of K + mesons are compared to the predictions of HSD and IQMD transport models.The data exhibits different propagation patterns of K + and K -mesons in the compressed and heated nuclear medium and favor the existence of a kaon-nucleon in-medium potential, repulsive for K + mesons and attractive for K -mesons.

The PHENIX experiment has studied nuclear effects in $p$$+$Al and $p$$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV on charged hadron production at forward rapidity ($1.4<\eta<2.4$, $p$-going direction) and backward rapidity ($-2.2<\eta<-1.2$, $A$-going direction). Such effects are quantified by measuring nuclear modification factors as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity in various collision multiplicity selections. In central $p$$+$Al and $p$$+$Au collisions, a suppression (enhancement) is observed at forward (backward) rapidity compared to the binary scaled yields in $p$+$p$ collisions. The magnitude of enhancement at backward rapidity is larger in $p$$+$Au collisions than in $p$$+$Al collisions, which have a smaller number of participating nucleons. However, the results at forward rapidity show a similar suppression within uncertainties. The results in the integrated centrality are compared with calculations using nuclear parton distribution functions, which show a reasonable agreement at the forward rapidity but fail to describe the backward rapidity enhancement.

The mass distributions of baryon resonances populated in near-central collisions of Au on Au and Ni on Ni are deduced by defolding the pt spectra of charged pions by a method which does not depend on a specific resonance shape. In addition the mass distributions of resonances are obtained from the invariant masses of (p, π±) pairs. With both methods the deduced mass distributions are shifted by an average value of −60 MeV/c2 relative to the mass distribution of the free Δ(1232) resonance, the distributions descent almost exponentially towards mass values of 2000 MeV/c2. The observed differences between (p, π−) and (p, π+) pairs indicate a contribution of isospin I = 1/2 resonances. The attempt to consistently describe the deduced mass distributions and the reconstructed kinetic energy spectra of the resonances leads to new insights about the freeze out conditions, i.e. to rather low temperatures and large expansion velocities.

Charged pions from Ni + Ni reactions at 1.05, 1.45 and 1.93 AGeV are measured with the FOPI detector. The mean π± multiplicities per mean number of participants increase with beam energy, in accordance with earlier studies of the Ar + KCl and La + La systems. The pion kinetic energy spectra have concave shape and are fitted by the superposition of two Boltzmann distributions with different temperatures. These apparent temperatures depend only weakly on bombarding energy. The pion angular distributions show a forward/backward enhancement at all energies, but not the Θ = 900 enhancement which was observed in case of the Au + Au system. These features also determine the rapidity distributions which are therefore in disagreement with the hypothesis of one thermal source. The importance of the Coulomb interaction and of the pion rescattering by spectator matter in producing these phenomena is discussed.

Results on ${K}^{+}$ and ${K}^{0}$ meson production in ${}_{44}^{96}\mathrm{Ru}$ + ${}_{44}^{96}\mathrm{Ru}$ and ${}_{40}^{96}\mathrm{Zr}$ + ${}_{40}^{96}\mathrm{Zr}$ collisions at a beam kinetic energy of 1.528$A$ GeV, measured with the FOPI detector at GSI-Darmstadt, are investigated as a possible probe of isospin effects in high-density nuclear matter. The measured double ratio (${K}^{+}/{K}^{0}$)${}_{\mathrm{Ru}}$/(${K}^{+}/{K}^{0}$)${}_{\mathrm{Zr}}$ is compared to the predictions of a thermal model and a relativistic mean field transport model using two different collision scenarios and under different assumptions on the stiffness of the symmetry energy. We find good agreement with the thermal model prediction and the assumption of a soft symmetry energy for infinite nuclear matter, while more realistic transport simulations of the collisions show a similar agreement with the data but also exhibit a reduced sensitivity to the symmetry term.

