Atomic nuclei are self-organized, many-body quantum systems bound by strong nuclear forces within femtometer-scale space. These complex systems manifest a variety of shapes, traditionally explored using non-invasive spectroscopic techniques at low energies. However, at these energies, their instantaneous shapes are obscured by long-timescale quantum fluctuations, making direct observation challenging. Here we introduce the ``collective flow assisted nuclear shape imaging'' method, which images the nuclear global shape by colliding them at ultrarelativistic speeds and analyzing the collective response of outgoing debris. This technique captures a collision-specific snapshot of the spatial matter distribution within the nuclei, which, through the hydrodynamic expansion, imprints patterns on the particle momentum distribution observed in detectors. We benchmark this method in collisions of ground state Uranium-238 nuclei, known for their elongated, axial-symmetric shape. Our findings show a large deformation with a slight deviation from axial symmetry in the nuclear ground state, aligning broadly with previous low-energy experiments. This approach offers a new method for imaging nuclear shapes, enhances our understanding of the initial conditions in high-energy collisions and addresses the important issue of nuclear structure evolution across energy scales.
Data from Figure 2, panel a, Au+Au, 0-0.5% Centrality, 0.2<p_{T}<3 GeV/c, systematics include non-flow difference in the two systems, but correlated non-flow systematics with the value of $\delta \left\langle v_{2}^{2}\right\rangle$ =+-3.2e-5 included
Data from Figure 2, panel a, U+U, 0-0.5% Centrality, 0.2<p_{T}<3 GeV/c, systematics include non-flow difference in the two systems, but correlated non-flow systematics with the value of $\delta \left\langle v_{2}^{2}\right\rangle$ =+-3.2e-5 included
Data from Figure 2, panel b, Au+Au, 0-0.5% Centrality, 0.2<p_{T}<3 GeV/c
At the origin of the Universe, asymmetry between the amount of created matter and antimatter led to the matter-dominated Universe as we know today. The origins of this asymmetry remain not completely understood yet. High-energy nuclear collisions create conditions similar to the Universe microseconds after the Big Bang, with comparable amounts of matter and antimatter. Much of the created antimatter escapes the rapidly expanding fireball without annihilating, making such collisions an effective experimental tool to create heavy antimatter nuclear objects and study their properties, hoping to shed some light on existing questions on the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. Here we report the first observation of the antimatter hypernucleus \hbox{$^4_{\bar{\Lambda}}\overline{\hbox{H}}$}, composed of a $\bar{\Lambda}$ , an antiproton and two antineutrons. The discovery was made through its two-body decay after production in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In total, 15.6 candidate \hbox{$^4_{\bar{\Lambda}}\overline{\hbox{H}}$} antimatter hypernuclei are obtained with an estimated background count of 6.4. The lifetimes of the antihypernuclei \hbox{$^3_{\bar{\Lambda}}\overline{\hbox{H}}$} and \hbox{$^4_{\bar{\Lambda}}\overline{\hbox{H}}$} are measured and compared with the lifetimes of their corresponding hypernuclei, testing the symmetry between matter and antimatter. Various production yield ratios among (anti)hypernuclei and (anti)nuclei are also measured and compared with theoretical model predictions, shedding light on their production mechanisms.
Invariant mass distributions of $^3\hbox{He}+\pi^-$ (A), $^3\overline{\hbox{He}}+\pi^+$ (B), $^4\hbox{He}+\pi^-$ (C) and $^4\overline{\hbox{He}}+\pi^+$ (D). The solid bands mark the signal invariant mass regions. The obtained signal count ($N_{\rm Sig}$), background count ($N_{\rm Bg}$), and signal significance are listed in each panel.
Invariant mass distributions of $^3\hbox{He}+\pi^-$ (A), $^3\overline{\hbox{He}}+\pi^+$ (B), $^4\hbox{He}+\pi^-$ (C) and $^4\overline{\hbox{He}}+\pi^+$ (D). The solid bands mark the signal invariant mass regions. The obtained signal count ($N_{\rm Sig}$), background count ($N_{\rm Bg}$), and signal significance are listed in each panel.
