I discuss the role and impact of net-baryon number conservation in measurements of net proton fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions. I show that the magnitude of the fluctuations is entirely determined by the strength of two particle correlations. At LHC and top RHIC energy, this implies the fluctuations are proportional to the integral of the balance function (BF), $B^{p\bar p}$ of protons and anti-protons, while in the context of the RHIC beam energy scan (BES), one must also account for correlations of "stopped" protons. The integral of $B^{p\bar p}$ measured in a $4π$ detector depends on the relative cross-sections of processes yielding $p\bar p$ and those balancing the proton baryon number via the production of other anti-baryons. The accepted integral of $B^{p\bar p}$ further depends on the shape and width of the BF relative to the width of the acceptance. The magnitude of the measured second order cumulant of net proton fluctuations thus has much less to do with QCD susceptibilities than with the creation/transport of baryons and anti-baryons in heavy-ion collisions, and most particularly the impact of radial flow on the width of the BF. I thus advocate that net-proton fluctuations should be studied by means of differential BF measurements rather integral correlators.
We calculate the baryon number cumulants within acceptance with short-range correlations and global baryon number conservation in terms of cumulants in the whole system without baryon conservation. We extract leading and next-to-leading order terms of the large baryon number limit approximation. Our results extend the findings of Refs. [1,2]. These approximations are checked to be very close to the exact results.
We calculate the baryon factorial cumulants assuming arbitrary short-range correlations and the global baryon number conservation. The general factorial cumulant generating function is derived. Various relations between factorial cumulants subjected to baryon number conservation and the factorial cumulants without this constraint are presented. We observe that for $n$-th factorial cumulant, the short-range correlations of more than $n$ particles are suppressed with the increasing number of particles. The recently published [1] relations between the cumulants in a finite acceptance with global …
The proton, antiproton and mixed proton-antiproton factorial cumulants originating from the global conservation of baryon number are calculated analytically up to the sixth order. Our results can be directly tested in experiments.
Although strange quarks are produced in $s\bar{s}$ pairs, the ratio of $Ω^{-}$ to ${\barΩ}^{+}$ is greater than one in heavy-ion collisions at lower RHIC energies. Thus the produced $Ω$ hyperons must carry net baryon quantum numbers from the colliding nuclei. We present results of $K$-$Ω$ correlations from AMPT model simulations of Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 14.6 GeV, to probe dynamics for baryon number transport to mid-rapidities at this beam energy. We use both the default and string-melting versions to illustrate how hadronization schemes of quark coalescence and string fragmenta…
In this report we present the first quantitative determination of the correlations between baryons and anti-baryons induced by local baryon number conservation. This is important in view of the many experimental studies aiming at probing the phase structure of strongly interacting matter. We confront our results with the recent measurements of net-proton fluctuations reported by the CERN ALICE experiment. The role of local baryon number conservation is found to be small on the level of second cumulants.
We propose that the charged-particle multiplicity dependence of the charm-baryon-to-meson ratio observed in high-energy $pp$ collisions can be explained by canonical treatment of quantum charges in the statistical hadronization model (SHM). Taking the full particle listings of PDG complemented by additional charm-baryon states from relativistic quark model predictions, we evaluate the canonical partition function and the charm-hadron chemical factors that measure the canonical suppression arising from the requirement of strict conservation of quantum charges. We demonstrate that, while charm n…
The exact charge conservation significantly impacts multiplicity fluctuations. The result depends strongly on the part of the system charge carried by the particles of interest. Along with the expected suppression of fluctuations for large systems, charge conservation may lead to negative skewness or kurtosis for small systems.