We report the transverse single-spin asymmetries of $J/\psi$ production at forward and backward rapidity, $1.2<|y|<2.2$, as a function of $J/\psi$ transverse momentum ($p_T$) and Feynman-$x$ ($x_F$). The data analyzed were recorded by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in 2015 from $p$$+$$p$, $p$$+$Al, and $p$$+$Au collisions with transversely polarized proton beams at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. At this collision energy, single-spin asymmetries for heavy-flavor particle production of $p$$+$$p$ collisions provide access to the spin-dependent gluon distribution and higher-twist correlation functions inside the nucleon, such as the gluon Qiu-Sterman and trigluon correlation functions. Proton+nucleus collisions offer an excellent opportunity to study nuclear effects on the correlation functions. The data indicate negative asymmetries at the two-standard-deviation level in the $p$$+$Au data for $p_T<2$ GeV/$c$ at both forward and backward rapidity, while in $p$$+$$p$ and $p$$+$Al collisions the asymmetries are consistent with zero within the range of experimental uncertainties.

We report for the first time the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay scheme of $^{140}\mathrm{Te}$ ($Z=52$) to $^{140}\mathrm{I}$ ($Z=53$), with a specific focus on the Gamow-Teller strength along $N=87$ isotones. These results were obtained in an experiment performed at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory (RIBF), RIKEN, where the parent nuclide, $^{140}\mathrm{Te}$, was produced through the in-flight fission of a $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ beam at 345 MeV per nucleon impinging on a $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ target. Based on data from the high-efficiency $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectrometer, EUROBALL-RIKEN Cluster Array (EURICA), we constructed a decay scheme of $^{140}\mathrm{I}$. The half-life of $^{140}\mathrm{Te}$ has been determined to be 350(5) ms. A level at 926 keV has been assigned as a (${1}^{+}$) state based on the $logft$ value of 4.89(6). This (${1}^{+}$) state, commonly observed in odd-odd nuclei, can be interpreted in terms of the $\ensuremath{\pi}{h}_{11/2}\ensuremath{\nu}{h}_{9/2}$ configuration formed by the Gamow-Teller transition between a neutron in the ${h}_{9/2}$ orbital and a proton in the ${h}_{11/2}$ orbital. We observe a sharp contrast to this type of $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay branching to the lower-lying ${1}^{+}$ states between $^{140}\mathrm{I}$ and $^{136}\mathrm{I}$, where we see a large reduction as the number of neutrons increases. This is in contrast to the prediction by large-scale shell model calculations. To investigate this type of the suppression, results of the Nilsson model calculations will be discussed. Along the isotones with $N=87$, we discuss a characteristic feature of the Gamow-Teller distributions at ${1}^{+}$ states with respect to the isospin difference.

We present a measurement of the transverse single-spin asymmetry for $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons in $p^\uparrow$$+$$p$ collisions in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|<0.35$ and at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In comparison with previous measurements in this kinematic region, these results have a factor of 3 smaller uncertainties. As hadrons, $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons are sensitive to both initial- and final-state nonperturbative effects for a mix of parton flavors. Comparisons of the differences in their transverse single-spin asymmetries have the potential to disentangle the possible effects of strangeness, isospin, or mass. These results can constrain the twist-3 trigluon collinear correlation function as well as the gluon Sivers function.

Suppression of the $J/ψ$ nuclear-modification factor has been seen as a trademark signature of final-state effects in large collision systems for decades. In small systems, the nuclear modification was attributed to cold-nuclear-matter effects until the observation of strong differential suppression of the $ψ(2S)$ state in $p/d$$+$$A$ collisions suggested the presence of final-state effects. Results of $J/ψ$ and $ψ(2S)$ measurements in the dimuon decay channel are presented here for $p$$+$$p$, $p$$+$Al, and $p$$+$Au collision systems at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. The results are predominantly shown in the form of the nuclear-modification factor, $R_{pA}$, the ratio of the $ψ(2S)$ invariant yield per nucleon-nucleon collision in collisions of proton on target nucleus to that in $p$$+$$p$ collisions. Measurements of the $J/ψ$ and $ψ(2S)$ nuclear-modification factor are compared with shadowing and transport-model predictions, as well as to complementary measurements at Large-Hadron-Collider energies.

