Multi-phase transport model predictions of isobaric collisions with nuclear structures from density functional theory

TL;DR

This paper uses a multi-phase transport model with DFT-calculated nuclear structures to predict differences in collision outcomes between isobaric Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr at RHIC, aiming to discriminate nuclear density models.

Contribution

It introduces predictions for isobaric collision observables using DFT-based nuclear structures, highlighting differences from traditional Woods-Saxon models.

Findings

Predicted charged hadron multiplicity differences between Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr.

Predicted elliptic azimuthal anisotropy differences between the two systems.

Demonstrated potential to discriminate nuclear density models using collision data.

Abstract

Isobaric $^{96}_{44}$Ru+$^{96}_{44}$Ru and $^{96}_{40}$Zr+$^{96}_{40}$Zr collisions were performed at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in 2018. Using the "a multi-phase transport" model with nuclear structures calculated by the density functional theory (DFT), we make predictions for the charged hadron multiplicity distributions and elliptic azimuthal anisotropies in these collisions. Emphases are put on the relative differences between the two collision systems that can decisively discriminate DFT nuclear distributions from the commonly used Woods-Saxon densities.