18778142
Determination of the stiffness of the nuclear symmetry energy from isospin diffusion.
With an isospin- and momentum-dependent transport model, we find that the degree of isospin diffusion in heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies is affected by both the stiffness of the nuclear symmetry energy and the momentum dependence of the nucleon potential. Using a momentum dependence derived from the Gogny effective interaction, recent experimental data from NSCL-MSU on isospin diffusion are shown to be consistent with a nuclear symmetry energy given by E(sym)(rho) approximately 31.6(rho/rho(0))(1.05) at subnormal densities. This leads to a significantly constrained value of about -550 MeV for the isospin-dependent part of the isobaric incompressibility of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter.
119326646
Medium effects on the flow of strange particles in heavy-ion collisions
Strange particles such as the kaon and lambda are useful in probing the properties of dense matter formed in heavy-ion collisions. Here we review the theoretical understanding of their properties in a nuclear medium based on both the effective chiral Lagrangian and the phenomenological hadronic model. We further review the effects due to changes in their in-medium properties on their collective flow in heavy-ion collisions.
14560383
Charmonium production from hot hadronic matter
Abstract Charmonium production from D D annihilation in the hadron gas formed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is studied. With initial conditions taken from the HIJING parton model, we have estimated the number of J / ψ produced from an expanding hadron gas, using the J / ψ absorption and production cross sections obtained from either an effective Lagrangian or the quark-exchange model. We find that J / ψ production is negligible in heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) but may be important at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), where more charm mesons are produced. Similar results are obtained for ψ ′ production from the hadron gas at RHIC and LHC.
18998652
Pentaquark Baryon Production in Nuclear Reactions *
Using a hadronic model with empirical coupling constants and form factors, we have evaluated the cross sections for the production of exotic pentaquark Θ + and/or Ξ + 5 and Ξ −− 5 in reactions induced by photons, nucleons, pions, and kaons on nucleon targets. We have also predicted the Θ + yield in relativistic heavy ion collisions using a kinetic model that takes into account both Θ + production from the coalescence of quarks and antiquarks in the quark-gluon plasma and the effects due to subsequent hadronic absorption and regeneration.
11222928
Progress Towards Determining the Density Dependence of the Nuclear Symmetry Energy Using Heavy-Ion Reactions
The latest development in determining the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy using heavy-ion collisions is reviewed. Within the IBUU04 version of an isospin- and momentum-dependent transport model using a modified Gogny effective interaction, recent experimental data from NSCL/MSU on isospin diffusion are found to be consistent with a nuclear sym- metry energy of Esym(ρ) ≈ 31.6(ρ/ρ0) 1.05 at subnormal densities. Predictions on several observables sensitive to the density dependence of the symmetry en- ergy at supranormal densities accessible at GSI and the planned Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) are also made.
20283699
Momentum anisotropies in the quark coalescence model
Based on the quark coalescence model, we derive relations among the momentum anisotropies of mesons and baryons in relativistic heavy ion collisions from a given, but arbitrary azimuthal distribution for the partons. These relations allow us to estimate the higher-order anisotropies in the initial partonic matter from the measured hadronic anisotropies. Besides the familiar even Fourier coefficients such as the elliptic flow, we also pay attention to odd Fourier coefficients such as the directed flow, which has been observed at finite rapidity even at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider energies.
16029130
Line and Continuum Emission from the Galactic Center. III. Origin of 6.4 keV Line Emission from Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center
We analyze the 6.4 keV line and continuum emission from the molecular cloud Sgr B2 and the source HESS J1745-303, which is supposed to be a complex of molecular gas. From the HESS results it follows that Sgr A is a source of high energy protons, which penetrate into molecular clouds producing there a TeV gamma-ray flux. We present arguments that Sgr A may also produce a flux of subrelativistic protons which generate the 6.4 keV line and bremsstrahlung continuum emission from the clouds.
119468344
Parker-Jeans Instability of Gaseous Disks Including the Effect of Cosmic Rays
We use linear analysis to examine the effect of cosmic rays (CRs) on the Parker-Jeans instability of magnetized self-gravitating gaseous disks. We adopt a slab equilibrium model in which the gravity (including self-gravity) is perpendicular to the midplane and the magnetic field lies along the slab. CRs are described as a fluid, and diffusion is considered only along magnetic field lines. The linearized equations are solved numerically. The system is susceptible to Parker-Jeans instability. In general, the system is less unstable when the CR diffusion coefficient is smaller (i.e., the coupling between the CRs and plasma is stronger). The system is also less unstable if the CR pressure is larger. This is reminiscent of the fact that Jeans instability and Parker instability are less unstable when the gas pressure is larger (or temperature is higher). Moreover, for a large CR diffusion coefficient (or a small CR pressure), perturbations parallel to the magnetic field are more unstable than those perpendicular to it. The other governing factor on the growth rate of the perturbations in different directions is the thickness of the disk or the strength of the external pressure on the disk. In fact, this is the determining factor in some parameter regimes.
17280430
Survivability of a star cluster in a dispersing molecular cloud
Star clusters are formed in molecular clouds which are believed to be the birth places of most stars. From recent observational data, Lada & Lada 2003 estimated that only 4% to 7% of the clusters embedded inside molecular clouds have survived. An important mechanism for the disruption of embedded (bound)-clusters is the dispersion of the parent cloud by UV radiation, stellar winds and/or supernova explosions. In this work we study the effect of this mechanism by N-body simulations. We find that most embedded-clusters survive for more than 30 Myr even when different initial conditions of the cluster may introduce some minor variations, but the general result is rather robust.
16205821
Particle propagation in the galactic center and spatial distribution of non-thermal x-rays
We showed that if the non-thermal emission from the galactic center in the range 14–40 keV is due to inverse bremsstrahlung emission of subrelativistic protons, their interactions with hot and cold fractions of the interstellar medium are equally important. Our estimation shows that about 30% of the total non-thermal flux from the GC in the range 14–40 keV is generated in regions of cold gas while the rest is produced by proton interaction with hot plasma. From the spatial distribution of 6.7 keV iron line we concluded the spatial distribution of hot plasma is strongly non-uniform that should be taken into account in analysis of proton propagation in the GC. From the Suzaku data we got independent estimates for the diffusion coefficient of subrelativistic protons in the GC, which was in the range 10 26 –10 27 cm 2 s � 1 .
17286551
Indicators for cluster survivability in a dispersing cloud
We use N-body simulations to survey the response of embedded star clusters to the dispersal of their parent molecular cloud. The final stages of the clusters can be divided into three classes: the cluster (1) is destroyed, (2) has a loose structure, and (3) has a compact core. We are interested in three of the governing parameters of the parent cloud: (1) the mass, (2) the size, and (3) the dispersing rate. It is known that the final stage of the cluster is well correlated with the star formation efficiency (SFE) for systems with the same cluster and cloud profile. We deem that the SFE alone is not enough to address systems with clouds of different sizes. Our result shows that the initial cluster-cloud mass ratio at a certain Lagrangian radius and the initial kinetic energy are better indicators for the survivability of embedded clusters.