An analysis of the asymmetric reactions $^{40,48}\mathrm{Ca}+^{12}\mathrm{C}$ at 25 and 40 MeV/nucleon is presented. Data were collected with six modules of the FAZIA array. The analysis is focused on the breakup channel of sources produced in dissipative collisions, partially corresponding to incomplete fusion processes. The study was performed both on detected fragments and on some resonances reconstructed by means of particle-fragment correlations, with a focus on the evolution of the breakup channel with the beam energy and the neutron content of the system, looking in particular at the relative velocity between the breakup fragments. Results show that also carbon fragments reconstructed by means of particle correlations can be in large part interpreted as the light partner of a scission.

Transverse single-spin asymmetries AN of forward neutrons at pseudorapidities larger than 6 had only been studied in the transverse momentum range of pT<0.4 GeV/c. The RHICf Collaboration has extended the previous measurements up to 1.0 GeV/c in polarized p+p collisions at s=510 GeV, using an electromagnetic calorimeter installed in the zero-degree area of the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The resulting AN values increase in magnitude with pT in the high longitudinal momentum fraction xF range, but they reach a plateau at lower pT for lower xF values. For low transverse momenta, the AN's show little xF dependence and level off from intermediate values. For higher transverse momenta, the AN's also show a tendency to reach a plateau at increased magnitudes. The results are consistent with previous measurements at lower collision energies, suggesting no s dependence of the neutron asymmetries. A theoretical model based on the interference of π and a1 exchange between two protons could partially reproduce the current results; however, an additional mechanism is necessary to describe the neutron AN's over the whole kinematic region measured.1 MoreReceived 15 October 2023Accepted 4 December 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.012003© 2024 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasParticle interactionsPropertiesNucleon spin structureSpinNuclear Physics

The emission of the pre-equilibrium particles during nuclear collisions at moderate beam energies is still an open question. This influences the properties of the compound nucleus but also changes the interpretation of the quasi-fission process. A systematic analysis of the data obtained by the FAZIA collaboration during a recent experiment with a neutron rich projectile is presented. The full range of charged particles detected in the experiment is within the limit of isotopic resolution of the FAZIA detector. Quasi-projectile (QP) fragments were detected in majority thanks to the forward angular acceptance of the experimental setup which was confirmed by introducing cuts based on the HIPSE event generator calculations. The main goal was to compare the experimental results with the HIPSE simulations after introducing these cuts to investigate the influence of the n-rich entrance channel on the QP fragment properties. More specifically, the lowering of N/Z of QP fragments with beam energy was found to be present since the initial phase of the reaction. Thus, pre-equilibrium emissions might be a possible candidate to explain such an effect.

Properties of the nuclear equation of state (EoS) can be probed by measuring the dynamical properties of nucleus-nucleus collisions. In this study, we present the directed flow (v1), elliptic flow (v2) and stopping (VarXZ) measured in fixed target Sn + Sn collisions at with the SπRIT Time Projection Chamber. We perform Bayesian analyses in which EoS parameters are varied simultaneously within the Improved Quantum Molecular Dynamics-Skyrme (ImQMD-Sky) transport code to obtain a multivariate correlated constraint. The varied parameters include symmetry energy, S0, and slope of the symmetry energy, L, at saturation density, isoscalar effective mass, ⁎ms⁎/mN, isovector effective mass, ⁎mv⁎/mN and the in-medium cross-section enhancement factor η. We find that the flow and VarXZ observables are sensitive to the splitting of proton and neutron effective masses and the in-medium cross-section. Comparisons of ImQMD-Sky predictions to the SπRIT data suggest a narrow range of preferred values for ⁎ms⁎/mN, ⁎mv⁎/mN and η.

