310 research outputs found
The chemical equilibration volume: measuring the degree of thermalization
We address the issue of the degree of equilibrium achieved in a high energy
heavy-ion collision. Specifically, we explore the consequences of incomplete
strangeness chemical equilibrium. This is achieved over a volume V of the order
of the strangeness correlation length and is assumed to be smaller than the
freeze-out volume. Probability distributions of strange hadrons emanating from
the system are computed for varying sizes of V and simple experimental
observables based on these are proposed. Measurements of such observables may
be used to estimate V and as a result the degree of strangeness chemical
equilibration achieved. This sets a lower bound on the degree of kinetic
equilibrium. We also point out that a determination of two-body correlations or
second moments of the distributions are not sufficient for this estimation.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures, revtex
System-size dependence of the pion freeze-out volume as a potential signature for the phase transition to a Quark Gluon Plasma
Hanburry-Brown-Twiss (HBT) correlation functions and radii of negatively
charged pions from C+C, Si+Si, Cu+Cu, and In+In at lower RHIC/SPS energies are
calculated with the UrQMD transport model and the CRAB analyzing program. We
find a minimum in the excitation function of the pion freeze-out volume at low
transverse momenta and around GeV which can be related to
the transition from hadronic to string matter (which might be interpreted as a
pre-cursor of the QGP). The existence of the minimum is explained by the
competition of two mechanisms of the particle production, resonance decays and
string formation/fragmentation.Comment: 12 pages, 4 fig
The K/pi ratio from condensed Polyakov loops
We perform a field-theoretical computation of hadron production in large
systems at the QCD confinement phase transition associated with restoration of
the Z(3) global symmetry. This occurs from the decay of a condensate for the
Polyakov loop. From the effective potential for the Polyakov loop, its mass
just below the confinement temperature T_c is in between the vacuum masses of
the pion and that of the kaon. Therefore, due to phase-space restrictions the
number of produced kaons is roughly an order of magnitude smaller than that of
produced pions, in agreement with recent results from collisions of gold ions
at the BNL-RHIC. From its mass, we estimate that the Polyakov loop condensate
is characterized by a (spatial) correlation scale of 1/m_\ell ~ 1/2 fm. For
systems of deconfined matter of about that size, the free energy may not be
dominated by a condensate for the Polyakov loop, and so the process of
hadronization may be qualitatively different as compared to large systems. In
that vein, experimental data on hadron abundance ratios, for example K/pi, in
high-multiplicity pp events at high energies should be very interesting.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; discussion of the two-point function of Polyakov
Loops in small versus large systems adde
First bounds on the very high energy gamma-ray emission from Arp 220
Using the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope (MAGIC), we
have observed the nearest ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 for about 15
hours. No significant signal was detected within the dedicated amount of
observation time. The first upper limits to the very high energy -ray
flux of Arp 220 are herein reported and compared with theoretical expectations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
High p_T Spectra of Identified Particles Produced in Pb+Pb Collisions at 158GeV/nucleon Beam Energy
Transverse momentum spectra of pi^{+/-}, p, pbar, K^{+/-}, K^0_s and Lambda
at midrapidity were measured at high p_T in Pb+Pb collisions at 158GeV/nucleon
beam energy by the NA49 experiment. Particle yield ratios (p/pi, K/pi and
Lambda/K^0_s) show an enhancement of the baryon/meson ratio for p_T>2GeV/c. The
nuclear modification factor R_{CP} is extracted and compared to RHIC
measurements and pQCD calculations.Comment: Quark Matter 2005 parallel section proceeding
Discovery of VHE Gamma Radiation from IC443 with the MAGIC Telescope
We report the detection of a new source of very high energy (VHE, E_gamma >=
100GeV) gamma-ray emission located close to the Galactic Plane, MAGIC
J0616+225, which is spatially coincident with SNR IC443. The observations were
carried out with the MAGIC telescope in the periods December 2005 - January
2006 and December 2006 - January 2007. Here we present results from this
source, leading to a VHE gamma-ray signal with a statistical significance of
5.7 sigma in the 2006/7 data and a measured differential gamma-ray flux
consistent with a power law, described as dN_gamma/(dA dt dE) = (1.0 +/-
0.2)*10^(-11)(E/0.4 TeV)^(-3.1 +/- 0.3) cm^(-2)s^(-1)TeV^(-1). We briefly
discuss the observational technique used and the procedure implemented for the
data analysis. The results are put in the perspective of the multiwavelength
emission and the molecular environment found in the region of IC443.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letter
Measurement of event-by-event transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations using strongly intensive measures and in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron
Results from the NA49 experiment at the CERN SPS are presented on
event-by-event transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations of charged
particles, produced at forward rapidities in central Pb+Pb interactions at beam
momenta 20, 30, 40, 80, and 158 GeV/c, as well as in systems of
different size (, C+C, Si+Si, and Pb+Pb) at 158 GeV/c. This publication
extends the previous NA49 measurements of the strongly intensive measure
by a study of the recently proposed strongly intensive measures of
fluctuations and . In the explored kinematic
region transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations show no significant
energy dependence in the SPS energy range. However, a remarkable system size
dependence is observed for both and , with the
largest values measured in peripheral Pb+Pb interactions. The results are
compared with NA61/SHINE measurements in collisions, as well as with
predictions of the UrQMD and EPOS models.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, to be submitted to PR
Constraints on the steady and pulsed very high energy gamma-ray emission from observations of PSR B1951+32/CTB 80 with the MAGIC Telescope
We report on very high energy gamma-observations with the MAGIC Telescope of
the pulsar PSR B1951+32 and its associated nebula, CTB 80. Our data constrain
the cutoff energy of the pulsar to be less than 32 GeV, assuming the pulsed
gamma-ray emission to be exponentially cut off. The upper limit on the flux of
pulsed gamma-ray emission above 75 GeV is 4.3*10^-11 photons cm^-2 sec^-1, and
the upper limit on the flux of steady emission above 140 GeV is 1.5*10^-11
photons cm^-2 sec^-1. We discuss our results in the framework of recent model
predictions and other studies.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, replaced with published versio
Antideuteron and deuteron production in mid-central Pb+Pb collisions at 158 GeV
Production of deuterons and antideuterons was studied by the NA49 experiment
in the 23.5% most central Pb+Pb collisions at the top SPS energy of
=17.3 GeV. Invariant yields for and were measured
as a function of centrality in the center-of-mass rapidity range .
Results for together with previously published
measurements are discussed in the context of the coalescence model. The
coalescence parameters were deduced as a function of transverse momentum
and collision centrality.Comment: 9 figure
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