PHYSICS G8099y
Welcome to the home page for the Spring '02 course "Seminar on RHIC Physics and RHIC Data" (Physics G8099y), taught by Prof. W.A. Zajc. I will use this page to announce homework and other course-related information.
How to reach me: My office hours are by
appointment. There's lots of contact information on my home page,
my preferred mode (other than in person) is by e-mail at zajc@columbia.edu.
Note: This is a unique point in time, in that it is still possible (perhaps) to cover essentially all published data in a one-semester class. The vastly greater data sets from RHIC Run-2 at 200 GeV will begin appearing later in 2002, at which point a thorough understanding of what's known and what's not known from the Run-1 data will be very valuable.
The Important Links:
Here are links to the publication pages of the four RHIC experiments:
Some Other Useful Links:
First Topic: Multiplicity
Prior to the start of RHIC, there was a broad range of predictions for the expected multiplicity of produced charged particles. That issue was settled rather quickly, but there remain open questions as to the mechanism(s) responsible for establishing that multiplicity. Here are the relevant papers:
I have selected those papers that deal (largely) with the value and centrality dependence of dNch/dh at or about y=0. Come to the first class on Monday, January 28th, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m in 618 Pupin, prepared to discuss these papers, and their implications for the various theoretical models of particle production.
Second Class (Monday, February 4th):
In the first class, we got started on the question of multiplicity and "ended" with the question of scaling with participants versus collisions. This leads naturally into some theory papers:1) HADRON PRODUCTION IN NUCLEAR COLLISIONS AT RHIC AND HIGH DENSITY QCD.
By Dmitri Kharzeev (Brookhaven), Marzia Nardi (Turin U. & INFN, Turin). Dec
2000. 7pp.
Published in Phys.Lett.B507:121-128,2001
e-Print Archive: nucl-th/0012025
This paper shows that a parameterization of dNch/dh in terms of Npart and Ncoll is indistinguishable from a totally different model based on 'initial-state gluon saturation'.
2) MANIFESTATIONS OF HIGH DENSITY QCD IN THE FIRST RHIC DATA.
By Dmitri Kharzeev (Brookhaven), Eugene Levin (Tel Aviv U.). BNL-NT-01-18, Aug
2001. 16pp.
e-Print Archive: nucl-th/0108006
3) CENTRALITY DEPENDENCE OF MULTIPLICITIES IN ULTRARELATIVISTIC NUCLEAR
COLLISIONS.
By K.J. Eskola (Jyvaskyla U. & Helsinki Inst. of Phys.), K. Kajantie
(Helsinki U.), K. Tuominen (Jyvaskyla U.). JYFL-3-00, HIP-2000-45-TH, Sep 2000.
8pp.
Published in Phys.Lett.B497:39-43,2001
e-Print Archive: hep-ph/0009246
The "original" saturation paper, referred to as "final-state saturation".
Come to class prepared to discuss (which can mean asking lots of questions) the three papers listed above. You might also find the below paper useful for its nice pedagogy and discussion of Npart vs Ncoll, formulas for same, hard versus soft processes, etc.:
CENTRALITY DEPENDENCE OF MULTIPLICITY, TRANSVERSE ENERGY, AND ELLIPTIC FLOW FROM HYDRODYNAMICS.Third Class (Monday, February 11th):
We'll start on "hadrochemistry" with papers on the ratio of anti-protons to protons (i.e., a rough measure of the extent to which the central region is "baryon free"). Please read (at least) the below three papers:Intermezzo (No class on February 18th):
We agreed to take time out and brush up on thermal fundamentals. I would appreciate suggestions from any and all about "prototypical" papers on thermal models. Until then, here is the (almost) alpha and (current) omega on the topic:
The very beginning: Hagedorn's lectures:
It should be pretty clear that the parenthetical remarks are mine, not Hagedorn's. The entire set makes for interesting reading, but if you have to select, I would say review #2 and focus on 3, 4 and 6.