Health insurance fraud is becoming more common and impacting the fairness and sustainability of the health insurance system. Traditional health insurance fraud detection primarily relies on recognizing established data patterns. However, with the ever-expanding and complex nature of health insurance data, it is difficult for these traditional methods to effectively capture evolving fraudulent activity and tactics and keep pace with the constant improvements and innovations of fraudsters. As a result, there is an urgent need for more accurate and flexible analytics to detect potential fraud. To address this, the Multi-channel Heterogeneous Graph Structured Learning-based health insurance fraud detection method (MHGSL) was proposed. MHGSL constructs a graph of health insurance data from various entities, such as patients, departments, and medicines, and employs graph structure learning to extract topological structure, features, and semantic information to construct multiple graphs that reflect the diversity and complexity of the data. We utilize deep learning methods such as heterogeneous graph neural networks and graph convolutional neural networks to combine multi-channel information transfer and feature fusion to detect anomalies in health insurance data. The results of extensive experiments on real health insurance data demonstrate that MHGSL achieves a high level of accuracy in detecting potential fraud, which is better than existing methods, and is able to quickly and accurately identify patients with fraudulent behaviors to avoid loss of health insurance funds. Experiments have shown that multi-channel heterogeneous graph structure learning in MHGSL can be very helpful for health insurance fraud detection. It provides a promising solution for detecting health insurance fraud and improving the fairness and sustainability of the health insurance system. Subsequent research on fraud detection methods can consider semantic information between patients and different types of entities.

In view of the High Luminosity upgrade of the CERN LHC, the forward CMS Muon spectrometer will be extended with two new stations of improved Resistive Plate Chambers (iRPC) covering the pseudorapidity range from 1.8 to 2.4. Compared to the present RPC system, the gap thickness is reduced to lower the avalanche charge, and an innovative 2D strip readout geometry is proposed. These improvements will allow iRPC detector to cope with higher background rates. A new Front-End-Board (FEB) is designed to readout iRPC signals with a threshold as low as 30 fC and an integrated Time Digital Converter with a resolution of 30 ps. In addition, the communication bandwidth is significantly increased by using optical fibers. The history, final design, certification, and calibration of this FEB are presented.

Using the FOPI detector at GSI Darmstadt, excitation functions of collective flow components were measured for the Au+Au system, in the reaction plane and out of this plane, at seven incident energies ranging from 100A MeV to 800A MeV. The threshold energies, corresponding to the onset of sideward-flow (balance energy) and squeeze-out effect (transition energy), are extracted from extrapolations of these excitation functions toward lower beam energies for charged products with Z ⩾ 2. The transition energy is found to be larger than the balance energy. The impact parameter dependence of both balance and transition energies, when extrapolated to central collisions, suggests comparable although slightly higher values than the threshold energy for the radial flow. The relevant parameter seems to be the energy deposited into the system in order to overcome the attractive nuclear forces.

We present experimental data on directed flow in semi-central Au+Au collisions at incident energies from 90 to 400 A MeV. For the first time for this energy domain, the data are presented in a transverse momentum differential way. We study the first order Fourier coefficient v1 for different particle species and establish a gradual change of its patterns as a function of incident energy and for different regions in rapidity.

$\phi$ and K$^-$ mesons from Ni+Ni collisions at the beam energy of 1.91A GeV have been measured by the FOPI spectrometer, with a trigger selecting central and semi-central events amounting to 51% of the total cross section. The phase space distributions, and the total yield of K$^-$, as well as the kinetic energy distribution and the total yield of $\phi$ mesons are presented. The $\phi$\K$^-$ ratio is found to be $0.44 \pm 0.07(\text{stat}) ^{+0.18}_{-0.12} (\text{syst})$, meaning that about 22% of K$^-$ mesons originate from the decays of $\phi$ mesons, occurring mostly in vacuum. The inverse slopes of direct kaons are up to about 15 MeV larger than the ones extracted within the one-source model, signalling that a considerable share of gap between the slopes of K$^+$ and K$^-$ could be explained by the contribution of $\phi$ mesons to negative kaons.

Studying spin-momentum correlations in hadronic collisions offers a glimpse into a three-dimensional picture of proton structure. The transverse single-spin asymmetry for midrapidity isolated direct photons in p^{↑}+p collisions at sqrt[s]=200 GeV is measured with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Because direct photons in particular are produced from the hard scattering and do not interact via the strong force, this measurement is a clean probe of initial-state spin-momentum correlations inside the proton and is in particular sensitive to gluon interference effects within the proton. This is the first time direct photons have been used as a probe of spin-momentum correlations at RHIC. The uncertainties on the results are a 50-fold improvement with respect to those of the one prior measurement for the same observable, from the Fermilab E704 experiment. These results constrain gluon spin-momentum correlations in transversely polarized protons.

