CyberSec Research

This study investigates the color-charge dependence of parton energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) medium and the associated relative modifications of quark and gluon jet fractions compared to vacuum, using jet axis decorrelation observables. Recent CMS jet axis decorrelation measurements in PbPb collisions at 5.02 TeV are interpreted using Pythia simulations with varied quark/gluon jet compositions and emulated color-charge dependent energy loss. A template-fit procedure is employed to estimate the limits on gluon jet fractions in the published CMS data and average shift in jet momentum due to quenching for quark- and gluon-initiated jets traversing the QGP. The extracted gluon jet fractions and the estimated quark and gluon energy losses based on this study of jet axis decorrelations are found to be consistent with other model calculations based on inclusive observables. This work illustrates the use of jet substructure measurements for providing constraints on the color-charge dependence of parton energy loss and offers valuable insights for jet quenching models.

The momentum-dependent interaction (MDI) model, which has been widely used in microscopic transport models for heavy-ion collisions (HICs), is extended to include three different momentum-dependent terms and three zero-range density-dependent terms, dubbed as MDI3Y model. Compared to the MDI model, the single-nucleon potential in the MDI3Y model exhibits more flexible momentum-dependent behaviors. Furthermore, the inclusion of three zero-range density-dependent interactions follows the idea of Fermi momentum expansion, allowing more flexible variation for the largely uncertain high-density behaviors of nuclear matter equation of state (EOS), especially the symmetry energy. Moreover, we also obtain the corresponding Skyrme-like energy density functional through density matrix expansion of the finite-range exchange interactions. Based on the MDI3Y model, we construct four interactions with the same symmetry energy slope parameter $L=35$ MeV but different momentum dependence of $U_{\mathrm{sym}}$, by fitting the empirical nucleon optical potential, the empirical properties of symmetric nuclear matter, the microscopic calculations of pure neutron matter EOS and the astrophysical constraints on neutron stars. In addition, two interactions with $L=55$ and $75$ MeV are also constructed for comparison. Using these MDI3Y interactions, we study the properties of nuclear matter and neutron stars. These MDI3Y interactions, especially those with non-monotonic momentum dependence of $U_{\mathrm{sym}}$, will be potentially useful in transport model analyses of HICs data to extract nuclear matter EOS and the isospin splitting of nucleon effective masses.

The cross section of the $^{23}\text{Na}(p,\gamma)^{24}\text{Mg}$ reaction is dominated by direct capture at low energies relevant for stellar burning. Such cross sections can be constrained using spectroscopic factors($C^2S$) or asymptotic normalization coefficients(ANCs) from transfer reactions. In this work, the $^{23}\text{Na}(^3\text{He},d)^{24}\text{Mg}$ reaction was measured at $E_{lab}=21$ MeV to extract spectroscopic factors for $^{24}\text{Mg}$ states with excitation energies in $E_x=7\sim12~$MeV using the Enge split-pole spectrograph at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory. A new non-resonant astrophysical S factor and the direct capture reaction rate for the $^{23}\text{Na}(p,\gamma)$ reaction are calculated and presented based on this measurement. The new rate at $T<0.04$ GK is 43$\%$ smaller than in previous studies. Rigorous treatments of uncertainties are presented using a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Sources of uncertainties for computing the direct capture cross section are also discussed in detail.

In many reactions leading to excitations of the nucleon the Roper resonance $N^*(1440)$ can be sensed only by complex partial-wave analyses. In nucleon-nucleon collisions the isoscalar single-pion production as well as specific two-pion production channels present the Roper excitation free of competing resonance processes at a mass of 1370 MeV and a width of 150 MeV. A detailed analysis points to the formation of $N^*(1440)N$ dibaryonic systems during the nucleon-nucleon collision process similar to what is known from the $\Delta(1232)N$ threshold.

In July 2025 the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will collide $^{16}$O$^{16}$O and $^{20}$Ne$^{20}$Ne isotopes in a quest to understand the physics of ultrarelativistic light ion collisions. One particular feature is that there are many smaller isotopes with the exact same charge over mass ratio that potentially can be produced and contaminate the beam composition. Using the Trajectum framework together with the GEMINI code we provide an estimate of the production cross-section and its consequences. A potential benefit could be the interesting measurement of the multiplicity and mean transverse momentum of $^{16}$O$^{4}$He collisions.

