Many-body forces and nucleon clustering near the QCD critical point

Journal Article · 23 August 2021 · Physical Review. C

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevc.104.024908 · OSTI ID:1849981

DeMartini, Dallas ^[1]; Shuryak, Edward ^[2]

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1. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States). Center for Nuclear Theory; OSTI
2. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States). Center for Nuclear Theory

It has been proposed that one can look for the QCD critical point (CP) by the Beam Energy Scan accurately monitoring event-by-event fluctuations. This experimental program is under way at the BNL RHIC collider. Separately, it has been studied how clustering of nucleons at freeze out affects proton multiplicity distribution and light nuclei production. It was found that even a minor increase of the range of nuclear forces dramatically increases clustering, while large correlation length ξ near CP makes attraction due to binary forces unrealistically large. Here, in this paper, we show that repulsive many-body forces near CP should overcome the binary ones and effectively suppress clustering. We also discuss current experimental data and point out locations at which a certain drop in clustering may already be observed.

• Research Organization: State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Albany, NY (United States); Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• Grant/Contract Number: FG02-88ER40388
• OSTI ID: 1849981
• Journal Information: Physical Review. C, Journal Name: Physical Review. C Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 104; ISSN PRVCAN; ISSN 2469-9985
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English