(Yes, experts will know that the truly first applications of statistical methods to elementary particle production were by Fermi and then by Landau)
Now for the most recent application: I saw this yesterday in my daily mail from the preprint server:
From: Wojciech Broniowski <b4bronio@cyf-kr.edu.pl> Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 08:51:03 GMT (78kb)
Authors: Wojciech
Broniowski, Wojciech
Florkowski
Comments: Talk presented at Hirschegg 2002: Ultrarelativistic Heavy-Ion
Collisions, Hirschegg, 13-19 January 2002
Predictions of the single-freeze-out model for the particle spectra at RHIC are presented. The model assumes that the chemical and thermal freeze-outs occur simultaneously, and incorporates in simple terms the longitudinal and transverse flow. All resonance decays are included. The model predictions and the data are in striking agreement in the whole available range of momenta.
Normally I would hope essentially any paper would take you to the primary sources via a reference click or two. Following their Reference 4, I find
HADRON PRODUCTION IN AU - AU COLLISIONS AT RHIC.which shows another glimpse of the current state of thermal modeling for RHIC.
Finally, searching SPIRES for "Becattini", I find the following two papers of interest:
The first one is quite accessible; if you are interested in some of the mathematical underpinnings, look at the second one, but be assured that I will not be prepared to guide you through it.
Fifth Class (Monday, March 4th):
We'll take a break from the extensive theoretical work in our thermodynamic interlude, and consider those experimental papers that measure "flow" at RHIC:Sixth Class (Monday, March 11th):
We decided to "officially" read the famous Bj paper: Highly Relativistic Nuclear Collisions: The central rapidity region, by J.D. Bjorken, Phys. Rev. D27, 140 (1983).One of the many nice things in the Bj paper is the estimate
of initial density based on the observed final state energy density. The
relevant RHIC paper is "Measurement of the Midrapidity Transverse
Energy Distribution from sqrt(s) = 130 GeV Au-Au Collisions at RHIC",
Adcox et al., PRL
87 (2001) 052301, preprint
nucl-ex/0104015, or from the Phenix site: pdf,
ps,
ps.gz.
I will add to the "recommended reading" the "hydro" paper referenced in last week's papers:
Anisotropic transverse flow and the quark-hadron phase transition,
Authors: Peter F. Kolb, Josef Sollfrank, Ulrich Heinz
Comments: 18 pages ReVTeX, including 14 postscript figures. Revised version with modified discussion of selecting side-on-side geometry in U+U collisions, pt-dependence of v2, and estimating thermalization time scale by measuring elliptic flow. Some references added.
Journal-ref: Phys. Rev. C62 (2000) 054909
Paper: PostScript, PDF, or Other formats
both for its thorough treatment of elliptic flow in hydrodynamics and especially for its nice pedagogy (Appendix A) on general solutions to the relativistic equations of motion.
Seventh Class (Monday, March 25th):
Denes Molnar will lead a discussion on HBT. Here are the links to first the data papers, then the theory papers:PION INTERFEROMETRY OF NUCLEAR COLLISIONS. I. THEORY, M. Gyulassy, S.K. Kauffmann, L.W. Wilson, Phys.Rev.C20:2267-2292,1979
Eighth Class (Monday, April 1st):
Time to bring a little charm into our lives. The reading material will be the PHENIX paper on inclusive electron production (and its relation to charm production at RHIC.)"Measurement of single electrons and implications for
charm production in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s)=130 GeV",
K. Adcox et al., Submitted to PRL, preprint
nucl-ex/0202002,
References 3 and 4 of that paper are suggested if you are interested in some of the theoretical background:
3) NUCLEAR GLUON SHADOWING VIA CONTINUUM LEPTON PAIRS IN P + A AT S**(1/2)
= 200-A/GEV.
By Zi-wei Lin, Miklos Gyulassy (Columbia U.). CU-TP-714, Oct 1995. 4pp.
Published in Phys.Rev.Lett.77:1222-1225,1996, Heavy Ion Phys.4:123-130,1996
e-Print Archive: nucl-th/9510041
4) HEAVY QUARK COLORIMETRY OF QCD MATTER.