We have studied the possible isospin corrections on the skewness and kurtosis of net-baryon and net-charge fluctuations in the isospin asymmetric matter formed in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC-BES energies, based on a 3-flavor polyakov-looped Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. With typical scalar-isovector and vector-isovector couplings leading to the splitting of $u$ and $d$ quark chiral phase transition boundaries and critical points, we have observed dramatic isospin effects on the susceptibilities, especially those of net-charge fluctuations. Reliable experimental measurements at even l…
Canonical statistical hadronization with local baryon conservation for higher-order cumulants
Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università and Sezione INFN（都灵大学物理系和INFN分部）；CERN（欧洲核子研究组织）；University of Houston（休斯顿大学）；Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics（博戈留博夫理论物理研究所）
Unveiling QCD Criticality with Cross-Rapidity Net-Baryon Cumulants
Universität Heidelberg（海德堡大学）；GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung（GSI重离子研究中心）；Tsinghua University（清华大学）；University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）
We point out that the variance of net-baryon distribution normalized by the Skellam distribution baseline, $κ_2[B-\bar{B}]/\langle B+\bar{B}\rangle$, is sensitive to the possible modification of (anti)baryon yields due to $B\bar{B}$ annihilation in the hadronic phase. The corresponding measurements can thus place stringent limits on the magnitude of the $B\bar{B}$ annihilation and its inverse reaction. We perform Monte Carlo simulations of the hadronic phase in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC via the recently developed subensemble sampler + UrQMD afterburner and show that the effect survives in ne…
Baryon number fluctuations are sensitive to the QCD phase transition and QCD critical point. According to the Feynman rules of finite-temperature field theory, we calculated various order moments and cumulants of the baryon number distributions in the quasi-particle model of quark gluon plasma. Furthermore, we compared our results with the experimental data measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. It is found that the experimental data can be well described by the model for the colliding energies above 30 GeV and show large discrepancies at low energies. It can put new constraint on qQGP model…
We study the influence of global baryon number conservation on the non-critical baseline of net baryon cumulants in heavy-ion collisions in a given acceptance, accounting for the asymmetry between the mean-numbers of baryons and antibaryons. We derive the probability distribution of net baryon number in a restricted phase space from the canonical partition function that incorporates exact conservation of baryon number in the full system. Furthermore, we provide tools to compute cumulants of any order from the generating function of uncorrelated baryons constrained by exact baryon number conser…
We present a dynamical description of (anti)proton number fluctuations cumulants and correlation functions in central Au-Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 7.7-200$ GeV by utilizing viscous hydrodynamics simulations. The cumulants of proton and baryon number are calculated in a given momentum acceptance analytically, via an appropriately extended Cooper-Frye procedure describing particlization of an interacting hadron resonance gas. The effects of global baryon number conservation are taken into account using a generalized subensemble acceptance method. The experimental data of the STAR col…
We compute high-order baryon number fluctuations at finite temperature and density within a QCD-assisted low energy effective field theory. Quantum, thermal and density fluctuations are incorporated with the functional renormalization group approach. Quantum and in-medium fluctuations are encoded via the evolution of renormalization group flow equations. The resulting fourth- and sixth-order baryon number fluctuations meet the lattice benchmark results at vanishing density. They are consistent with experimental measurements, and in particular, the non-monotonic dependence of the kurtosis of ne…
We investigate simultaneous effects of finite system size and global charge conservation on thermal fluctuations in the vicinity of a critical point. For that we consider a finite interacting system which exchanges particles with a finite reservoir (thermostat), comprising a statistical ensemble that is distinct from the common canonical and grand canonical ensembles. As a particular example the van der Waals model is used. The global charge conservation effects strongly influence the cumulants of particle number distribution when the system size is comparable to that of the reservoir. If the …
We revisit the problem of particlization of a QCD fluid into hadrons and resonances at the end of the fluid dynamical stage in relativistic heavy-ion collisions in a context of fluctuation measurements. The existing methods sample an ideal hadron resonance gas, therefore, they do not capture the non-Poissonian nature of the grand-canonical fluctuations, expected due to QCD dynamics such as the chiral transition or QCD critical point. We address the issue by partitioning the particlization hypersurface into locally grand-canonical fireballs populating the space-time rapidity axis that are const…
Higher moments of distributions of net charge and baryon number in heavy-ion collisions have been proposed as signals of fundamental QCD phase transitions. In order to better understand background processes for these observables, models are presented which enable one to gauge the effects of local charge conservation, decays of resonances and clusters, Bose symmetrization, and volume fluctuations. Monte Carlo methods for generating samplings of particles consistent with local charge conservation are presented, and are followed by a review of simple analytic models involving a single type of cha…
Higher moments of multiplicity fluctuations of hadrons produced in central nucleus-nucleus collisions are studied within the hadron-resonance gas model in the canonical ensemble. Exact conservation of three charges, baryon number, electric charge, and strangeness, is enforced in the large volume limit. Moments up to the forth order of various particles are calculated at SPS, RHIC and LHC energies. The asymptotic fluctuations within a simplified model with only one conserved charge in the canonical ensemble are discussed where simple analytical expressions for moments of multiplicity distributi…
Based on the relativistic Vlasov-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model, which includes relativistic scalar and vector potentials on baryons, we consider a $N-Δ-π$ system in a box with periodic boundary conditions to study the effects of energy conservation in particle production and absorption processes on the equilibrium properties of the system. The density and temperature of the matter in the box are taken to be similar to the hot dense matter formed in heavy ion collisions at intermediate energies. We find that to maintain the equilibrium numbers of $N$, $Δ$ and $π$, which depend on the mean-f…
The appearance of large, none-Gaussian cumulants of the baryon number distribution is commonly discussed as a signal for the QCD critical point. We review the status of the Taylor expansion of cumulant ratios of baryon number fluctuations along the freeze-out line and also compare QCD results with the corresponding proton number fluctuations as measured by the STAR Collaboration at RHIC. To further constrain the location of a possible QCD critical point we discuss poles of the baryon number fluctuations in the complex plane. Here we use not only the Taylor coefficients obtained at zero chemica…
Fluctuations of conserved charges are sensitive to the QCD phase transition and a possible critical endpoint in the phase diagram at finite density. In this work, we compute the baryon number fluctuations up to tenth order at finite temperature and density. This is done in a QCD-assisted effective theory that accurately captures the quantum- and in-medium effects of QCD at low energies. A direct computation at finite density allows us to assess the applicability of expansions around vanishing density. By using different freeze-out scenarios in heavy-ion collisions, we translate these results i…
The description of dynamical fluctuations near the QCD critical point in heavy-ion collisions is crucial for understanding the existing and upcoming experimental data from the beam energy scan programs. In this talk we discuss the evolution of fluctuations of the net-baryon density as given by a stochastic diffusion equation. We study equilibrium as well as dynamical systems for which we can show the impact of nonequilibrium effects on the second-order moment.
