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Pion-kaon femtoscopy and the lifetime of the hadronic phase in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV
(2021)
In this paper, the first femtoscopic analysis of pion–kaon correlations at the LHC is reported. The analysis was performed on the Pb–Pb collision data at √sNN = 2.76 TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. The non-identical particle correlations probe the spatio-temporal separation between sources of different particle species as well as the average source size of the emitting system. The sizes of the pion and kaon sources increase with centrality, and pions are emitted closer to the centre of the system and/or later than kaons. This is naturally expected in a system with strong radial flow and is qualitatively reproduced by hydrodynamic models. ALICE data on pion–kaon emission asymmetry are consistent with (3+1)-dimensional viscous hydrodynamics coupled to a statistical hadronisation model, resonance propagation, and decay code THERMINATOR 2 calculation, with an additional time delay between 1 and 2 fm/c for kaons. The delay can be interpreted as evidence for a significant hadronic rescattering phase in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC.
The Time Projection Chamber (TPC) of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC was upgraded for Run 3 and Run 4. Readout chambers based on Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology and a new readout scheme allow continuous data taking at the highest interaction rates expected in Pb-Pb collisions. Due to the absence of a gating grid system, a significant amount of ions created in the multiplication region is expected to enter the TPC drift volume and distort the uniform electric field that guides the electrons to the readout pads. Analytical calculations were considered to correct for space-charge distortion fluctuations but they proved to be too slow for the calibration and reconstruction workflow in Run 3. In this paper, we discuss a novel strategy developed by the ALICE Collaboration to perform distortion-fluctuation corrections with machine learning and convolutional neural network techniques. The results of preliminary studies are shown and the prospects for further development and optimization are also discussed.
It is shown that the inclusion of hadronic interactions, and in particular nuclear potentials, in simulations of heavy ion collisions at the SPS energy range can lead to obvious correlations of protons. These correlations contribute significantly to an intermittency analysis as performed at the NA61 experiment. The beam energy and system size dependence is studied by comparing the resulting intermittency index for heavy ion collisions of different nuclei at beam energies of 40A, 80A and 150A GeV. The resulting intermittency index from our simulations is similar to the reported values of the NA61 collaboration, if nuclear interactions are included. The observed apparent intermittency signal is the result of the correlated proton pairs with small relative transverse momentum Δpt, which would be enhanced by hadronic potentials, and this correlation between the protons is slightly influenced by the coalescence parameters and the relative invariant four-momentum qinv cut.
The thermal fit to preliminary HADES data of Au+Au collisions at sNN=2.4 GeV shows two degenerate solutions at T≈50 MeV and T≈70 MeV. The analysis of the same particle yields in a transport simulation of the UrQMD model yields the same features, i.e. two distinct temperatures for the chemical freeze-out. While both solutions yield the same number of hadrons after resonance decays, the feeddown contribution is very different for both cases. This highlights that two systems with different chemical composition can yield the same multiplicities after resonance decays. The nature of these two minima is further investigated by studying the time-dependent particle yields and extracted thermodynamic properties of the UrQMD model. It is confirmed, that the evolution of the high temperature solution resembles cooling and expansion of a hot and dense fireball. The low temperature solution displays an unphysical evolution: heating and compression of matter with a decrease of entropy. These results imply that the thermal model analysis of systems produced in low energy nuclear collisions is ambiguous but can be interpreted by taking also the time evolution and resonance contributions into account.
Using data samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring at center-of-mass energies from 4.178 to 4.600 GeV, we study the process eþe− → π0Xð3872Þγ and search for Zcð4020Þ0 → Xð3872Þγ. We find no significant signal and set upper limits on σðeþe− → π0Xð3872ÞγÞ · BðXð3872Þ → πþπ−J=ψÞ and σðeþe− → π0Zcð4020Þ0Þ · BðZcð4020Þ0 → Xð3872ÞγÞ · BðXð3872Þ → πþπ−J=ψÞ for each energy point at 90% confidence level, which is of the order of several tenths pb.
