Heavy Ion Collisions and the Density Dependence of the Local Mean Field

We study the effect of the density dependence of the scalar and the vector part of the nucleonic self-energy in Relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (RQMD) on observables like the transversal flow and the rapidity distribution. The stability of nuclei in RQMD is greatly improved if the density dependence is included in the self-energies compared to a calculation assuming always saturation density of nuclear matter. Different approaches are studied: The main results are calculated with self-energies extracted from a Dirac-Br\"uckner-Hartree-Fock G-matrix of a one boson exchange model, i.e. the Bonn potential. These results are compared with those obtained by a generalization of static Skyrme force, with calculations in the simple linear Walecka model and results of the Br\"uckner-Hartree-Fock G-matrix of the Reid soft core potential. The transversal flow is very sensitive to these different approaches. A comparison with the data is given.Comment: LaTex-file, 13 pages, 5 figures (available upon request), submitted to Nuclear Physics

Probing the nuclear equation of state by K+K^+ production in heavy ion collisions

The dependence of $K^+$ production on the nuclear equation of state is investigated in heavy ion collisions. An increase of the excitation function of $K^+$ multiplicities obtained in heavy ($Au+Au$) over light ($C+C$) systems when going far below threshold which has been observed by the KaoS Collaboration strongly favours a soft equation of state. This observation holds despite of the influence of an in-medium kaon potential predicted by effective chiral models which is necessary to reproduce the experimental $K^+$ yields.Comment: 4 pages Revtex, 4 PS figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

The nuclear equation of state probed by K+K^+ production in heavy ion collisions

The dependence of $K^+$ production on the nuclear equation of state is investigated in heavy ion collisions. An increase of the excitation function of $K^+$ multiplicities obtained in heavy ($Au+Au$) over light ($C+C$) systems when going far below threshold which has been observed by the KaoS Collaboration strongly favours a soft equation of state. This observation holds despite of the influence of an in-medium kaon potential predicted by effective chiral models which is necessary to reproduce the experimental $K^+$ yields. Phase space effects are discussed with respect to the $K^+$ excitation function.Comment: 14 pages Revtex, 6 figures, Proceedings to the XXXIX Interantional Winter Meeting on Nuclear Physics, Bormio, Italy, 200

Lateral distribution of high energy hadrons and gamma ray in air shower cores observed with emulsion chambers

A high energy event of a bundle of electrons, gamma rays and hadronic gamma rays in an air shower core were observed. The bundles were detected with an emulsion chamber with thickness of 15 cm lead. This air shower is estimated to be initiated with a proton with energy around 10 to the 17th power to 10 to the 18th power eV at an altitude of around 100 gmc/2. Lateral distributions of the electromagnetic component with energy above 2 TeV and also the hadronic component of energy above 6 TeV of this air shower core were determined. Particles in the bundle are produced with process of the development of the nuclear cascade, the primary energy of each interaction in the cascade which produces these particles is unknown. To know the primary energy dependence of transverse momentum, the average products of energy and distance for various average energies of secondary particles are studied

Study of in-medium ω\omega meson properties in Ap, pA and AA collisions

We propose to investigate the in-medium properties of vector $\omega$ mesons at the normal nuclear density in Ap(pA) collisions and at higher density in AA collisions at the ITEP accelerator facility TWAC. Using of the inverse Ap kinematics will permit us to study the $\omega$ meson production in a wide momentum interval included the not yet explored range of small meson momenta relative to the projectile nuclei where the mass modification effect in nuclear matter is expected to be the strongest. Momentum dependence of the in-medium $\omega$ meson width will be studied in the traditional pA kinematics. We intend to use the electromagnetic calorimeter for reconstruction of the $\omega$ meson invariant mass by detecting photons from the $\omega \to \pi^{0}\gamma \to 3\gamma$ decay. The model calculations and simulations with RQMD generator show feasibility of the proposed experiment. Available now intensity of the ion beams provides a possibility to collect large statistics and make decisive conclusion about the $\omega$ meson properties at density of normal nuclei. At the second stage of the investigation the $\omega$ meson properties will be studied in AA collisions at higher density. Interpretation of these measurements will be based on the results obtained in Ap(pA) interactions. Further investigation of the in-medium properties of light unflavored and charmed mesons can be performed at ITEP and at GSI(FAIR) where higher ion energies will be accessible in near future.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figures, 2 table