The phase structure of baryonic matter is investigated with focus on the role of fluctuations beyond the mean-field approximation. The prototype test case studied is the chiral nucleon-meson model, with added comments on the chiral quark-meson model. Applications to the liquid-gas phase transition in nuclear matter and extensions to dense matter are performed. The role of vacuum fluctuations and thermal excitations is systematically explored. It is pointed out that such fluctuations tend to stabilise the hadronic phase characterised by spontaneously broken chiral symmetry, shifting the chiral …
A modification of the Skellam and Poisson distributions is proposed for subsystems when the constraints imposed by the charge conservation law in the complete system are taken into account. Such distributions can be applied, for example, for an analysis of the fluctuations of baryon and net baryon numbers in certain pseudo-rapidity interval in $A+A$ and $p+p$ collisions with high multiplicities. The presented modified Skellam, Poisson and Gaussian distributions can be utilized also in various branches of science, when one studies the fluctuations of the two variables related to a subsystem, as…
Baryon fluctuation signatures of the onset of deconfinement
Jan Kochanowski University（扬·科哈诺夫斯基大学）；Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics（博戈柳博夫理论物理研究所）；GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung（德国重离子研究中心）
We investigate the role of a finite surface tension during the time-evolution of fluctuations in the net-baryon density. The systems in this study undergo a temperature evolution across the phase transition in the critical region of the QCD phase diagram. The occuring non-equilibrium effects are discussed.
We introduce the subensemble acceptance method 2.0 (SAM-2.0) -- a procedure to correct cumulants of a random number distribution inside a subsystem for the effect of exact global conservation of a conserved quantity to which this number is correlated, with applications to measurements of event-by-event fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions. The method expresses the corrected cumulants in terms of the cumulants inside and outside the subsystem that are not subject to the exact conservation. The derivation assumes that all probability distributions associated with the cumulants are peaked at the …
We present for the first time quantitative results for the coupled dynamics of second order fluctuations in the three conserved charges of QCD based on stochastic diffusion equations for a Bjorken-type expanding hadronic medium.
We have constructed an equation of state which smoothly interpolates between an excluded volume hadron resonance gas at low energy density to a plasma of quarks and gluons at high energy density. This crossover equation of state agrees very well with lattice calculations at both zero and nonzero baryon chemical potential. We use it to compute the variance, skewness, and kurtosis of fluctuations of baryon number, and compare to measurements of proton number fluctuations in central Au-Au collisions as measured by the STAR collaboration in a beam energy scan at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider…
The dynamical fluctuation and correlation of multiplicity distributions of identified baryons and antibaryons produced by the hadronization of the bulk quark system are systematically studied in quark combination model. Starting from the most basic dynamics of quark combination which are necessary for multiplicity study, we analyze moments (variance, skewness and kurtosis) of inclusive multiplicity distribution of identified baryons, two-baryon multiplicity correlations, and baryon-antibaryon multiplicity correlations after the hadronization of quark system with given quark number and antiquar…
We study the multiplicity fluctuation and correlation of identified mesons and baryons formed at the hadronization by the quark combination mechanism in the context of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Based on the statistical method of free quark combination, we derive the two-hadron multiplicity correlations such as meson-meson and meson-baryon correlations, and take the effects of quark number fluctuation at hadronization into account by a Taylor expansion method. After including the decay contributions, we calculate the dynamical fluctuation observable $ν_{dyn}$ for $\text{K}π$, $pπ…
We study fluctuations in the canonical ensemble, where the net baryon number is exactly conserved. The focus is on cumulants and factorial cumulants linked to the baryon and antibaryon multiplicities and their sum or difference in full phase-space as well as in subsystems. In particular, we connect the fluctuations of the net baryon number in a subsystem, relevant for fluctuation studies in nucleus-nucleus collisions, with fluctuations of the baryon and antibaryon numbers of the total system. We derive analytic expressions for factorial cumulants of arbitrary order. Compact results are obtaine…
Quantum fluctuation expression of the baryon number for a subsystem consisting of hot relativistic spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ particles are derived. These fluctuations seems to diverge in the limit where system size goes to zero. For a broad range of thermodynamic parameters numerical solutions are obtained which might be helpful to interpret the heavy-ion experimental data.
