Abstract: Background: The 14N(n, p) 14C reaction is of interest in neutron capture therapy, where nitrogen-related dose is the main component due to low-energy neutrons, and in astrophysics, where 14N acts as a neutron poison in the s process. Several discrepancies remain between the existing data obtained in partial energy ranges: thermal energy, keV region, and resonance region. Purpose: We aim to measure the 14N(n, p) 14C cross section from thermal to the resonance region in a single measurement for the first time, including characterization of the first resonances, and provide calculations of Maxwellian averaged cross sections (MACS). Method: We apply the time-of-flight technique at Experimental Area 2 (EAR-2) of the neutron time-of-flight (n_TOF) facility at CERN. 10B(n, & alpha;) 7Li and 235U(n, f ) reactions are used as references. Two detection systems are run simultaneously, one on beam and another off beam. Resonances are described with the R-matrix code SAMMY. Results: The cross section was measured from subthermal energy to 800 keV, resolving the first two resonances (at 492.7 and 644 keV). A thermal cross section was obtained (1.809 & PLUSMN; 0.045 b) that is lower than the two most recent measurements by slightly more than one standard deviation, but in line with the ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JEFF-3.3 evaluations. A 1/v energy dependence of the cross section was confirmed up to tens of keV neutron energy. The low energy tail of the first resonance at 492.7 keV is lower than suggested by evaluated values, while the overall resonance strength agrees with evaluations. Conclusions: Our measurement has allowed determination of the 14N(n, p) cross section over a wide energy range for the first time. We have obtained cross sections with high accuracy (2.5%) from subthermal energy to 800 keV and used these data to calculate the MACS for kT = 5 to kT = 100 keV.

Abstract: Studies of the fragmentation of jets into charged particles in heavy-ion collisions can provide information about the mechanism of jet quenching by the hot and dense QCD matter created in such collisions, the quark-gluon plasma. This paper presents a measurement of the angular distribution of charged particles around the jet axis in root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV Pb + Pb and pp collisions, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The Pb + Pb and pp data sets have integrated luminosities of 0.49 nb(-1) and 25 pb(-1), respectively. The measurement is performed for jets reconstructed with the anti-k(t) algorithm with radius parameter R = 0.4 and is extended to an angular distance of r = 0.8 from the jet axis. Results are presented as a function of Pb + Pb collision centrality and distance from the jet axis for charged particles with transverse momenta in the 1- to 63-GeV range, matched to jets with transverse momenta in the 126- to 316-GeV range and an absolute value of jet rapidity of less than 1.7. Modifications to the measured distributions are quantified by taking a ratio to the measurements in pp collisions. Yields of charged particles with transverse momenta below 4 GeV are observed to be increasingly enhanced as a function of angular distance from the jet axis, reaching a maximum at r = 0.6. Charged particles with transverse momenta above 4 GeV have an enhanced yield in Pb + Pb collisions in the jet core for angular distances up to r = 0.05 from the jet axis, with a suppression at larger distances.

Abstract: This article reports the first measurement of prompt chi(c1) and chi(c2) charmonium production in nuclear collisions at Large Hadron Collider energies. The cross-section ratio sigma(chi(c2))/sigma(chi(c1)) is measured in pPb collisions at root s(NN) = 8.16 TeV, collected with the LHCb experiment. The chi(c1,2) states are reconstructed via their decay to a J/psi meson, subsequently decaying into a pair of oppositely charged muons, and a photon, which is reconstructed in the calorimeter or via its conversion in the detector material. The cross-section ratio is consistent with unity in the two considered rapidity regions. Comparison with a corresponding cross-section ratio previously measured by the LHCb Collaboration in pp collisions suggests that chi(c1) and chi(c2) states are similarly affected by nuclear effects occurring in pPb collisions.

Abstract: Heavy-ion reactions and other collective dynamical processes are frequently described by different theoretical approaches for the different stages of the process, like initial equilibration stage, intermediate locally equilibrated fluid dynamical stage, and final freeze-out stage. For the last stage, the best known is the Cooper-Frye description used to generate the phase space distribution of emitted, noninteracting particles from a fluid dynamical expansion or explosion, assuming a final ideal gas distribution, or (less frequently) an out-of-equilibrium distribution. In this work we do not want to replace the Cooper-Frye description, but rather clarify the ways of using it and how to choose the parameters of the distribution and, eventually, how to choose the form of the phase space distribution used in the Cooper-Frye formula. Moreover, the Cooper-Frye formula is used in connection with the freeze-out problem, while the discussion of transition between different stages of the collision is applicable to other transitions also. More recently, hadronization and molecular dynamics models have been matched to the end of a fluid dynamical stage to describe hadronization and freeze-out. The stages of the model description can be matched to each other on space-time hypersurfaces (just like through the frequently used freeze-out hypersurface). This work presents a generalized description of how to match the stages of the description of a reaction to each other, extending the methodology used at freeze-out, in simple covariant form which is easily applicable in its simplest version for most applications.

Abstract: The γp→K+Λ(1520) reaction mechanism is investigated within a Regge--effective Lagrangian hybrid approach based on our previous study of this reaction [Physical Review C89, 015203 (2014)]. Near threshold and for large K+ angles, both the CLAS and LEPS data can be successfully described by considering the contributions from the contact, t-channel K¯ exchange, u-channel Λ(1115) hyperon pole, and the s-channel nucleon pole and N∗(2120) resonance contributions. However, for higher energies and forward K+ angles, systematic discrepancies with data appear, which hint the possible existence of sizable quark-gluon string mechanism effects. We show how the inclusion of a K¯ Regge--trajectory exchange in the t-channel leads to an efficient description of the Λ(1520) photoproduction channel over the whole energy and angular ranges accessible in the CLAS experiment.