We investigate the production of a cascade hyperon ($\Xi$) through the $K^{-}+p\to K^{+}\left(K^0\right)+{\Xi }^{-}\left({\Xi }^0\right)$ reactions, within an effective Lagrangian model where these reactions proceed via excitations of $\Lambda$ and $\Sigma$ resonance intermediate states in $s$ and $u$ channels. The coupling constants at the various vertices are taken from previous studies and SU(3) symmetry considerations. The calculated total cross sections of these reactions, which are in good agreement with the available data, are dominated by the contributions from the $\Lambda \left(1520\right)$ intermediate resonant state. However, the $K^{+}$ meson angular distributions show selectivity to other resonant states in different angular regions, and interference among these states leads to their strong backward peaking.

Microscopic input to a universal nuclear energy density functional can be provided through the density matrix expansion (DME), which has recently been revived and improved. Several DME implementation strategies are tested for neutron drop systems in harmonic traps by comparing to Hartree-Fock (HF) and ab initio no-core full configuration (NCFC) calculations with a model interaction (Minnesota potential). The new DME with exact treatment of Hartree contributions is found to best reproduce HF results and supplementing the functional with fit Skyrme-like contact terms shows systematic improvement toward the full NCFC results.

We examine the potential energy contributions to the symmetry energy (in the parabolic approximation) arising from the isovector mesons, $\pi$, $\rho$, and $\delta$. The significance of a microscopic model that incorporates all important mesons is revealed. In particular, we demonstrate the importance of the pion for a realistic investigation of isospin-sensitive systems.

A new approach called the Schrödinger collective intrinsic model (SCIM) has been developed to achieve a microscopic description of the coupling between collective and intrinsic excitations. The derivation of the SCIM proceeds in two steps. The first step is based on a generalization of the symmetric moment expansion of the equations derived in the framework of the generator coordinate method (GCM), when both Hartree-Fock+BCS (HF+BCS) states and two-quasi-particle excitations are taken into account as basis states. The second step consists in reducing the generalized Hill and Wheeler equation to a simpler form to extract a Schrödinger-like equation. The validity of the approach is discussed by means of results obtained for the overlap kernel between HF+BCS states and two-quasiparticle excitations at different deformations.

Transverse momentum spectra of electrons ($p_T^e$) from semileptonic weak decays of heavy-flavor mesons in the range of $0.3<p_T^e<9.0$ GeV/$c$ have been measured at midrapidity ($\left|y\right|<0.35$) by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in $p+p$ and $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=200$ GeV. In addition, the azimuthal anisotropy parameter $v_2$ has been measured for $0.3<p_T^e<5.0$ GeV/$c$ in $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions. The substantial modification in the $p_T^e$ spectra in $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ compared with $p+p$ collisions as well as the nonzero $v_2$ indicate substantial interactions and flow of heavy quarks in traversing the produced medium. Comparisons of these observables with detailed theoretical calculations can be used to identify the nature of these interactions and to quantify their extent.

The influence of the admixture of the ${}^3{F}_2$ state onto collective spin oscillations and neutrino emission processes in the triplet superfluid neutron liquid is studied in the BCS approximation. The eigenmode of spin oscillations with $\omega \simeq \sqrt{58/35}\Delta$ is predicted to exist in the triplet superfluid neutron condensate besides the already known mode $\omega \simeq \Delta /\sqrt{5}$. Excitation of the high-frequency spin oscillations in the condensate occurs through the tensor interactions between quasiparticles. Neutrino energy losses through neutral weak currents are found to consist of three separate contributions caused by a recombination of broken Cooper pairs and by weak decays of the collective modes of spin oscillations. Neutrino decays of the low-frequency spin waves can play an important role in the cooling scenario of neutron stars. Weak decays of the high-frequency oscillations that occur only if the tensor forces are taken into account in the pairing interactions does not modify substantially the total energy losses. Simple expressions are suggested for the total neutrino emissivity.

The Landau Fermi-liquid parameters are calculated for charge-neutral asymmetric nuclear matter in beta equilibrium at zero temperature in the presence of a very strong magnetic field with relativistic mean-field models. Due to the isospin structure of the system, with different populations of protons and neutrons and spin alignment to the field, we find nonvanishing Landau mixing parameters. The existence of quantized Landau levels for the charged sector has some impact on the Landau parameters with the presence of discretized features in those involving the proton sector. Using the Fermi-liquid formalism singlet and triplet excited quasiparticle states are analyzed, and we find that in-medium effects and magnetic fields are competing; however, the former are more important in the interaction energy range considered. It is found that for magnetic field strengths ${\log }_{10}B\left(G\right)\le 17$ the relatively low polarization of the system produces mild changes in the generalized Landau parameters with respect to the unmagnetized case, while for larger strengths there is a resolution of the degeneracy of the interaction energies of quasiparticles in the system. As an application we calculate the incompressibility and first sound velocities to illustrate how this formalism can be used to obtain physical information from the system.

In this Brief Report we calculate the in-medium mass modifications of the scalar mesons $D_0$ and $B_0$ using the QCD sum rules. In calculations we observe that the $D_{0}N$ and $B_{0}N$ scattering lengths are about $1.1$ and $4.1\mathrm{fm},$ respectively, the mass shifts $\delta M_{D_0}=69\mathrm{MeV}$ and $\delta M_{B_0}=217\mathrm{MeV}$, and the $D_{0}N$ and $B_{0}N$ interactions are repulsive. The positive mass shifts indicate that the decays of the higher charmonium states into the $D_0{\overline{D}}_0$ pair are suppressed.