In this article the authors summarize recent results from the E814 forward spectrometer on proton and pion distributions that give insight into the initial baryon (and energy) density achieved in central collisions as well as the temperature of the system at freeze-out. An independent measure for the latter, complementing the slope constants of particle spectra, is the population of nucleon excited states, in particular the {Delta}(1232) resonance. Besides its influence on the pion spectra it has also been identified directly in the experiment and first results are discussed. The first results from E814 on kaon spectra at low transverse momentum p{sub t} are presented; the spectra show an unexpected very steep rise at the lowest p{sub t}. The two pion correlation function has been studied for positive and negative pions and the authors show that it is consistent with a large source size at freeze-out. Finally, they show that the present data give a consistent picture of a system in thermal and chemical equilibrium at freeze-out.

Small-angle correlations of pairs of protons emitted in central collisions of Ca + Ca, Ru + Ru and Au + Au at beam energies from 400 to 1500MeV per nucleon are investigated with the FOPI detector system at SIS/GSI Darmstadt. Dependences on system size and beam energy are presented which extend the experimental data basis of pp correlations in the SIS energy range substantially. The size of the proton-emitting source is estimated by comparing the experimental data with the output of a final-state interaction model which utilizes either static Gaussian sources or the one-body phase-space distribution of protons provided by the BUU transport approach. The trends in the experimental data, i.e. system size and beam energy dependences, are well reproduced by this hybrid model. However, the pp correlation function is found rather insensitive to the stiffness of the equation of state entering the transport model calculations.

We present transverse momentum and rapidity spectra of charged pions in central Ru + Ru collisions at 400$A$ and 1528$A$ MeV. The data exhibit enhanced production at low transverse momenta compared to the expectations from the thermal model that includes the decay of $\Delta(1232)$-resonances and thermal pions. Modification of the $\Delta$-spectral function and the Coulomb interaction are necessary to describe the detailed shape of the transverse momentum spectra. Within the framework of the thermal model, the freeze-out radii of pions are similar at both beam energies. The IQMD model reproduces the shapes of the transverse momentum and rapidity spectra of pions, but the predicted absolute yields are larger than in the measurements, especially at lower beam energy.

The $\phi$-meson production cross section is measured for the first time at a sub-threshold energy of 1.93 AGeV in \nuc{58}{Ni}+\nuc{58}{Ni} central collisions. The $\phi$ data were obtained within the acceptance of the CDC/Barrel subsystem of FOPI. For a sample of $4.7\cdot 10^6$ central events, after background subtraction, 23 candidates were observed. Extensive GEANT simulations of the detector performance are shown in a thorough comparison to the real response, aiming at a good understanding of the apparatus and at a trustable determination of the efficiencies, production probability and possible systematic errors. A filter procedure is elaborated, which is meant to facilitate the comparison of any theoretical calculation or new data with the current ones. How to extrapolate the present value to a $\phi$-meson cross section in $4\pi$ is also discussed. This result on pseudo-vector mesons can now be compared to existing experimental knowledge for the same reaction at the same incident energy for various outgoing channels, $K^+$ and $K^-$ included. A significant fraction (at least 20%) of the $K^-$-mesons is originating in the decay of the $\phi$, supporting the statement that the two channels are strongly correlated.

The production of K$^+$, K$^-$ and $\varphi$(1020) mesons is studied in Al+Al collisions at a beam energy of 1.9A GeV which is close or below the production threshold in NN reactions. Inverse slopes, anisotropy parameters, and total emission yields of K$^{\pm}$ mesons are obtained. A comparison of the ratio of kinetic energy distributions of K$^-$ and K$^+$ mesons to the HSD transport model calculations suggests that the inclusion of the in-medium modifications of kaon properties is necessary to reproduce the ratio. The inverse slope and total yield of $\phi$ mesons are deduced. The contribution to K$^-$ production from $\phi$ meson decays is found to be [17 $\pm$ 3 (stat) $^{+2}_{-7}$ (syst)] %. The results are in line with previous K$^{\pm}$ and $\phi$ data obtained for different colliding systems at similar incident beam energies.