K−K^- - nucleus relativistic mean field potentials consistent with kaonic atoms

$K^-$ atomic data are used to test several models of the $K^-$ nucleus interaction. The t($\rho$)$\rho$ optical potential, due to coupled channel models incorporating the $\Lambda$(1405) dynamics, fails to reproduce these data. A standard relativistic mean field (RMF) potential, disregarding the $\Lambda$(1405) dynamics at low densities, also fails. The only successful model is a hybrid of a theoretically motivated RMF approach in the nuclear interior and a completely phenomenological density dependent potential, which respects the low density theorem in the nuclear surface region. This best-fit $K^-$ optical potential is found to be strongly attractive, with a depth of 180 \pm 20 MeV at the nuclear interior, in agreement with previous phenomenological analyses.Comment: revised, Phys. Rev. C in pres

eta-prime nucleus optical potential and possible eta-prime bound states

Starting from a recent model of the eta'N interaction, we evaluate the eta'-nucleus optical potential, including the contribution of lowest order in density, t rho/2m_eta', together with the second order terms accounting for eta' absorption by two nucleons. We also calculate the formation cross section of the eta' bound states from (pi+,p) reactions on nuclei. The eta'-nucleus potential suffers from uncertainties tied to the poorly known eta'N interaction, which can be partially constrained by the experimental modulus of the eta'N scattering length and/or the recently measured transparency ratios in eta' nuclear photoproduction. Assuming an attractive interaction and taking the claimed experimental value |a_eta'N| = 0.1 fm, we obtain a eta' optical potential in nuclear matter at saturation density of V_eta' = -(8.7 + 1.8i) MeV, not attractive enough to produce eta' bound states in light nuclei. Larger values of the scattering length give rise to deeper optical potentials, with moderate enough imaginary parts. For a value |a_eta'| = 0.3 fm, which can still be considered to lie within the uncertainties of the experimental constraints, the spectra of light and medium nuclei show clear structures associated to eta'-nuclear bound states and to threshold enhancements in the unbound region.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

New method of studying slow strange meson properties in nuclear matter

We suggest the new experimental method to explore the properties of slow strange mesons at normal nuclear matter density. We show that the $K^{+}$ and $K^{-}$ mesons with extremely small momenta relative to the surrounding medium rest frame can be produced in nucleus-nucleon collisions and their production cross sections are experimentally measurable. The experiments on study of the momentum dependence of meson-nuclear potentials are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Kaon production in heavy-ion collisions and maximum mass of neutron stars

We determine an `empirical' kaon dispersion relation by analysing and fitting recent experimental data on kaon production in heavy-ion collisions. We then investigate its effects on hadronic equation of state at high densities and on neutron star properties. We find that the maximum mass of neutron stars can be lowered by about 0.4$M_\odot$, once kaon condensation as constrained by our empirical dispersion relation is introduced. We emphasize the growing interplay between hadron physics, relativistic heavy-ion physics and the physics of compact objects in astrophysics.Comment: 6 pages with 3 postscript figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Expectation values of four-quark operators in pions

The values of four-quark operators averaged over pions are expressed through those averaged over vacuum. The specific values are obtained in the framework of the factorization assumption. For the condensates of the light quarks of the same flavour \bar q\Gamma q\bar q\Gamma q the scalar condensate is shown to be an order of magnitude larger than the other ones. The condensates containing the strange quarks \bar q q\bar s s appear to be only about twice smaller than those of the light quarks. The degeneracy of the ground state in the Nambu--Jona--Lasinio model is shown explicitly.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, typos correcte