Studies of baryonic matter in the BM@N and MPD experiments at Nuclotron/NICA

Abstract

The NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility) project is under realization at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, Dubna). The main goal of the project is an experimental study of hot and dense strongly interacting matter in heavy ion (up to Au) collisions at center-of-mass energies up to 11 GeV per nucleon. The physics program will be performed at two experiments, BM@N (Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron) at beams extracted from the Nuclotron, and MPD (Multi-Purpose Detector) at the NICA collider. The aim of the BM@N experiment is to study interactions of relativistic heavy ion beams with fixed targets. The scientific program comprises studies of nuclear matter in the intermediate energy range between experiments at the SIS and NICA/FAIR facilities. The BM@N experiment has recorded first experimental data in the carbon, argon and krypton beams of kinetic energy per nucleon ranging from 2.3 to 4.5 GeV per nucleon. The first measurement of short range correlations of nucleons in carbon nucleus was performed in inverse kinematics with the carbon beam and liquid hydrogen target. The MPD detector is under construction to study hot and baryon rich QCD matter in heavy ion collisions at the NICA collider in the energy range √ s NN = 4 ÷ 11 GeV. Physics program includes the study of collective phenomena, Λ polarization, dilepton, hyperon and hypernuclei production under extreme conditions of highest baryonic density.

New forward hadron calorimeter and hodoscope for the BM@N heavy ions experiment

“…In 2016-2018 the Nuclotron provided light and medium ion beams to nucleusnucleus collisions at the BM@N experiment. First data on collisions of the carbon beam of kinetic energies of 3.5-4.5 AGeV, Ar beam of 3.2 AGeV and Kr beam of 2.4 (2.9) AGeV with the C, Al, Cu and Pb targets have already been collected [3]. The carbon beam intensity was f ew × 10 5 per the spill, the spill duration was 2-2.5 sec.…”

Methods of signal processing and cosmic muon calibration for the BM@N sampling lead/scintillator hadron calorimeter

“…It uses the ion beams from the Nuclotron and after installation the new booster system will provide ions up to gold with kinetic energy up to 4.5 GeV per nucleon. First experimental data with carbon, argon and krypton beams have already been taken at BM@N with different targets in 2016-2018 [2]. The main goals of the experiment were strange and multi-strange hyperon production and searching for hyper-nuclei in nucleus-nucleus collisions.…”