Relativistic $^{16}$O +$^{16}$O collisions probe the Quark-Gluon Plasma formed in small systems, while their collective phenomena illuminate the structure of $^{16}$O. Recently, various configurations of $^{16}$O from \textit{ab initio} calculations were implemented in heavy-ion models, such as the hydrodynamic model and a multiphase transport model (AMPT) to study cluster effects in relativistic $^{16}$O +$^{16}$O collisions. However, divergent predictions across configurations and models complicate interpretations. In this Letter, we isolate the impact of multi-nucleon correlations in relativistic $^{16}$O +$^{16}$O collisions while fixing the one-body density distribution of $^{16}$O. Our results show that the normalized ratios ${\rm Norm}(v_{2}\{2\}/v_{2}\{4\})$ and ${\rm Norm}(v_{2}\{2\}/v_{3}\{2\})$ effectively probe the effects of one-body density (e.g., tetrahedral symmetry) and multi-nucleon correlations (e.g., $\alpha$ clusters). These observables provide critical constraints for refining heavy-ion models, essential for investigating cluster configurations in light nuclei through relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

High-energy collisions involving the $A=96$ isobars $^{96}$Zr and $^{96}$Ru have been performed in 2018 at Brookhaven National Laboratory's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) as a means to search for the chiral magnetic effect in QCD. This would manifest itself as specific deviations from unity in the ratio of observables taken between $^{96}$Zr+$^{96}$Zr and $^{96}$Ru+$^{96}$Ru collisions. Measurements of such ratios (released at the end of 2021) indeed reveal deviations from unity, but these are primarily caused by the two collided isobars having different radial profiles and intrinsic deformations. To make progress in understanding RHIC data, nuclear physicists across the energy spectrum gathered in Heidelberg in 2022 as part of an EMMI Rapid Reaction Task Force (RRTF) to address the following question. Does the combined effort of low-energy nuclear structure physics and high-energy heavy-ion physics enable us to understand the observations made in isobar collisions at RHIC?

\textbf{Background} In ternary fission, bremsstrahlung photons are emitted but those have never been studied yet theoretically and experimentally. In other reactions, bremsstrahlung has been studied for a long time. \textbf{Purpose} To clarify which new information about ternary fission can be obtained from study of bremsstrahlung emission accompanying the ternary fission of \isotope[252]{Cf}. \textbf{Methods} A new quantum model of emission of bremsstrahlung photons accompanying ternary fission of heavy nuclei with $\alpha$-particle as light charged particle is developed. The model takes into account geometry and dynamics of ternary fission. \textbf{Results} We present the theoretical results on the bremsstrahlung emission in the ternary fission of the \isotope[252]{Cf} nucleus. High sensitivity of the bremsstrahlung spectra is established by the model concerning to the following aspects of the ternary fission, and the theoretical calcualtions are in agreement with the preliminary experimental data. It is found that: (a) Photons are emitted with highest intensity in case of perpendicular motion of the $\alpha$\,particle concerning to fission axis; (b) Relative motion between heavy fragments reinforces significantly bremsstrahlung, leaving of $\alpha$-particle concerning to system of heavy fragments is less important; (c) Relative motion between two heavy fragments is faster, bremsstrahlung is more intensive. \textbf{Conclusions} Theoretical study of bremsstrahlung in ternary fission of the \isotope[252]{Cf} nucleus shows high sensitivity of bremsstrahlung spectra on the geometry and dynamics of ternary fission process. It is expected that new information can be obtained by the model when new experimental measurements of bremsstrahlung in ternary fission of the \isotope[252]{Cf} nucleus are available.

This work reports on the study of the decay properties along the $^{257}$Db decay chain using the GABRIELA setup. The first observation of a high-K isomer in $^{257}$Db is presented. In addition, an unreported $\alpha$-decay branch in $^{249}$Md has been evidenced, allowing to constrain the differences in energy of the $\alpha$-decaying levels in $^{249}$Md, $^{253}$Lr and $^{257}$Db. Finally, the combination of the observed fine structure $\alpha$-decay from the high-spin state in $^{257}$Db with the first observation the internal decay in $^{253}$Lr requires a revision of level and decay scheme. In particular, a change of parity for the high-spin state from 9/2$^{+}$ to 9/2$^{-}$ in the $^{257}$Db is suggested, and the implications of such a change are also discussed.

