Coalescence formation of muonic atoms at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper investigates the formation of exotic muonic atoms in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, revealing that accounting for Coulomb correlations significantly increases predicted atom yields, advancing understanding of matter under extreme conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a coalescence model incorporating Coulomb correlations, showing a substantial increase in predicted muonic atom yields compared to previous estimates.

Findings

Muonic atom yields are about 100 times higher than earlier predictions.

Coulomb correlations have a dramatic impact on atom formation predictions.

The model enhances understanding of exotic matter production in heavy-ion collisions.

Abstract

The discovery of exotic mounic atoms, including antimatter hydrogen muonic atoms and kaon mounic atoms, constitutes a milestone in our ability to make and study new forms of matter. Relativistic heavy-ion collisions provide the only likely condition for production and detection of these exotic atoms. Taking a Coulomb correlations into account from the time of the fireball freeze-out until the formation of a stable atom has dramatic consequence on the expected yields of these atoms. When the coalescence model with the assumption of quantum wave function localization is applied to the formation of muonic atoms, we find that the atom yields are about two orders of magnitude higher than previously predicted.