Friday 31 January 2025
Scientists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have made a significant discovery that sheds new light on the behavior of subatomic particles in high-energy collisions. By studying the production and movement of hypernuclei – rare particles composed of protons, neutrons, and hyperons – researchers have gained insight into the strong interactions between these fundamental building blocks of matter.
Hypernuclei are formed when a hyperon, a type of particle that contains a strange quark, binds to a nucleus. This process is thought to occur in high-energy collisions, such as those produced by RHIC’s powerful particle accelerators. By analyzing the properties of these particles, scientists can gain insight into the strong interactions that govern their behavior.
The latest study, published in a scientific journal, focused on the directed flow – or v1 – of hypernuclei and light nuclei in Au+Au collisions at four different energies: 3.2, 3.5, 3.9, and 4.5 GeV. Directed flow is a measure of the collective motion of particles as they emerge from the collision zone.
The results showed that the v1 values for hypernuclei and light nuclei follow similar trends, with both types of particles exhibiting a decreasing trend in their directed flow as the collision energy increases. This suggests that coalescence – the process by which particles combine to form new, heavier particles – plays a significant role in the production of hypernuclei.
The findings also showed that the mass of the particle affects its v1 value, with lighter particles exhibiting stronger directed flow than heavier ones. This is consistent with previous studies and provides further evidence for the importance of coalescence in high-energy collisions.
The study’s results have significant implications for our understanding of strong interactions in high-energy physics. By studying the behavior of hypernuclei and light nuclei, scientists can gain insight into the fundamental forces that govern the universe at its most basic level.
The research was made possible through a collaboration between scientists from the STAR experiment at RHIC and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The study’s findings have been published in a scientific journal and are expected to inform future studies on high-energy collisions and strong interactions.
Cite this article: “Uncovering the Secrets of Hypernuclei Formation in High-Energy Collisions”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, High-Energy Collisions, Hypernuclei, Strong Interactions, Particle Physics, Quarks, Nuclei, Coalescence, Directed Flow, Au+Au Collisions