We present measurements of elliptic and triangular azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles detected at forward rapidity $1&lt;|\ensuremath{\eta}|&lt;3$ in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{{s}_{{}_{NN}}}=200$ GeV, as a function of centrality. The multiparticle cumulant technique is used to obtain the elliptic flow coefficients ${v}_{2}{2},{v}_{2}{4},{v}_{2}{6}$, and ${v}_{2}{8}$, and triangular flow coefficients ${v}_{3}{2}$ and ${v}_{3}{4}$. Using the small-variance limit, we estimate the mean and variance of the event-by-event ${v}_{2}$ distribution from ${v}_{2}{2}$ and ${v}_{2}{4}$. In a complementary analysis, we also use a folding procedure to study the distributions of ${v}_{2}$ and ${v}_{3}$ directly, extracting both the mean and variance. Implications for initial geometrical fluctuations and their translation into the final-state momentum distributions are discussed.

In this paper, we present a software framework, SπRITROOT, which is capable of track reconstruction and analysis of heavy-ion collision events recorded with the SπRIT time projection chamber. The track-fitting toolkit GENFIT and the vertex reconstruction toolkit RAVE are applied to a box-type detector system. A pattern recognition algorithm which performs helix track finding and handles overlapping pulses is described. The performance of the software is investigated using experimental data obtained at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Facility (RIBF) at RIKEN. This work focuses on data from 132Sn + 124Sn collision events with beam energy of 270 AMeV. Particle identification is established using dE∕dx and magnetic rigidity, with pions, hydrogen isotopes, and helium isotopes.

Experimental information on fragment emissions is important in understanding the dynamics of nuclear collisions and in the development of transport model simulating heavy-ion collisions. The composition of complex fragments emitted in the heavy-ion collisions can be explained by statistical models, which assume that thermal equilibrium is achieved at collision energies below 100 MeV/u. Our new experimental data together with theoretical analyses for light particles from Sn+Sn collisions at 270 MeV/u, suggest that the hypothesis of thermal equilibrium breaks down for particles emitted with high transfer momentum. To inspect the system’s properties in such limit, the scaling features of the yield ratios of particles from two systems, a neutron-rich system of $${}^{132}\textrm{Sn}+{}^{124}\textrm{Sn}$$ and a nearly symmetric system of $${}^{108}\textrm{Sn}+{}^{112}\textrm{Sn}$$ , are examined in the framework of the statistical multifragmentation model and the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics model. The isoscaling from low energy particles agree with both models. However the observed breakdown of isoscaling for particles with high transverse momentum cannot be explained by the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics model.

We present new experimental results concerning the azimuthal distributions of proton-likes, light and intermediate mass fragments at midrapidity for Au(100–800 A MeV) +Au collisions measured with the FOPI phase-I detector at GSI in Darmstadt. The azimuthal distributions are investigated as a function of the collision centrality, the incident energy, the fragment charge and transverse momentum. The azimuthal anisotropy is maximum for impact parameters around 7 fm. Intermediate mass fragments present a stronger out-of-plane emission signal than light fragments and a saturation is reached for Z ⩾ 4. The azimuthal anisotropy increases with the fragment transverse momentum and decreases as the incident energy increases. The azimuthal anisotropy of Z = 2 particles investigated as a function of the scaled fragment transverse momentum follows an universal curve for bombarding energies between 250–800 A MeV. A signature for a transition from in-plane to out-of-plane emission is evidenced at the lowest beam energies.

We have measured antiproton production cross sections as functions of centrality in collisions of 14.6 GeV/c per nucleon $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ ions with targets of Al, Cu, and Pb. For all targets, the antiproton yields increase linearly with the number of projectile nucleons that have interacted, and show little target dependence. We discuss the implications of this result on the production and absorption of antiprotons within the nuclear medium.