We measure the inclusive semielectronic decay branching fraction of the D+s meson. A double-tag technique is applied to e+e− annihilation data collected by the BESIII experiment at the BEPCII collider, operating in the center-of-mass energy range 4.178–4.230 GeV. We select positrons fromD+s→Xe+νe with momenta greater than 200 MeV/c and determine the laboratory momentum spectrum, accounting for the effects of detector efficiency and resolution. The total positron yield and semielectronic branching fraction are determined by extrapolating this spectrum below the momentum cutoff. We measure the D+s semielectronic branching fraction to be(6.30±0.13(stat.)±0.09(syst.)±0.04(ext.))%, showing no evidence for unobserved exclusive semielectronic modes. We combine this result with external data taken from literature to determine the ratio of the D+s and D0 semielectronic widths, Γ(D+s→Xe+νe)Γ(D0→Xe+νe)=0.790±0.016(stat.)±0.011(syst.)±0.016(ext.). Our results are consistent with and more precise than previous measurements.
Correlations between moments of different flow coefficients are measured in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. These new measurements are based on multiparticle mixed harmonic cumulants calculated using charged particles in the pseudorapidity region |η| <0.8with the transverse momentum range 0.2 <pT<5.0GeV/c. The centrality dependence of correlations between two flow coefficients as well as the correlations between three flow coefficients, both in terms of their second moments, are shown. In addition, a collection of mixed harmonic cumulants involving higher moments of v2and v3is measured for the first time, where the characteristic signature of negative, positive and negative signs of four-, six-and eight-particle cumulants are observed, respectively. The measurements are compared to the hydrodynamic calculations using iEBE-VISHNU with AMPT and TRENTo initial conditions. It is shown that the measurements carried out using the LHC Run 2 data in 2015 have the precision to explore the details of initial-state fluctuations and probe the nonlinear hydrodynamic response of v2and v3to their corresponding initial anisotropy coefficients ε2and ε3. These new studies on correlations between three flow coefficients as well as correlations between higher moments of two different flow coefficients will pave the way to tighten constraints on initial-state models and help to extract precise information on the dynamic evolution of the hot and dense matter created in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC.
When a very strong light field is applied to a molecule an electron can be ejected by tunneling. In order to quantify the time-resolved dynamics of this ionization process, the concept of the Wigner time delay can be used. The properties of this process can depend on the tunneling direction relative to the molecular axis. Here, we show experimental and theoretical data on the Wigner time delay for tunnel ionization of H2 molecules and demonstrate its dependence on the emission direction of the electron with respect to the molecular axis. We find, that the observed changes in the Wigner time delay can be quantitatively explained by elongated/shortened travel paths of the emitted electrons, which occur due to spatial shifts of the electrons’ birth positions after tunneling. Our work provides therefore an intuitive perspective towards the Wigner time delay in strong-field ionization.
Production of pions, kaons, (anti-)protons and φ mesons in Xe–Xe collisions at √sNN = 5.44 TeV
(2021)
The first measurement of the production of pions, kaons, (anti-)protons and φ mesons at midrapidity in Xe–Xe collisions at √sNN = 5.44 TeV is presented. Transverse momentum (pT) spectra and pT-integrated yields are extracted in several centrality intervals bridging from p–Pb to mid-central Pb–Pb collisions in terms of final-state multiplicity. The study of Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions allows systems at similar charged-particle multiplicities but with different initial geometrical eccentricities to be investigated. A detailed comparison of the spectral shapes in the two systems reveals an opposite behaviour for radial and elliptic flow. In particular, this study shows that the radial flow does not depend on the colliding system when compared at similar charged-particle multiplicity. In terms of hadron chemistry, the previously observed smooth evolution of particle ratios with multiplicity from small to large collision systems is also found to hold in Xe–Xe. In addition, our results confirm that two remarkable features of particle production at LHC energies are also valid in the collision of medium-sized nuclei: the lower proton-to-pion ratio with respect to the thermal model expectations and the increase of the φ-to-pion ratio with increasing final-state multiplicity.
Themultiplicity dependence of the pseudorapidity density of charged particles in proton–proton (pp) collisions at centre-of-mass energies √s = 5.02, 7 and 13 TeV measured by ALICE is reported. The analysis relies on track segments measured in the midrapidity range (|η| < 1.5). Results are presented for inelastic events having at least one charged particle produced in the pseudorapidity interval |η| < 1. The multiplicity dependence of the pseudorapidity density of charged particles is measured with mid- and forward rapidity multiplicity estimators, the latter being less affected by autocorrelations.Adetailed comparison with predictions from the PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC event generators is also presented. The results can be used to constrain models for particle production as a function of multiplicity in pp collisions.