Invariant mass distributions of $^3\hbox{He}+\pi^-$ (A), $^3\overline{\hbox{He}}+\pi^+$ (B), $^4\hbox{He}+\pi^-$ (C) and $^4\overline{\hbox{He}}+\pi^+$ (D). The solid bands mark the signal invariant mass regions. The obtained signal count ($N_{\rm Sig}$), background count ($N_{\rm Bg}$), and signal significance are listed in each panel.
The measurements of particle multiplicity distributions have generated considerable interest in understanding the fluctuations of conserved quantum numbers in the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) hadronization regime, in particular near a possible critical point and near the chemical freeze-out. We report the measurement of efficiency and centrality bin width corrected cumulant ratios ($C_{2}/C_{1}$, $C_{3}/C_{2}$) of net-$\Lambda$ distributions, in the context of both strangeness and baryon number conservation, as a function of collision energy, centrality and rapidity. The results are for Au + Au collisions at five beam energies ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4 and 200 GeV) recorded with the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR). We compare our results to the Poisson and negative binomial (NBD) expectations, as well as to Ultra-relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) and Hadron Resonance Gas (HRG) model predictions. Both NBD and Poisson baselines agree with data within the statistical and systematic uncertainties. The ratios of the measured cumulants show no features of critical fluctuations. The chemical freeze-out temperatures extracted from a recent HRG calculation, which was successfully used to describe the net-proton, net-kaon and net-charge data, indicate $\Lambda$ freeze-out conditions similar to those of kaons. However, large deviations are found when comparing to temperatures obtained from net-proton fluctuations. The net-$\Lambda$ cumulants show a weak, but finite, dependence on the rapidity coverage in the acceptance of the detector, which can be attributed to quantum number conservation.
Centrality dependence of single cumulants C1, of net-lambda multiplicity distributions at Au + Au collision 19.6 GeV. Values are shown with NBD, Poisson and UrQMD predictions. Npart values are from Phys. Rev. C 104, 024902 (2021) and they are little different than the values shown in the original paper.
Centrality dependence of single cumulants C1, of net-lambda multiplicity distributions at Au + Au collision 27 GeV. Values are shown with NBD, Poisson and UrQMD predictions.Npart values are from Phys. Rev. C 104, 024902 (2021) and they are little different than the values shown in the original paper.
Centrality dependence of single cumulants C1, of net-lambda multiplicity distributions at Au + Au collision 39 GeV. Values are shown with NBD, Poisson and UrQMD predictions.Npart values are from Phys. Rev. C 104, 024902 (2021) and they are little different than the values shown in the original paper.
The NA61/SHINE experiment at the CERN SPS is performing a uniqe study of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter by varying collision energy and nuclear mass number of colliding nuclei. In central Pb+Pb collisions the NA49 experiment found structures in the energy dependence of several observables in the CERN SPS energy range that had been predicted for the transition to a deconfined phase. New measurements of NA61/SHINE find intriguing similarities in p+p interactions for which no deconfinement transition is expected at SPS energies. Possible implications will be discussed.
K+/PI+ at y=0.
K+/PI+ at y=0.
<K+>/<PI+>.
The acceptance-corrected dielectron excess mass spectra, where the known hadronic sources have been subtracted from the inclusive dielectron mass spectra, are reported for the first time at mid-rapidity $|y_{ee}|<1$ in minimum-bias Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 and 200 GeV. The excess mass spectra are consistently described by a model calculation with a broadened $\rho$ spectral function for $M_{ee}<1.1$ GeV/$c^{2}$. The integrated dielectron excess yield at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 GeV for $0.4<M_{ee}<0.75$ GeV/$c^2$, normalized to the charged particle multiplicity at mid-rapidity, has a value similar to that in In+In collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 17.3 GeV. For $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV, the normalized excess yield in central collisions is higher than that at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 17.3 GeV and increases from peripheral to central collisions. These measurements indicate that the lifetime of the hot, dense medium created in central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV is longer than those in peripheral collisions and at lower energies.