The two-pion correlation function has been measured for charged pions produced in central 14.6 A GeV/c Si + Pb collisions at the AGS. Data for like-sign pions show a clear quantum interference effect as expected for identical bosons. The experimental correlation function agrees well with that obtained for events generated by a cascade code (RQMD). The present data are consistent with a time-averaged rms freeze-out radius of 8.3 fm and a mean duration of pion emission of 9 fm/c. The system has expanded considerably before freeze-out.

Inclusive double differential multiplicities and rapidity density distributions of hadrons are presented for 10.8 A GeV/c Au+Au collisions as measured at the AGS by the E877 collaboration. The results indicate that large amounts of stopping and collective transverse flow effects are present. The data are also compared to the results from the lighter Si+Al system.

The production of gas gaps, the core components of the Forward RPCs in the CMS experiment, has reached a mature stage of the production stream. A total of 360 gas gaps, equivalent to 120 RPCs, has been manufactured, tested for quality control, and delivered to CERN in Switzerland and to Pakistan, where the complete Forward RPCs are being assembled. In this paper, the layout of the gas gaps, the production procedures, facilities, and the selection process of the qualified gas gaps are presented.

We report on the first analysis of directed and elliptic flow with the new method of Lee--Yang zeros. Experimental data are presented for Ru+Ru reactions at 1.69A GeV measured with the FOPI detector at SIS/GSI. The results obtained with several methods, based on the event-plane reconstruction, on Lee--Yang zeros, and on multiparticle cumulants (up to fifth order) applied for the first time at SIS energies, are compared. They show conclusive evidence that azimuthal correlations between nucleons and composite particles at this energy are largely dominated by anisotropic flow.

We report on the nuclear dependence of transverse single-spin asymmetries (TSSAs) in the production of positively charged hadrons in polarized p^{↑}+p, p^{↑}+Al, and p^{↑}+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. The measurements have been performed at forward rapidity (1.4<η<2.4) over the range of transverse momentum (1.8<p_{T}<7.0 GeV/c) and Feynman x (0.1<x_{F}<0.2). We observed positive asymmetries for positively charged hadrons in p^{↑}+p collisions, and significantly reduced asymmetries in p^{↑}+A collisions. These results reveal a nuclear dependence of TSSAs for charged-hadron production in a regime where perturbative techniques are applicable. These results provide new opportunities to use p^{↑}+A collisions as a tool to investigate the rich phenomena behind TSSAs in hadronic collisions and to use TSSAs as a new handle in studying small-system collisions.

Two-particle correlation functions have been measured in Au+Au collisions at the AGS. The one-dimensional correlations are compared to the RQMD predictions. A multidimensional analysis of two-pion correlations allows to extract the average phase space density of pions at freeze-out and the pion source velocity.

Cluster production is investigated in central collisions of Ca+Ca, Ni+Ni, 96Zr+96Zr, 96Ru+96Ru, Xe+CsI and Au+Au reactions at 0.4 AGeV incident energy. We find that the multiplicity of clusters with charge Z⩾3 grows quadratically with the system's total charge and is associated with a midrapidity source with increasing transverse velocity fluctuations. When reduced to the same number of available charges, an increase of cluster production by about a factor of 5.5 is observed in the midrapidity region between the lightest system (Ca+Ca) and the heaviest one (Au+Au). The results, as well as simulations using quantum molecular dynamics, suggest a collision process where droplets, i.e., nucleon clusters, are created in an expanding, gradually cooling, nucleon gas. Within this picture, expansion dynamics, collective radial flow and cluster formation are closely linked as a result of the combined action of nucleon–nucleon scatterings and the mean fields.