The absolute-scale electronic energetics of liquid water and aqueous solutions, both in the bulk and at associated interfaces, are the central determiners of water-based chemistry. However, such information is generally experimentally inaccessible. Here we demonstrate that a refined implementation of the liquid microjet photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) technique can be adopted to address this. Implementing concepts from condensed matter physics, we establish novel all-liquid-phase vacuum and equilibrated solution–metal-electrode Fermi level referencing procedures. This enables the precise and accurate determination of previously elusive water solvent and solute vertical ionization energies, VIEs. Notably, this includes quantification of solute-induced perturbations of water's electronic energetics and VIE definition on an absolute and universal chemical potential scale. Defining and applying these procedures over a broad range of ionization energies, we accurately and respectively determine the VIE and oxidative stability of liquid water as 11.33 ± 0.03 eV and 6.60 ± 0.08 eV with respect to its liquid-vacuum-interface potential and Fermi level. Combining our referencing schemes, we accurately determine the work function of liquid water as 4.73 ± 0.09 eV. Further, applying our novel approach to a pair of exemplary aqueous solutions, we extract absolute VIEs of aqueous iodide anions, reaffirm the robustness of liquid water's electronic structure to high bulk salt concentrations (2 M sodium iodide), and quantify reference-level dependent reductions of water's VIE and a 0.48 ± 0.13 eV contraction of the solution's work function upon partial hydration of a known surfactant (25 mM tetrabutylammonium iodide). Our combined experimental accomplishments mark a major advance in our ability to quantify electronic–structure interactions and chemical reactivity in liquid water, which now explicitly extends to the measurement of absolute-scale bulk and interfacial solution energetics, including those of relevance to aqueous electrochemical processes.
Classical light microscopy is one of the main tools for science to study small things. Microscopes and their technology and optics have been developed and improved over centuries, however their resolution is ultimately restricted physically by the diffraction of light based on its wave nature described by Maxwell’s equations. Hence, the nanoworld – often characterized by sub-100-nm structural sizes – is not accessible with classical far-field optics (apart from special x-ray laser concepts) since its lateral resolution scales with the wavelength.
It was not until the 20th century that various technologies emerged to circumvent the diffraction limit, including so-called near-field microscopy. Although conceptually based on Maxwell’s long known equations, it took a long time for the scientific community to recognize its powerful opportunities and the first embodiments of near-field microscopes were developed. One representative of them is the scattering-type Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope (s-SNOM). It is a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) that enables imaging and spectroscopy at visible light frequencies down to even radio waves with a sub-100-nm resolution regardless of the wavelength used. This work also reflects this wide spectral range as it contains applications from near-infrared light down to deep THz/GHz radiation.
This thesis is subdivided into two parts. First, new experimental capabilities for the s-SNOM are demonstrated and evaluated in a more technical manner. Second, among other things, these capabilities are used to study various transport phenomena in solids, as already indicated in the title.
On the technical side, preliminary studies on the suitability of the qPlus sensor – a novel scanning probe technology – for near-field microscopy are presented.
The scanning head incorporating the qPlus sensor–named TRIBUS – is originally intended and built for ultra-high vacuum, low temperature, and high resolution applications. These are desirable environments and properties for sensitive nearfield measurements as well. However, since its design was not planned for near-field measurements, several special technical and optical aspects have to be taken into account, among others the scanning tip design and a spring suspended measurement head.
In addition, in this thesis field-effect transistors are used as THz detectors in an s-SNOM for the first time. Although THz s-SNOM is already an emerging technology, it still suffers from the requirements of sophisticated and specialized infrastructure on both the detector and laser side. Field-effect transistors offer an alternative that is flexible, cost-efficient, room-temperature operating, and easy to handle. Here, their suitability for s-SNOM measurements, which in general require very sensitive and fast detectors, is evaluated.
In the scientific part of this thesis, electromagnetic surface waves on silver nanowires and the conductivity/charge carrier density in silicon are investigated. Both are completely different concepts of transport phenomena, but this already shows the general versatility of the s-SNOM as it can enter both fields. Silver nanowires are analysed by means of near-infrared radiation. Their plasmonic behaviour in this spectral region is studied complementing other simulations and studies in literature performed on them using for example far-field optics.
Furthermore, the surface wave imaging ability of the s-SNOM in the near-infrared regime is thoroughly investigated in this thesis. Mapping surface waves in the mid-infrared regime is widespread in the community, however for much smaller wavelengths there are several important aspects to be considered additionally, such as the smaller focal spot size.