Solid-state $^{229}$Th nuclear clocks are set to provide new opportunities for precision metrology and fundamental physics. Taking advantage of a nuclear transition's inherent low sensitivity to its environment, orders of magnitude more emitters can be hosted in a solid-state crystal compared to current optical lattice atomic clocks. Furthermore, solid-state systems needing only simple thermal control are key to the development of field-deployable compact clocks. In this work, we explore and characterize the frequency reproducibility of the $^{229}$Th:CaF$_2$ nuclear clock transition, a key performance metric for all clocks. We measure the transition linewidth and center frequency as a function of the doping concentration, temperature, and time. We report the concentration-dependent inhomogeneous linewidth of the nuclear transition, limited by the intrinsic host crystal properties. We determine an optimal working temperature for the $^{229}$Th:CaF$_2$ nuclear clock at 195(5) K where the first-order thermal sensitivity vanishes. This would enable in-situ temperature co-sensing using different quadrupole-split lines, reducing the temperature-induced systematic shift below the 10$^{-18}$ fractional frequency uncertainty level. At 195 K, the reproducibility of the nuclear transition frequency is 280 Hz (fractionally $1.4\times10^{-13}$) for two differently doped $^{229}$Th:CaF$_2$ crystals over four months. These results form the foundation for understanding, controlling, and harnessing the coherent nuclear excitation of $^{229}$Th in solid-state hosts, and for their applications in constraining temporal variations of fundamental constants.

Prompt photons are important yet challenging to observe in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, as they are produced in the early stages and traverse almost the entire QGP medium without interaction. Experimental analyses typically employ isolation cuts, in the hope to identify prompt photons. Most theoretical studies consider only events with actual prompt photons, assuming no contribution from isolated non-prompt photons to reduce computational cost. For the first time, we present a study that compares simulation results generated using inclusive (bremsstrahlung) and prompt-photon events with multiple experimental observables for both $p-p$ and $Pb-Pb$ collisions at $5.02$ TeV. Simulations are carried out using the multi-stage JETSCAPE framework tuned to describe the quenching of jets and hadrons. Isolated non-prompt photons are generated in hard photon bremsstrahlung, where the photon is radiated at a sufficient angle to the jet. Several photon triggered jet and jet substructure observables show significant contributions from inclusive photons, yielding an improvement in comparison with experimental data. Novel photon triggered jet substructure observables are also expected to show new structures, yet to be detected in experiment. This effort examines the significance of isolated non-prompt photons using parameters tuned for a simultaneous description of the leading hadron and jet spectrum, and thus provides an independent verification of the multistage evolution framework.

Calculations to reconstruct rotational level patterns in the $^{220}$Rn and $^{226}$Ra nuclei have been performed using a collective quadrupole+octupole approach with microscopic mass tensor and moments of inertia dependent on deformation and pairing degrees of freedom. The main objective is to quantitatively confirm the known experimental observations that the Rn nucleus passes from octupole vibrational to octupole deformed with increasing rotation frequency, while the Ra nucleus is relatively weakly affected by collective rotation, being octupole deformed from the beginning. The collective potential in a nine-dimensional collective space is determined using the macroscopic-microscopic method with Strutinsky and the BCS with an approximate particle number projection microscopic corrections. The corresponding Hamiltonian is diagonalized based on the projected solutions of the harmonic oscillators coupled with Wigner functions. Such an orthogonalized basis is additionally symmetrized with respect to the so-called intrinsic symmetrization group, specifically dedicated to the collective space used, to ensure the uniqueness of the Hamiltonian eigen-solutions in the laboratory frame. The response of the pairing and deformation degrees of freedom to external rotation is discussed in the variational approach, where the total energy is minimized by the deformation and pairing variables. Consequently, the corresponding microscopic moments of inertia increase with collective spin (Coriolis {\it antiparing} effect), resulting in effectively lower rotational energy levels I$^{\pi}$ with respect to pure classical-rotor pattern I(I+1). The obtained comparison of experimental and theoretical rotational energy level schemes, dipole, quadrupole and octupole transition probabilities of B(E$\lambda$) in $^{220}$Rn and $^{226}$Ra is satisfactory.

Spin alignment of vector mesons in heavy-ion collisions provides a novel probe of quark polarization and hadronization mechanism in quark-gluon plasma. Hadronic rescattering may affect the measured spin alignment of vector mesons due to non-uniform rescattering probability in non-central heavy-ion collisions. Using the UrQMD model, we systematically investigated the hadronic rescattering effect on the measurement of $\rho_{00}$, the spin alignment parameter, for $K^{*0}$, $\phi$, and $\rho^{0}$ mesons in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 7.7 - 200 GeV. Our results reveal that the measurable $\rho_{00} - 1/3$ remains unaffected for $\phi$, while shows significantly negative (positive) deviations for $K^{*0}$ and $\rho^0$ with respect to the reaction (production) plane. Quantitatively, the maximum deviation reaches $-0.0056$ ($0.0268$) for $K^{*0}$ and $-0.0122$ ($0.0414$) for $\rho^{0}$ with respect to the reaction (production) plane. Notably, the deviations in $\rho_{00}$ for both $K^{*0}$ and $\rho^{0}$ increase monotonically with increasing collision energy. These findings underscore the critical necessity of accounting for rescattering effects when interpreting spin alignment measurements of short-lived vector mesons in heavy-ion collisions.

