Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS)
Pion production in nuclear collisions at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is investigated with the aim to search, in a restricted domain of the phase diagram, for power laws in the behavior of correlations that are compatible with critical QCD. We analyzed interactions of nuclei of different sizes...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2011
|
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60684 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8983-2169 |
| _version_ | 1826209318135922688 |
|---|---|
| author | Roland, Christof E Roland, Gunther M |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Roland, Christof E Roland, Gunther M |
| author_sort | Roland, Christof E |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Pion production in nuclear collisions at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is investigated with the aim to search, in a restricted domain of the phase diagram, for power laws in the behavior of correlations that are compatible with critical QCD. We analyzed interactions of nuclei of different sizes (p+p, C+C, Si+Si, Pb+Pb) at 158A GeV adopting, as appropriate observables, scaled factorial moments in a search for intermittent fluctuations in transverse dimensions. The analysis is performed for π+π- pairs with an invariant mass very close to the two-pion threshold. In this sector one may capture critical fluctuations of the sigma component in a hadronic medium, even if the σ meson has no well-defined vacuum state. It turns out that for the Pb+Pb system the proposed analysis technique cannot be applied without entering the invariant mass region with strong Coulomb correlations. As a result the treatment becomes inconclusive in this case. Our results for the other systems indicate the presence of power-law fluctuations in the freeze-out state of Si+Si approaching in size the prediction of critical QCD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:20:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/60684 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:20:38Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/606842023-02-26T05:54:33Z Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) Roland, Christof E Roland, Gunther M Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Laboratory for Nuclear Science Roland, Gunther M. Roland, Christof E. Roland, Gunther M. Pion production in nuclear collisions at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is investigated with the aim to search, in a restricted domain of the phase diagram, for power laws in the behavior of correlations that are compatible with critical QCD. We analyzed interactions of nuclei of different sizes (p+p, C+C, Si+Si, Pb+Pb) at 158A GeV adopting, as appropriate observables, scaled factorial moments in a search for intermittent fluctuations in transverse dimensions. The analysis is performed for π+π- pairs with an invariant mass very close to the two-pion threshold. In this sector one may capture critical fluctuations of the sigma component in a hadronic medium, even if the σ meson has no well-defined vacuum state. It turns out that for the Pb+Pb system the proposed analysis technique cannot be applied without entering the invariant mass region with strong Coulomb correlations. As a result the treatment becomes inconclusive in this case. Our results for the other systems indicate the presence of power-law fluctuations in the freeze-out state of Si+Si approaching in size the prediction of critical QCD. United States. Dept. of Energy (Grant No. DE-FG03-97ER41020/A000) Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Germany (06F137) Virtual Institute (VI-146 of Helmholtz Gemeinschaft, Germany) Scientific Research Committee (Poland) (1 P03B 006 30, 1 P03B 097 29, 1 PO3B 121 29, 1 P03B 127 30) Hungarian Scientific Research Foundation (T032648) Hungarian Scientific Research Foundation (T032293) Hungarian Scientific Research Foundation (T043514) Polish-German Foundation Bulgarian National Science Fund (Ph-09/05) Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (Project 098- 0982887-2878) Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter 2011-01-20T17:09:50Z 2011-01-20T17:09:50Z 2010-06 2010-05 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0556-2813 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60684 NA49 Collaboration et al. “Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS).” Physical Review C 81.6 (2010): 064907. © 2010 The American Physical Society. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8983-2169 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.81.064907 Physical Review C Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Physical Society APS |
| spellingShingle | Roland, Christof E Roland, Gunther M Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) |
| title | Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) |
| title_full | Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) |
| title_fullStr | Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) |
| title_short | Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at 158A GeV at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) |
| title_sort | search for the qcd critical point in nuclear collisions at 158a gev at the cern super proton synchrotron sps |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60684 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8983-2169 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rolandchristofe searchfortheqcdcriticalpointinnuclearcollisionsat158agevatthecernsuperprotonsynchrotronsps AT rolandguntherm searchfortheqcdcriticalpointinnuclearcollisionsat158agevatthecernsuperprotonsynchrotronsps |