After that, doped and photo-excited silicon substrates are investigated. As the characteristic frequencies of charge carriers in semiconductors – described by the plasma frequency and the Drude model – are within the THz range, the THz s-SNOM is very well suited to probe their behaviour and to reveal contrasts, which has already been shown qualitatively by numerous literature reports. Here, the photo-excitation enables to set and tune the charge carrier density continuously.
Furthermore, the analysis of all silicon samples focuses on a quantitative extraction of the charge carrier densities and doping levels ...
We investigate general properties of the eigenvalue spectrum for improved staggered quarks. We introduce a new chirality operator [y5⊗1] and a new shift operator [1⊗ξ5], which respect the same recursion relation as the γ5 operator in the continuum. Then we show that matrix elements of the chirality operator sandwiched between two eigenstates of the staggered Dirac operator are related to those of the shift operator by the Ward identity of the conserved U (1)A symmetry of staggered fermion actions. We perform a numerical study in quenched QCD using HYP staggered quarks to demonstrate the Ward identity. We introduce a new concept of leakage patterns which collectively represent the matrix elements of the chirality operator and the shift operator sandwiched between two eigenstates of the staggered Dirac operator. The leakage pattern provides a new method to identify zero modes and nonzero modes in the Dirac eigenvalue spectrum. This method is as robust as the spectral flow method but requires much less computing power. Analysis using a machine learning technique confirms that the leakage pattern is universal, since the staggered Dirac eigenmodes on normal gauge configurations respect it. In addition, the leakage pattern can be used to determine a ratio of renormalization factors as a by-product. We conclude that it might be possible and realistic to measure the topological charge Q using the Atiya-Singer index theorem and the leakage pattern of the chirality operator in the staggered fermion formalism.
We derive the collision term in the Boltzmann equation using the equation of motion for the Wigner function of massive spin-1/2 particles. To next-to-lowest order in h, it contains a nonlocal contribution, which is responsible for the conversion of orbital into spin angular momentum. In a proper choice of pseudogauge, the antisymmetric part of the energy-momentum tensor arises solely from this nonlocal contribution. We show that the collision term vanishes in global equilibrium and that the spin potential is, then, equal to the thermal vorticity. In the nonrelativistic limit, the equations of motion for the energy-momentum and spin tensors reduce to the well-known form for hydrodynamics for micropolar fluids.
During infection the SARS-CoV-2 virus fuses its viral envelope with cellular membranes of its human host. The viral spike (S) protein mediates both the initial contact with the host cell and the subsequent membrane fusion. Proteolytic cleavage of S at the S2′ site exposes its fusion peptide (FP) as the new N-terminus. By binding to the host membrane, the FP anchors the virus to the host cell. The reorganization of S2 between virus and host then pulls the two membranes together. Here we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the two core functions of the SARS-CoV-2 FP: to attach quickly to cellular membranes and to form an anchor strong enough to withstand the mechanical force during membrane fusion. In eight 10 μs long MD simulations of FP in proximity to endosomal and plasma membranes, we find that FP binds spontaneously to the membranes and that binding proceeds predominantly by insertion of two short amphipathic helices into the membrane interface. Connected via a flexible linker, the two helices can bind the membrane independently, yet binding of one promotes the binding of the other by tethering it close to the target membrane. By simulating mechanical pulling forces acting on the C-terminus of the FP, we then show that the bound FP can bear forces up to 250 pN before detaching from the membrane. This detachment force is more than 10-fold higher than an estimate of the force required to pull host and viral membranes together for fusion. We identify a fully conserved disulfide bridge in the FP as a major factor for the high mechanical stability of the FP membrane anchor. We conclude, first, that the sequential binding of two short amphipathic helices allows the SARS-CoV-2 FP to insert quickly into the target membrane, before the virion is swept away after shedding the S1 domain connecting it to the host cell receptor. Second, we conclude that the double attachment and the conserved disulfide bridge establish the strong anchoring required for subsequent membrane fusion. Multiple distinct membrane-anchoring elements ensure high avidity and high mechanical strength of FP–membrane binding.
Quantum discontinuity fixed point and renormalization group flow of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model
(2021)
We determine the global renormalization group (RG) flow of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model. From a controlled truncation of the infinite hierarchy of the exact functional RG flow equations, we identify several fixed points. Apart from a stable fixed point, associated with the celebrated non-Fermi liquid state of the model, we find another stable fixed point related to an integer-valence state. These stable fixed points are separated by a discontinuity fixed point with one relevant direction, describing a quantum first-order transition. Most notably, the fermionic spectrum continues to be quantum critical even at the discontinuity fixed point. This rules out a description of the transition in terms of a local effective Ising variable as is established for classical transitions. We propose an entangled quantum state at phase coexistence as a possible physical origin of this critical behavior.
