Spinodal density enhancements in simulations of relativistic nuclear collisions

TL;DR

This paper presents a detailed fluid-dynamical model for simulating relativistic nuclear collisions with a focus on phase separation and spinodal instabilities, analyzing how various factors influence density enhancements and flow dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical fluid-dynamical model for relativistic nuclear collisions with a first-order phase transition and explores phase-separation dynamics in detail.

Findings

Density enhancements due to spinodal instabilities quantified

Clump size distribution analyzed in relation to model parameters

Transverse flow velocity affected by phase separation dynamics

Abstract

We recently introduced a fluid-dynamical model for simulating relativistic nuclear collisions in the presence of a first-order phase transition and made explorative studies of head-on lead-lead collisions. We give here a more detailed account of this novel theoretical tool and carry out more exhaustive studies of the phase-separation dynamics. Extracting the density enhancement caused by the spinodal instabilities, the associated clump size distribution, and the resulting transverse flow velocity, we examine the sensitivity of these quantities to the strength of the gradient term that promotes the phase separation, to the details of the initial density fluctuations that form the seeds for the subsequent amplification, and to the equation of state.