We report for the first time two distinctive features in the odd–odd nucleus 120I: a pair of doublet bands and a high-spin isomer built on the πh11/2νh11/2 configuration. For producing the excited states of 120I, a fusion-evaporation reaction 118Sn(6Li, 4n) at E=lab48 MeV was employed. The beam was provided by the 14UD tandem accelerator of the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility at the Australian National University. The observed doublet structure built on the positive-parity states is the first case and unique in isotopes with Z=53. The emerging properties are indicative of the known chiral characteristics, leading to a doubling of states for the πh11/2νh11/2 configuration. In contrast, the high-spin isomer with a half-life of 49(2) ns at spin-parity Jπ=25+ can be explained in terms of a noncollective oblate structure with the full alignment of six valence nucleons outside the 114Sn core: three protons (g7/2)1(d5/2)1(h11/2)1 and three neutrons (h11/2)3. This is an outstanding case that reveals a pure single-particle structure consisting of equal numbers of valence protons and neutrons outside the semi-double shell closure of 114Sn with Z=50 and N=64.

When Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) are used in low to intermediate heavy ion collisions, the mass and momentum range of the emitted particles cover a wide range in energy losses. Many TPC readout electronics currently only have a single gain output with a fixed dynamic range. In a recent set of experiments using the SAMURAI Pion-Reconstruction and Ion-Tracker (SπRIT) TPC, it was important to simultaneously measure relativistic pions and heavy ion tracks from the same collisions. As the ionization from a track’s energy loss is collected and multiplied by the anode wires, a distribution of image charges is induced on the TPC read-out pads. If the avalanche on a wire is large enough, the charge collected by pads directly underneath will saturate the readout electronics; pads farther away in the distribution will not be saturated. Using these unsaturated pads and the known pad distribution function, we can estimate the charge on saturated pads, increasing the dynamic range by a factor of 5.

Transverse single-spin asymmetries of very forward neutral pions generated in polarized $p + p$ collisions allow us to understand the production mechanism in terms of perturbative and non-perturbative strong interactions. During 2017 the RHICf Collaboration installed an electromagnetic calorimeter in the zero-degree region of the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and measured neutral pions produced at pseudorapidity larger than 6 in polarized $p$+$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 510 GeV. The large non-zero asymmetries increasing both in longitudinal momentum fraction $x_{F}$ and transverse momentum $p_{T}$ have been observed at low transverse momentum $p_{T} < 1$ GeV/$c$ for the first time at this collision energy. The asymmetries show an approximate $x_{F}$ scaling in the $p_{T}$ region where non-perturbative processes are expected to dominate. A non-negligible contribution from soft processes may be necessary to explain the nonzero neutral pion asymmetries.

The Superconducting Analyzer for MUlti-particles from RAdioIsotope (SAMURAI) Pion-Reconstruction and Ion-Tracker Time Projection Chamber (SπRIT TPC) was designed to enable measurements of heavy ion collisions with the SAMURAI spectrometer at the RIKEN radioactive isotope beam factory and provides constraints on the equation of state of neutron-rich nuclear matter. The SπRIT TPC has a 50.5 cm drift length and an 86.4 × 134.4 cm2 pad plane with 12 096 pads that are equipped with the generic electronics for TPCs. The SπRIT TPC allows for an excellent reconstruction of particles and provides isotopic resolution for pions and other light charged particles across a wide range of energy losses and momenta. The details of the SπRIT TPC are presented, along with discussion of the TPC performance based on cosmic rays and charged particles emitted in heavy ion collisions.

Newly observed decay schemes of the nuclei $^{137}\mathrm{Sb}$ and $^{138}\mathrm{Sb}$ are reported. The neutron-rich Sb isotopes were produced by the in-flight fragmentation of a $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ primary beam with an energy of 345 MeV/nucleon. Several new excited states of $^{137}\mathrm{Te}$ with tentatively assigned spin-parities of $(5/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}})$, $(9/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}})$, and $(7/2)$ have been established which play an important role in the evolution of neutron levels beyond $N=82$. The study of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of $^{138}\mathrm{Sb}$ led to a considerable extension of the level scheme of $^{138}\mathrm{Te}$ including the identification of several nonyrast states. The structure of $^{137}\mathrm{Te}$ and $^{138}\mathrm{Te}$ is discussed on the basis of large-scale shell-model calculations performed using two different effective interactions.