Famotidine inhibits toll-like receptor 3-mediated inflammatory signaling in SARS-CoV-2 infection
(2021)
Apart from prevention using vaccinations, the management options for COVID-19 remain limited. In retrospective cohort studies, use of famotidine, a specific oral H2 receptor antagonist (antihistamine), has been associated with reduced risk of intubation and death in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In a case series, nonhospitalized patients with COVID-19 experienced rapid symptom resolution after taking famotidine, but the molecular basis of these observations remains elusive. Here we show using biochemical, cellular, and functional assays that famotidine has no effect on viral replication or viral protease activity. However, famotidine can affect histamine-induced signaling processes in infected Caco2 cells. Specifically, famotidine treatment inhibits histamine-induced expression of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells and can reduce TLR3-dependent signaling processes that culminate in activation of IRF3 and the NF-κB pathway, subsequently controlling antiviral and inflammatory responses. SARS-CoV-2-infected cells treated with famotidine demonstrate reduced expression levels of the inflammatory mediators CCL-2 and IL6, drivers of the cytokine release syndrome that precipitates poor outcome for patients with COVID-19. Given that pharmacokinetic studies indicate that famotidine can reach concentrations in blood that suffice to antagonize histamine H2 receptors expressed in mast cells, neutrophils, and eosinophils, these observations explain how famotidine may contribute to the reduced histamine-induced inflammation and cytokine release, thereby improving the outcome for patients with COVID-19.
HbA1c is the gold standard test for monitoring medium/long term glycemia conditions in diabetes care, which is a critical factor in reducing the risk of chronic diabetes complications. Current technologies for measuring HbA1c concentration are invasive and adequate assays are still limited to laboratory-based methods that are not widely available worldwide. The development of a non-invasive diagnostic tool for HbA1c concentration can lead to the decrease of the rate of undiagnosed cases and facilitate early detection in diabetes care. We present a preliminary validation diagnostic study of W-band spectroscopy for detection and monitoring of sustained hyperglycemia, using the HbA1c concentration as reference. A group of 20 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 10 healthy subjects were non-invasively assessed at three different visits over a period of 7 months by a millimeter-wave spectrometer (transmission mode) operating across the full W-band. The relationship between the W-band spectral profile and the HbA1c concentration is studied using longitudinal and non-longitudinal functional data analysis methods. A potential blind discrimination between patients with or without diabetes is obtained, and more importantly, an excellent relation (R-squared = 0.97) between the non-invasive assessment and the HbA1c measure is achieved. Such results support that W-band spectroscopy has great potential for developing a non-invasive diagnostic tool for in-vivo HbA1c concentration monitoring in humans.
In this letter we report the first multi-differential measurement of correlated pion-proton pairs from 2 billion Au+Au collisions at sNN=2.42 GeV collected with HADES. In this energy regime the population of Δ(1232) resonances plays an important role in the way energy is distributed between intrinsic excitation energy and kinetic energy of the hadrons in the fireball. The triple differential d3N/dMπ±pdpTdy distributions of correlated π±p pairs have been determined by subtracting the πp combinatorial background using an iterative method. The invariant-mass distributions in the Δ(1232) mass region show strong deviations from a Breit-Wigner function with vacuum width and mass. The yield of correlated pion-proton pairs exhibits a complex isospin, rapidity and transverse-momentum dependence. In the invariant mass range 1.1<Minv(GeV/c2)<1.4, the yield is found to be similar for π+p and π−p pairs, and to follow a power law 〈Apart〉α, where 〈Apart〉 is the mean number of participating nucleons. The exponent α depends strongly on the pair transverse momentum (pT) while its pT-integrated and charge-averaged value is α=1.5±0.08st±0.2sy.
For a long time, strong coupling expansions have not been applied systematically in lattice QCD thermodynamics, in view of the success of numerical Monte Carlo studies. The persistent sign problem at finite baryo-chemical potential, however, has motivated investigations using these methods, either by themselves or combined with numerical evaluations, as a route to finite density physics. This article reviews the strategies, by which a number of qualitative insights have been attained, notably the emergence of the hadron resonance gas or the identification of the onset transition to baryon matter in specific regions of the QCD parameter space. For the simpler case of Yang–Mills theory, the deconfinement transition can be determined quantitatively even in the scaling region, showing possible prospects for continuum physics.