Электронный каталог

Статья

Abdulhamid, M.I.
Imaging Shapes of Atomic Nuclei in High-Energy Nuclear Collisions / M.I.Abdulhamid, G.Agakishiev, A.Aitbaev, A.Aparin, G.S.Averichev, T.G.Dedovich, A.Kechechyan, A.A.Korobitsin, R.Lednicky, V.B.Luong, A.Mudrokh, E.Nedorezov, Y.Panebratsev, O.V.Rogachevsky, E.Shahaliev, M.V.Tokarev, S.Vokal, [a.o.] // Nature [Electronic resource]. – 2024. – Vol. 635, No. 8037. – P. 67-72. – URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08097-2. – Bibliogr.: 86.

Atomic nuclei are self-organized, many-body quantum systems bound by strong nuclear forces within femtometre-scale space. These complex systems manifest a variety of shapes1–3 , traditionally explored using non-invasive spectroscopic techniques at low energies4,5 . However, at these energies, their instantaneous shapes are obscured by long-timescale quantum fuctuations, making direct observation challenging. Here we introduce the collective-fow-assisted nuclear shape-imaging method, which images the nuclear global shape by colliding them at ultrarelativistic speeds and analysing the collective response of outgoing debris. This technique captures a collision-specifc snapshot of the spatial matter distribution within the nuclei, which, through the hydrodynamic expansion, imprints patterns on the particle momentum distribution observed in detectors6,7 . We benchmark this method in collisions of ground-state uranium-238 nuclei, known for their elongated, axialsymmetric shape. Our fndings show a large deformation with a slight deviation from axial symmetry in the nuclear ground state, aligning broadly with previous lowenergy experiments. This approach ofers a new method for imaging nuclear shapes, enhances our understanding of the initial conditions in high-energy collisions and addresses the important issue of nuclear structure evolution across energy scales.



ОИЯИ = ОИЯИ (JINR)2024