Open Access

We consider the relativistic hydrodynamics of non-perfect fluids with the goal of determining a formulation that is suited for numerical integration in special-relativistic and general-relativistic scenarios. To this end, we review the various formulations of relativistic second-order dissipative hydrodynamics proposed so far and present in detail a particular formulation that is fully general, causal, and can be cast into a 3+1 flux-conservative form, as the one employed in modern numerical-relativity codes. As an example, we employ a variant of this formulation restricted to a relaxation-type equation for the bulk viscosity in the general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics code BHAC. After adopting the formulation for a series of standard and non-standard tests in 1+1-dimensional special-relativistic hydrodynamics, we consider a novel general-relativistic scenario, namely, the stationary, spherically symmetric, viscous accretion on to a black hole. The newly developed solution – which can exhibit even considerable deviations from the inviscid counterpart – can be used as a testbed for numerical codes simulating non-perfect fluids on curved backgrounds.

The emission of neutron pairs from the neutron-rich N 1⁄4 12 isotones 18C and 20O has been studied by high-energy nucleon knockout from 19N and 21O secondary beams, populating unbound states of the two isotones up to 15 MeV above their two-neutron emission thresholds. The analysis of triple fragment-n-n correlations shows that the decay 19Nð−1pÞ18C* → 16C þ n þ n is clearly dominated by direct pair emission. The two-neutron correlation strength, the largest ever observed, suggests the predominance of a 14C core surrounded by four valence neutrons arranged in strongly correlated pairs. On the other hand, a significant competition of a sequential branch is found in the decay 21Oð−1nÞ20O* → 18O þ n þ n, attributed to its formation through the knockout of a deeply bound neutron that breaks the 16O core and reduces the number of pairs.

Values of the ratios in the mid-rapidity yields of Λ̄/Λ=0.71±0.01(stat.)±0.04(sys.), Ξ̄+/Ξ−=0.83±0.04(stat.)±0.05(sys.), Ω̄+/Ω−=0.95±0.15(stat.)±0.05(sys.) and K+/K−=1.092±0.023(combined) were obtained in central sNN=130 GeV Au+Au collisions using the STAR detector. The ratios indicate that a fraction of the net-baryon number from the initial system is present in the excess of hyperons over antihyperons at mid-rapidity. The trend in the progression of the baryon ratios, with increasing strange quark content, is similar to that observed in heavy-ion collisions at lower energies. The value of these ratios may be related to the charged kaon ratio in the framework of simple quark-counting and thermal models.

We study the one-dimensional, longitudinally boost-invariant motion of an ideal fluid with infinite conductivity in the presence of a transverse magnetic field, i.e., in the ideal transverse magneto- hydrodynamical limit. In an extension of our previous work Roy et al., [Phys. Lett. B 750, 45 (2015)], we consider the fluid to have a nonzero magnetization. First, we assume a constant magnetic susceptibility χm and consider an ultrarelativistic ideal gas equation of state. For a paramagnetic fluid (i.e., with χm > 0), the decay of the energy density slows down since the fluid gains energy from the magnetic field. For a diamagnetic fluid (i.e., with χm < 0), the energy density decays faster because it feeds energy into the magnetic field. Furthermore, when the magnetic field is taken to be external and to decay in proper time τ with a power law ∼τ−a, two distinct solutions can be found depending on the values of a and χm. Finally, we also solve the ideal magnetohydrodynamical equations for one-dimensional Bjorken flow with a temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility and a realistic equation of state given by lattice-QCD data. We find that the temperature and energy density decay more slowly because of the nonvanishing magnetization. For values of the magnetic field typical for heavy-ion collisions, this effect is, however, rather small. It is only for magnetic fields about an order of magnitude larger than expected for heavy-ion collisions that the system is substantially reheated and the lifetime of the quark phase might be extended.

Background: Models describing nuclear fragmentation and fragmentation fission deliver important input for planning nuclear physics experiments and future radioactive ion beam facilities. These models are usually benchmarked against data from stable beam experiments. In the future, two-step fragmentation reactions with exotic nuclei as stepping stones are a promising tool for reaching the most neutron-rich nuclei, creating a need for models to describe also these reactions. Purpose: We want to extend the presently available data on fragmentation reactions towards the light exotic region on the nuclear chart. Furthermore, we want to improve the understanding of projectile fragmentation especially for unstable isotopes. Method: We have measured projectile fragments from 10,12−18C and 10−15B isotopes colliding with a carbon target. These measurements were all performed within one experiment, which gives rise to a very consistent data set. We compare our data to model calculations. Results: One-proton removal cross sections with different final neutron numbers (1pxn) for relativistic 10,12−18C and 10−15B isotopes impinging on a carbon target. Comparing model calculations to the data, we find that the epax code is not able to describe the data satisfactorily. Using abrabla07 on the other hand, we find that the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon needs to be decreased from 27 MeV to 8.1 MeV. With that decrease abrabla07 describes the data surprisingly well. Conclusions: Extending the available data towards light unstable nuclei with a consistent set of new data has allowed a systematic investigation of the role of the excitation energy induced in projectile fragmentation. Most striking is the apparent mass dependence of the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon. Nevertheless, this parameter, which has been related to final-state interactions, requires further study.