By Yuri L. Dokshitzer (Paris U., VI-VII & Orsay, LPTHE), D.E. Kharzeev
(Paris U., VI-VII & Orsay, LPTHE & Brookhaven). LPT-ORSAY-01-58,
BNL-NT-01-9, Jun 2001. 15pp.
Published in Phys.Lett.B519:199-206,2001
e-Print Archive: hep-ph/0106202
Ninth Class (Monday, April 8th):
Justin Frantz will lead a discussion on two PHENIX papers, each of which describes a new feature in particle production at RHIC:"Suppression of Hadrons with Large Transverse Momentum
in Central Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(s) = 130 GeV",
K. Adcox et al., Phys.
Rev. Lett. 88, 022301 (2002), preprint
nucl-ex/0109003,
and
"Centrality dependence of pi+-, K+-, p and pbar
production from sqrt(s)=130 GeV Au + Au collisions at RHIC",
K. Adcox et al., Submitted to PRL, preprint
nucl-ex/0112006,
Re-submitted version (19 Feb): pdf,
ps,
Justin also recommends the following:
Tenth Class (Monday, April 15th):
Ivan Vitev will lead a discussion on the theoretical efforts to describe the phenomena observed in the previous week's data papers. He suggests the following articles:1) JET QUENCHING AND THE ANTI-P GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO PI- ANOMALY AT
RHIC.
By Ivan Vitev (Columbia U.), Miklos Gyulassy (Columbia U. & Collegium
Budapest). Apr 2001. 4pp.
e-Print Archive: nucl-th/0104066
and
2) Quenching of hadron spectra in media.3) Jet tomography of dense and nuclear matter.
By Enke Wang (Hua-Zhong Normal U. & LBL, Berkeley), Xin-Nian Wang (LBL,
Berkeley & Hua-Zhong Normal U.). LBNL-49561, Feb 2002. 4pp.
e-Print Archive: hep-ph/0202105
4) NonAbelian energy loss at finite opacity.
By M. Gyulassy (Columbia U.), P. Levai (Columbia U. & Budapest, RMKI), I.
Vitev (Columbia U.). CU-TP-976, May 2000. 4pp.
Published in Phys.Rev.Lett.85:5535-5538,2000
e-Print Archive: nucl-th/0005032
(Ivan also suggests two STAR papers on charged spectra and flow that we have already read in class.)
Eleventh Class (Monday, April 29th):
As noted previously, we will try to apply our knowledge gained from reading RHIC papers to the analysis presented in this paper for proton-antiproton collisions at the Tevatron:
EVIDENCE FOR HADRONIC DECONFINEMENT IN ANTI-P - P COLLISIONS AT 1.8-TEV.
By T. Alexopoulos, E.W. Anderson, A.T. Bujak, D.D. Carmony, A.R. Erwin, L.J.
Gutay, A.S. Hirsch, K.S. Nelson, N.T. Porile, S.H. Oh, R.P. Scharenberg, B.K.
Srivastava, B.C. Stringfellow, F. Turkot, J. Warchol, W.D. Walker (Wisconsin U.,
Madison & Iowa State U. & Purdue U. & Purdue U., Chem. Dept. &
Notre Dame U. & Duke U. & Fermilab). FERMILAB-PUB-02-013, Jan 2002.
11pp.
Published in Phys.Lett.B528:43-48,2002
e-Print Archive: hep-ex/0201030
Last Class (Monday, May 6th):
(Please remember to bring your teaching evaluation forms-- which I will collect in a way that insures anonymity.)To conclude, we will look at a very recent "revisionist" view of the initial state saturation picture:
1) DOES PARTON SATURATION AT HIGH DENSITY EXPLAIN HADRON MULTIPLICITIES AT RHIC?You may also want to look at Ref. 18 of that paper, which is the write-up of Son's talk at Quark Matter:
2) PARTON THERMALIZATION AND ENERGY LOSS.
By R. Baier (Bielefeld U.), Alfred H. Mueller, D.T. Son (Columbia U. &
RIKEN BNL), D. Schiff (Orsay, LPTHE). 2002.
Published in Nucl.Phys.A698:217-226,2002