Production of spectator hypermatter in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

TL;DR

This paper explores a new mechanism for creating hypernuclei in relativistic heavy-ion collisions by hyperon capture in spectator matter, potentially advancing experimental methods for producing strange nuclear systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hyperon capture mechanism for hypernuclei formation in semi-peripheral collisions, analyzed through transport models, offering an alternative to coalescence.

Findings

Hyperon capture in spectator matter can produce multi-strange systems.

The proposed mechanism has advantages over coalescence.

Detection strategies for hyper-spectators are discussed.

Abstract

We study the formation of large hyper-fragments in relativistic heavy-ion collisions within two transport models, DCM and UrQMD. Our goal is to explore a new mechanism for the formation of strange nuclear systems via capture of hyperons by relatively cold spectator matter produced in semi-peripheral collisions. We investigate basic characteristics of the produced hyper-spectators and evaluate the production probabilities of multi-strange systems. Advantages of the proposed mechanisms over an alternative coalescence mechanism are analysed. We also discuss how such systems can be detected taking into account the background of free hyperons. This investigation is important for the development of new experimental methods for producing hyper-nuclei in peripheral relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions, which are now underway at GSI and are planned for the future FAIR and NICA facilities.