CyberSec Research

The hydrodynamic attractors paradigm aims to explain fast applicability of hydrodynamics at ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions at RHIC and LHC in terms of the emergence of a universal behaviour across different initial states. The attractors observed in theoretical models are first driven by a rapid expansion of matter, which later gives way to the decay of exponentially damped transient excitations into the viscous fluid regime. Recently a theoretical proposal was made how to realize hydrodynamic attractors in cold atomic gases focusing on the decay of transients and opening prospects for a future experimental realization in table top experiments. Motivated by this, in the present paper we show how the far-from-equilibrium, expansion-driven part of the hydrodynamic attractor emerges in a model of a nearly-unitary Fermi gas dynamics under full theoretical control.

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.

Statistical shell model (also called spectral distribution method or statistical spectroscopy method) based on random matrix theory and spherical shell model gives a theory for calculating neutrinoless double beta decay nuclear transition matrix elements (NDBD-NTME). This theory is briefly described and then applied to $^{76}$Ge, $^{82}$Se, $^{100}$Mo, $^{124}$Sn,$^{130}$Te and $^{136}$Xe NDBD-NTME. In these calculations, the Bethe's spin-cutoff factor and a bivariate correlation coefficient are varied in a range dictated by random matrix theory and trace propagation. The calculated NDBD-NTME are compared with the results from several other models as available in literature. The statistical shell model results are in general a factor 2 smaller compared to those from the spherical shell model.

We introduce a parametrized density-dependent speed of sound and construct an ensemble of equations of state for neutron stars which are found to closely resemble the realistic equations of state calculated using relativistic mean field theory. We show that each of these parameters display an unique feature relevant to the properties of the compact stars. The emergence of special points in the Mass-Radius plot is a significant outcome for neutron stars which is more commonly seen in case of hybrid stars. We have also shown that the curvature term in the speed of sound changes its sign for these hadronic equations of state without the matter reaching the conformal limit or undergoing any phase transition. It is related to the 1st derivative of the energy per nucleon reaching a maximum. We have also examined the detailed behavior of the trace anomaly and polytropic index for RMF models, as well as for a density-dependent parametrized speed of sound. Our analysis demonstrates that the sign of the trace anomaly at high densities is sensitive to the stiffness or softness of the EOS. Different observational constraints from mass-radius and tidal deformability can restrict the range of parameters in the proposed speed of sound model.

Various weak processes at the hadronic scale have been utilized to search for new physics at high energy scale, which can be described by the QCD chiral Lagrangian matched from the low-energy effective theory (LEFT). Utilizing the chiral symmetry $SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R \to SU(2)_V$ at the quark and hadronic levels, we make a comprehensive comparison of various matching methods, including the external source method, conventional spurion method, and our systematic spurion method. Although different methods show agreements for dimension-6 LEFT operator matching, we find that for higher-dimensional operators, the external source method is quite limited or inapplicable, the conventional spurion methods needs to introduce more and more spurions, while our spurion method does not need to introduce any new spurions than the ones in the dimension-6 matching. Using minimal set of spurions, we thus establish an one-to-one correspondence between the LEFT and chiral operators, with several examples, such as derivative operators at dimensions 7 and 8 with a single bilinear, four-quark operators at the dimension-9 level with two quark bilinears, which can be applied to the study of neutrino/electron scatterings and neutrinoless double beta decay.

In this paper, we address double parton scattering (DPS) in pA collisions. Within the Light-Front approach, we formally derive the two contributions to the nuclear double parton distribution (DPD), namely: DPS1, involving two partons from the same nucleon, and DPS2, where the two partons belong to different parent nucleons. We then generalize the sum rule for hadron DPDs to the nuclear case and analytically show how all contributions combine to give the expected results. In addition partial sum rules for the DPDs related to DPS1 and DPS2 mechanisms are discussed for the first time. The deuteron system is considered for the first calculation of the nuclear DPD by using a realistic wave function obtained from the very refined nucleon-nucleon AV18 potential, embedded in a rigorous Poincar\'e covariant formalism. Results are used to test sum rules and properly verify that DPS1 contribution compares with the DPS2 one, although smaller. We also introduce EMC-like ratios involving nuclear and free DPDs to address the potential role of DPS in understanding in depth the EMC effect.

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 microscopic global nucleon-nucleus optical potential proposed by Whitehead, Lim, and Holt (WLH) is a state-of-the-art potential developed within the framework of many-body perturbation theory using realistic nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory. Given its potentially greater predictive power for reactions involving exotic isotopes, we apply it to the calculations of astrophysical neutron-capture reactions for the first time, which are particularly important to the nucleosynthesis of elements heavier than iron. It is found that this potential provides a good description of experimental known neutron-capture cross sections and Maxwellian-averaged cross sections. For unstable neutron-rich nuclei, we comprehensively calculate the neutron-capture reaction rates for all nuclei with $26\leq Z\leq84$, located between the valley of stability and the neutron drip line, using the backward-forward Monte Carlo method with the $f_{rms}$ deviation as the $\chi^2$ estimator. The results reveal a noticeable separation in the uncertainty of rates around an isospin asymmetry of 0.28 under the constraint $f_{rms} \leq 1.56$. This highlights the critical role of isospin dependence in optical potentials and suggests that future developments of the WLH potential may pay special attention to the isospin dependence.

