Mean-field potential effects on particle and antiparticle elliptic flows in the beam-energy scan program at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper investigates how mean-field potentials influence the elliptic flow differences between particles and antiparticles in heavy-ion collisions, providing insights into the QCD phase diagram and the critical point.

Contribution

It demonstrates that mean-field potentials can explain the flow splitting and constrains the vector coupling in the NJL model using experimental data.

Findings

Mean-field potentials account for particle-antiparticle flow splitting.

Experimental data constrains the NJL model's vector coupling constant.

Results aid in locating the QCD critical point.

Abstract

The elliptic flow splitting between particles and their antiparticles has recently been observed by the STAR Collaboration in the beam-energy scan program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In studies based on transport models, we have found that this splitting can be explained by the different mean-field potentials acting on particles and their antiparticles in the produced baryon-rich matter. In particular, we have shown that the experimentally measured relative elliptic flow difference can help constrain the vector coupling constant in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model used in describing the partonic stage of heavy-ion collisions. This information is useful for locating the critical point in the QCD phase diagram and thus understanding the phase structure of QCD.