Signature of the $\alpha$-clustering structure of Light Nuclei in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that relativistic nuclear collision experiments can reveal the $ ext{alpha}$-clustering structure of light nuclei like $^{20}$Ne and $^{16}$O through anisotropic flow measurements, providing new insights into nuclear structure.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of the 'imaging-by-smashing' technique to light nuclei in fixed-target collisions, revealing $ ext{alpha}$-clustering signatures using the AMPT model.

Findings

Robust $ ext{alpha}$-clustering signatures observed in flow cumulants.

Signatures persist despite complex dynamic evolution.

Highlights the impact of LHCb SMOG2 in nuclear structure studies.

Abstract

The "imaging-by-smashing" technique has been developed recently in relativistic nuclear collisions. By smashing heavy nuclei at RHIC and the LHC and analyzing the anisotropic expansion (flow) of the final state produced particles, unique information on the structure of the collided nuclei has been obtained. Existing efforts primarily focus on the colliding mode of heavy nuclei collisions. In contrast, nuclear structure studies with collisions of light nuclei and the fixed target mode, despite their significant impact and broad interest, have not been thoroughly explored. In this Letter, we investigate the $\alpha$-clustering signature of $^{20}$Ne and $^{16}$O in the fixed-target $^{208}$Pb--$^{20}$Ne and $^{208}$Pb--$^{16}$O collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 68.5 GeV, using the parton transport model AMPT. The results of two- and four-particle cumulants of anisotropic flow demonstrate a robust $\alpha$-clustering signature that persists regardless of the complex dynamic evolution of the created systems. This study highlights the significant impact of the LHCb SMOG (SMOG2) project in discovering the $\alpha$-clustering signature of light nuclei at relativistic energies.