Deuteron production in AuAu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 7-200$ GeV via pion catalysis

TL;DR

This paper models deuteron production in gold-gold collisions across a wide energy range using hydrodynamic and transport simulations, successfully reproducing experimental spectra and providing explanations for observed energy dependence and differences in coalescence parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a no-coalescence hydrodynamic plus transport simulation approach to study deuteron production and explains key experimental features.

Findings

Reproduces proton, Lambda, and deuteron spectra across energies

Provides explanation for the minimum in $B_2( ext{energy})$

Explains differences between $B_2$ for deuterons and anti-deuterons

Abstract

We study deuteron production using no-coalescence hydrodynamic + transport simulations of central AuAu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 7 - 200$ GeV. Deuterons are sampled thermally at the transition from hydrodynamics to transport, and interact in transport dominantly via $\pi p n \leftrightarrow \pi d$ reactions. The measured proton, Lambda, and deuteron transverse momentum spectra and yields are reproduced well for all collision energies considered. We further provide a possible explanation for the measured minimum in the energy dependence of the coalescence parameter, $B_2(\sqrt{s_{NN}})$ as well as for the difference between $B_2(d)$ for deuterons and that for anti-deuterons, $B_2(\bar{d})$.