Reconstructed dielectron unlike-sign pairs, like-sign pairs and signal distributions, together with the signal to background ratio (S/B). All columns are presented as a function of dielectron invariant mass in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 GeV.
Dielectron invariant mass spectrum in the STAR acceptance (|$y_{ee}$| < 1, 0.2 < $p_T^e$ < 3 GeV/c, |$\eta^e$ | < 1) after efficiency correction in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 GeV.
Hadronic cocktail consisting of the decays of light hadrons and correlated decays of charm in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 GeV.
The ratio of the yields of antiprotons to protons in pp collisions has been measured by the ALICE experiment at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9$ and $7$ TeV during the initial running periods of the Large Hadron Collider(LHC). The measurement covers the transverse momentum interval $0.45 < p_{\rm{t}} < 1.05$ GeV/$c$ and rapidity $|y| < 0.5$. The ratio is measured to be $R_{|y| < 0.5} = 0.957 \pm 0.006 (stat.) \pm 0.014 (syst.)$ at $0.9$ TeV and $R_{|y| < 0.5} = 0.991 \pm 0.005 (stat.) \pm 0.014 (syst.)$ at $7$ TeV and it is independent of both rapidity and transverse momentum. The results are consistent with the conventional model of baryon-number transport and set stringent limits on any additional contributions to baryon-number transfer over very large rapidity intervals in pp collisions.
The PT dependence of the pbar/p ratio for the central rapidity region ABS(YRAP)<0.5.
The central rapidity pbar/p ratio as a function of the rapidity interval Ybeam-Ybaryon and centre-of-mass energy. As well as the present ALICE measurements this table also lists the values from other experiments (see the text of the paper for details).
A study of the inclusive charged hadron production in two-photon collisions is described. The data were collected with the DELPHI detector at LEP II. Results on the inclusive single-particle p_T distribution and the differential charged hadrons dsigma/dp_T cross-section are presented and compared to the predictions of perturbative NLO QCD calculations and to published results.
Differential inclusive DSIG/DPT distribution of charged particles produced in GAMMA* GAMMA* interaction with two pseudorapidity cut offs.
Inclusive non-diffractive photoproduction of rho(770)^0, K^*(892)^0 and phi(1020) mesons is investigated with the H1 detector in ep collisions at HERA. The corresponding average \gamma p centre-of-mass energy is 210 GeV. The mesons are measured in the transverse momentum range 0.5<p_T<7 GeV and the rapidity range |y_{lab}|<1. Differential cross sections are presented as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity, and are compared to the predictions of hadroproduction models.
Inclusive non-diffractive photoproduction cross sections in the specified kinematic region.
Ratios of cross sections.
Inclusive non-diffractive photoproduction invariant differential cross sections as a function of PT in the specified kinematic range.
The ZZ production cross section is measured from a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 452 pb(-')(1), collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from 192 to 209 GeV. Individual cross sections, ext racted at six centre-of-mass energies, are found to be in agreement with Standard Model calculations. The results are used to set limits on anomalous neutral gauge couplings.
Measured E+ E- --> Z0 Z0 cross sections.
The dissociation of virtual photons, $\gamma^{\star} p \to X p$, in events with a large rapidity gap between $X$ and the outgoing proton, as well as in events in which the leading proton was directly measured, has been studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The data cover photon virtualities $Q^2>2$ GeV$^2$ and $\gamma^{\star} p$ centre-of-mass energies $40<W<240$ GeV, with $M_X>2$ GeV, where $M_X$ is the mass of the hadronic final state, $X$. Leading protons were detected in the ZEUS leading proton spectrometer. The cross section is presented as a function of $t$, the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex and $\Phi$, the azimuthal angle between the positron scattering plane and the proton scattering plane. It is also shown as a function of $Q^2$ and $\xpom$, the fraction of the proton's momentum carried by the diffractive exchange, as well as $\beta$, the Bjorken variable defined with respect to the diffractive exchange.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT for the LRG and the LPS data samples.
The fitted exponential slope of the T distribution as a function of X(NAME=POMERON).
The fitted exponential slope of the T distribution as a function of X(NAME=POMERON).
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