Spectral functions of strange vector mesons in asymmetric hyperonic matter

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the spectral functions and production cross-sections of strange vector mesons are altered in asymmetric hyperonic matter, with implications for heavy ion collision experiments at high densities.

Contribution

It introduces a field theoretic model to compute medium modifications of strange vector mesons' spectral functions and decay widths in asymmetric hyperonic matter.

Findings

Significant modifications of spectral functions due to isospin asymmetry.

Altered production cross-sections of strange vector mesons in dense matter.

Observable effects in heavy ion collision experiments.

Abstract

We study the medium modifications of the spectral functions as well as production cross-sections of the strange vector mesons ($\phi$, $K^*$ and $\bar {K^*}$) in isospin asymmetric strange hadronic matter. These are obtained from the in-medium masses of the open strange mesons and the decay widths $\phi \rightarrow K\bar K$, $K^* \rightarrow K\pi$ and $\bar {K^*} \rightarrow {\bar K}\pi$ in the hadronic medium. The decay widths are computed using a field theoretic model of composite hadrons with quark/antiquark constituents, from the matrix element of the light quark-antiquark pair creation term of the free Dirac Hamiltonian between the initial and final states. The matrix element is multiplied with a coupling strength parameter for the light quark-antiquark pair creation, which is fitted to the observed vacuum decay width of the decay process. There are observed to be substantial modifications of the spectral functions as well as production cross-sections of these vector mesons due to isospin asymmetry as well as strangeness of the hadronic medum at high densities. These studies should have observable consequences, e.g. in the yield of the hidden and open strange mesons arising from the isospin asymmetric high energy heavy ion collisions at the Compressed baryonic matter (CBM) experiments at the future facility at GSI.