The hadron spectrum at finite density is an important observable for exploring the origin of hadron masses. In the KEK-PS E325 experiment, the di-electron decays of phi mesons inside and outside nuclei were measured using 12 GeV pA reactions. In the previous analysis, a significant excess was observed on the low-mass side of the phi meson peak in the data for slow-moving phi mesons ($\beta\gamma=p_{\phi}/m_{\phi}<1.25$) with the Cu target, and in-medium vector meson spectral modification was verified. We newly employed the PHSD transport approach to take into account the time evolution of spatial density distribution of the target nuclei. Consistent with the previous analysis, a significant excess was observed in the present analysis as well. It was found that incorporating momentum dependence into the spectral modification leads to better agreement with the experimental results. For the slow-moving $\phi$ mesons with the Cu target, the newly obtained modification parameters are consistent with those from the previous analysis within the uncertainties.

Hadronization is a fundamental process occurring at a distance scale of about $1\,\rm fm \simeq \Lambda_{QCD}^{-1} $, hence within non-perturbative dynamics. In elementary collisions, like $e^+e^-$, $e^-p$, or $pp$, phenomenological approaches to hadronization have been developed based on vacuum-like dynamics that require the creation of quark-antiquark and/or diquark pairs during the hadronization process. In the 2000s, the idea was developed that in ultra-relativistic nucleus-nucleus (AA) collisions, which lead to the formation of a partonic medium with large (anti-)quark densities, hadronization can occur through the recombination of in-medium quarks, unlike the situation in $e^+e^-$, $e^-p$, and $pp$. We give an overview of the main features that characterize quark recombination and have enabled a description of several important experimental observables at both RHIC and LHC over the last two decades. We highlight some additional developments and open issues. We specifically discuss the impact of coalescence on the study of heavy-flavor hadronization, including recent developments showing signatures of (the onset of) quark coalescence even in $pp$ collisions at TeV energies. Furthermore, we highlight specific features of hadronization for quarkonium in AA collisions, where it has been possible to develop a dynamical kinetic approach that allows to extract more detailed information about the temperature dependence of the heavy-quark interaction in hot QCD matter.

The upper limit on the mass of the Majorana neutrino, extracted from the limits on the nonobservation of the neutrinoless double-$\beta$ ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay, is hampered by uncertainties in the matrix elements of the transition operators. Recently, we have shown that the values of the effective axial-vector current coupling constants ($g_A^\mathrm{eff}$) for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ and the two-neutrino double-$\beta$ decays are close. This striking result was obtained for the first time by including vertex corrections and two-body currents in these matrix elements. In this letter, we calculate the half-life for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay ($T_{1/2}^{0\nu}$) of $^{136}$Xe using this closeness and show the convergence of the half-life with respect to the variation of the method to determine $g_A^\mathrm{eff}$. The closeness of the $g_A^\mathrm{eff}$ of the two decay modes plays a decisive role in predicting $T_{1/2}^{0\nu}$. The appropriate value of $g_A^\mathrm{eff}$ depends on the calculation method, and $g_A^\mathrm{eff}$ is close to one in our perturbation calculation.

The $^{46}$Ar($^3$He,d)$^{47}$K reaction was performed in inverse kinematics using a radioactive $^{46}$Ar beam produced by the SPIRAL1 facility at GANIL and a cryogenic $^{3}$He target. The AGATA-MUGAST-VAMOS setup allowed the coincident measurement of the $\gamma$ rays, deuterons and recoiling $^{47}$K isotopes produced by the reaction. The relative cross sections towards the proton-addition states in $^{47}$K point towards a depletion of the $\pi s_{1/2}$ shell. The experimental findings are in good agreement with ab initio calculations, which predict that $^{46}$Ar exhibits a charge density bubble associated with a pronounced proton closed-shell character.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the elliptic flow coefficient, $v_2$, for charged hadrons at mid-rapidity in d+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 200\mathrm{~GeV}$. Utilizing the AMPT model in both default and string melting modes, we examine the dependence of $v_2$ on transverse momentum, collision centrality, and particle type. Furthermore, we present $v_2$ scaled by participant eccentricity, which indicates a similar level of collectivity across different centrality intervals in d+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 200\mathrm{~GeV}$ within the AMPT-SM model. Our results indicate that the early-stage partonic phase significantly influences $v_2$, as observed by variations in parton scattering cross-section, while the later stage hadronic rescattering shows minimal impact. Comparisons with STAR and PHENIX experimental data show that the AMPT model effectively captures the transverse momentum dependence of $v_2$, underlining the importance of parton scattering mechanisms and the need for careful interpretation of experimental results in asymmetric systems.