From kinetic theory to dissipative fluid dynamics

We present the results of deriving the Israel-Stewart equations of relativistic dissipative fluid dynamics from kinetic theory via Grad's 14-moment expansion. Working consistently to second order in the Knudsen number, these equations contain several new terms which are absent in previous treatments.Comment: 7 pages, proceedings of the Erice School on Nuclear Physics "Heavy Ion collisions from the Coulomb Barrier up to the Quark Gluon Plasma", Erice, Sicily, Sep. 16 - 24, 200

NH3 in IRC plus 10216

Ammonia was detected in the circumstellar envelope of IRC +10216 by means of three infrared absorption lines in the nu sup 2 band around 950/cm. The lines are fully resolved at a resolution of 0.22 km/sec and indicate that most of the circumstellar gas is accelerated to expansion velocities around 14 km/sec within a few stellar radii. The NH3 profiles indicate a rotational temperature between 400 and 700 K, and H2 density between 10 to the 8th power/cu cm and 10 to the 10th power/cu cm, and NH3 column density of 10 to the 17th power/sq cm. The H2 density indicates that the mass of the circumstellar envelope within a 1 arcsec radius is approximately 0.1 solar masses

Electron capture to continuum in collisions of bare projectiles with Ne targets

Abstract. We have investigated the cusp resulting from electron capture to the continuum of 1.25-5 MeV m u- ' fully stripped hydrogen and oxygen as a function of the collision energy and the detector angular resolution B o. It is revealed that the characteristic cusp shape parameters depend strongly on the experimental resolution. Our experimental data are "pared with the second-order Born theory and the impulse approximation. Both theories mnhrm the 8, dependence of the shape parameters and gjve a reasonable descrip-lion of the cusp asymmetry. However, theory tends to overestimate the absolute cross sections, in particular in the case of oxygen. 1

Mach Cones and Hydrodynamic Flow: Probing Big Bang Matter in the Laboratory

A critical discussion of the present signals for the phase transition to quark-gluon plasma (QGP) is given. Since hadronic rescattering models predict much larger flow than observed from 1 to 50 A GeV laboratory bombarding energies, this observation is interpreted as potential evidence for a first-order phase transition at high baryon density. A detailed discussion of the collective flow as a barometer for the equation of state (EoS) of hot dense matter at RHIC follows. Here, hadronic rescattering models can explain < 30 % of the observed elliptic flow v_2 for $p_T > 2$ GeV/c. This is interpreted as an evidence for the production of superdense matter at RHIC. The connection of v_2 to jet suppression is examined. A study of Mach shocks generated by fast partonic jets propagating through the QGP is given. The main goal is to take into account different types of collective motion during the formation and evolution of this matter. A significant deformation of Mach shocks in central Au+Au collisions at RHIC and LHC energies as compared to the case of jet propagation in a static medium is predicted. A new hydrodynamical study of jet energy loss is presented.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, presented at the IWCF 2006, Nov. 21-24, Hangzhou, Chin

Universal Flow-Driven Conical Emission in Ultrarelativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

The double-peak structure observed in soft-hard hadron correlations is commonly interpreted as a signature for a Mach cone generated by a supersonic jet interacting with the hot and dense medium created in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. We show that it can also arise due to averaging over many jet events in a transversally expanding background. We find that the jet-induced away-side yield does not depend on the details of the energy-momentum deposition in the plasma, the jet velocity, or the system size. Our claim can be experimentally tested by comparing soft-hard correlations induced by heavy-flavor jets with those generated by light-flavor jets.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Spatial heterodyne interferometry of VY Canis Major's, alpha Orionis, alpha Scorpii, and R leonis at 11 microns

Using the technique of heterodyne interferometry, measurements were made of the spatial distribution of 11 micron radiation from four late type stars. The circumstellar shells surrounding VY Canis Majoris, alpha Orionis, and alpha Scorpii were resolved, whereas that of R Leonis was only partially resolved at a fringe spacing of 0.4 sec

Persistent Spin Helix Manipulation by Optical Doping of a CdTe Quantum Well

Time-resolved Kerr-rotation microscopy explores the influence of optical doping on the persistent spin helix in a [001]-grown CdTe quantum well at cryogenic temperatures. Electron spin diffusion dynamics reveal a momentum-dependent effective magnetic field providing SU(2) spin-rotation symmetry, consistent with kinetic theory. The Dresselhaus and Rashba spin-orbit coupling parameters are extracted independently from rotating the spin helix with external magnetic fields applied parallel and perpendicular to the effective magnetic field. Most importantly, a non-uniform spatiotemporal precession pattern is observed. The kinetic theory framework of spin diffusion allows for modeling of this finding by incorporating the photocarrier density into the Rashba ($\alpha$) and the Dresselhaus ($\beta_3$) parameters. Corresponding calculations are further validated by an excitation-density dependent measurement. This work shows universality of the persistent spin helix by its observation in a II-VI compound and the ability to fine-tune it by optical doping.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, journal submissio