We derive the chiral kinetic theory in a non-Abelian gauge field using a self-consistent semiclassical expansion. Within this new expansion scheme, we disentangle the Wigner equations up to second order and demonstrate that they do not introduce additional constraint equations. By integrating the covariant chiral kinetic equations in eight-dimensional phase space, we obtain the corresponding equations in seven-dimensional phase space. This reduction facilitates numerical simulations and practical applications.

We propose a quantum information framework to model the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) as a composite quantum channel acting on a multi-qubit or multi-qutrit color-entangled system. The QGP's effects are represented by amplitude damping (jet quenching), $SU(3)$ depolarizing noise (decoherence), and a thermal hadronization channel projecting onto color-singlet states. This construction captures energy loss, decoherence, and confinement dynamics in a unified open quantum system framework. We analyze the evolution of entanglement entropy and purity under this composite channel. Amplitude damping reduces entropy by driving subsystems toward pure states, while decoherence increases mixedness. Hadronization further modifies correlations via thermal projections weighted by hadron masses and freeze-out temperature ($T \sim 156 \,\text{MeV}$). Numerical simulations show monotonic entropy and purity loss, consistent with entanglement degradation and confinement. Our results support interpreting the QGP as a noisy quantum channel that progressively erases color entanglement. This framework bridges quantum information theory and QCD, offering new insights into hadronization and non-perturbative dynamics in heavy-ion collisions.

Muon-induced fission could be utilized as a probe to study the underlying dynamics of nuclear fission. The probability of muon attachment to the light asymmetric fission fragment is sensitive to fission dynamics, such as the timescale and friction of the fission event, charge asymmetry, and possibly the shape of the fission fragments. We focus on muonic atoms that are formed with actinide nuclei. A relativistic approach is employed, solving the Dirac equation for the muonic wavefunction in the presence of a time-dependent electromagnetic field generated by the fissioning nucleus. Computations are carried out on a 3-D Cartesian lattice with no symmetry assumptions. The results show a strong dependence of the attachment probability on the fission charge asymmetry and a more modest dependence on friction.

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.

After briefly touching on relativistic hydrodynamics, we provide a detailed description of recent developments in spin hydrodynamics. We discuss the theory of perfect spin hydrodynamics within two different approaches, which lead to identical generalized thermodynamic relations. We also indicate the applicability range of the theory, finding it compatible with the conditions existing in the late stages of heavy-ion collisions. Finally, we discuss the near-equilibrium dynamics.

This paper is a continuation of our studies of multiquark hadrons. The anti-symmetrization of their wavefunctions required by Fermi statistics is nontivial, as it mixes orbital, color, spin and flavor structures. In our previous papers we developed a method to find them based on the representations of the permutation group, and derived the explicit wave functions for baryons excited to the first and second shells $(L=1,2)$, tetraquarks $qq\bar q\bar q$ and hexaquarks ($6q$). Now we apply it to light pentaquarks ($qqqq\bar q$), in the S- and P-shells ($L=0,1$). Using Jacobi coordinates, one can use the hyperdistance approximation in 12-dimensional space. We further address the issue of ``unquenching" of baryons, by considering their mixing with pentaquarks, via two channels, through the addition of $\sigma$-like or $\pi$-like $\bar q q$ pairs. This mixing is central for understanding of the observed flavor asymmetry of the antiquark sea, the amount of orbital motion issue as well as other nucleon properties.

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.

We introduce a novel \abinitio many-body method designed to compute the properties of nuclei in the continuum. This approach combines well-established techniques, namely the Complex Scaling (CS) and Similarity Renormalization Group (SRG) methods while employing the translationally invariant No-Core Shell Model (NCSM) as a few-body solver. We demonstrate that this combination effectively overcomes numerical limitations previously encountered in exploring continuum properties of light nuclei with standard many-body techniques, and at the same time makes less imperative the need for a continuous set of basis states for the continuum. To benchmark the method for applications in the many-body sector, we apply it to the \textsuperscript{4}He system, where semi-exact calculations within a finite basis are feasible. Our extrapolated results agree with exact calculations already published in the literature. We argue that different NN parametrizations of chiral EFT Hamiltonians will not permit to reproduce evaluated resonance properties of \textsuperscript{4}He. As an application, we showcase the case of the tetraneutron. This work enables the application of the method to $A>4$-mass systems, providing a reliable representation of the initial Hamiltonian and its continuum properties.

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?