The half-life of the rare β${}^{-}$ decay of ${}^{115}$In (9/2+) to ${}^{115}$Sn (3/2+) was determined by measuring the subsequent 497.334(22) keV γ-ray emission in a high-purity indium sample. The measurements were carried out by means of ultralow-level γ-ray spectrometry in the HADES underground laboratory, using three different high-purity germanium detectors. The value of the partial half-life for this low-$Q_{\beta }^{-}$ transition was measured to be 4.3(5) × 10${}^{20}$ yr.

The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured $\omega$ meson production via leptonic and hadronic decay channels in $p$$+$$p$, $d+$Au, Cu$+$Cu, and Au$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. The invariant transverse momentum spectra measured in different decay modes give consistent results. Measurements in the hadronic decay channel in Cu$+$Cu and Au$+$Au collisions show that $\omega$ production has a suppression pattern at high transverse momentum, similar to that of ${\pi }^0$ and $\eta$ in central collisions, but no suppression is observed in peripheral collisions. The nuclear modification factors, $R_{\mathit{AA}}$, are consistent in Cu$+$Cu and Au$+$Au collisions at similar numbers of participant nucleons.

A comprehensive viscous hydrodynamic fit of spectra and elliptic flow for charged hadrons and identified pions and protons from $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions of all centralities measured at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is performed and used as the basis for predicting the analogous observables for $\mathrm{Pb}+\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at $\sqrt{s}=2.76$ and 5.5$A$ TeV. Comparison with recent measurements of the elliptic flow of charged hadrons by the ALICE experiment shows that the model slightly overpredicts the data if the same (constant) specific shear viscosity $\eta /s$ is assumed at both collision energies. In spite of differences in our assumptions for the equation of state, the freeze-out temperature, the chemical composition at freeze-out, and the starting time for the hydrodynamic evolution, our results agree remarkably well with those of Luzum [Phys. Rev. C 83, 044911 (2011)], indicating robustness of the hydrodynamic model extrapolations. Future measurements of the centrality and transverse momentum dependence of spectra and elliptic flow for identified hadrons predicted here will further test the model and shed light on possible variations of the quark-gluon transport coefficients between RHIC and LHC energies.

Using second-order dissipative hydrodynamics coupled self-consistently to the linear $\sigma$ model we study the $2+1$ dimensional evolution of the fireball created in Au$+$Au relativistic collisions. We analyze the influence of the dynamics of the chiral fields on the charged-hadron elliptic flow $v_2$ and on the ratio $v_4/{\left(v_2\right)}^2$ for a temperature-independent as well as for a temperature-dependent viscosity-to-entropy ratio $\eta /s$ calculated from the linearized Boltzmann equation in the relaxation time approximation. We find that $v_2$ is not very sensitive to the coupling of chiral sources to the hydrodynamic evolution, but the temperature dependence of $\eta /s$ plays a much bigger role on this observable. On the other hand, the ratio $v_4/{\left(v_2\right)}^2$ turns out to be much more sensitive than $v_2$ to both the coupling of the chiral sources and the temperature dependence of $\eta /s$.

QCD sum rules for chiral partners in the open-charm meson sector are presented at nonzero baryon net density or temperature. We focus on the differences between pseudo-scalar and scalar as well as vector and axial-vector $D$ mesons and derive the corresponding Weinberg-type sum rules. This allows for the identification of such QCD condensates which drive the nondegeneracy of chiral partners in the lowest order of the strong coupling ${\alpha }_s$ and which, therefore, may serve as “order parameters” for chiral restoration (or elements thereof).

Monoisotopic samples of exotic, neutron-rich ${}^{111}$Mo nuclei, produced in the deuteron-induced fission of ${}^{238}$U and separated using the IGISOL3 isotope separator, coupled to the JYFLTRAP Penning trap, were used to perform $\beta$- and $\gamma$-coincidence spectroscopy of ${}^{111}$Tc. New excited levels in ${}^{111}$Tc populated in ${\beta }^{-}$ decay of ${}^{111}$Mo provide the first indication for an oblate deformation in the mass $A\approx 110$ region. The wide spin range of levels populated in ${}^{111}$Tc following the decay of ${}^{111}$Mo indicates the existence of two $\beta$-decaying levels in ${}^{111}$Mo. The Q${}_{\beta }$ value of the ${}^{111}$Mo ${\beta }^{-}$ decay was determined experimentally for the first time.

Based on a similarity of the Van der Waals and nucleon-nucleon interaction, the known thermodynamic relations for ordinary liquids are used to analyze the possible nuclear-system phase trajectories in the proton-induced nuclear multifragmentation phenomena. A number of decay channels suggesting the most appropriate qualitative picture are proposed.

Experimental results of the elastic scattering of ${}^6$He on ${}^{208}$Pb at $E_{\mathrm{LAB}}=22$ MeV, measured at the CRC facility (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), are presented, including results on the ${}^4$He production channel. These data were taken with full angular coverage and high angular resolution. Both experimental cross sections are compared with continuum discretized coupled channels and distorted-wave Born approximation calculations, where direct breakup and transfer to the continuum processes are considered. The elastic data confirm the absence of the Coulomb rainbow, while the distribution of $\alpha$ particles indicates that such production is mostly generated by transfer to the continuum.

We study the spectrum of collective excitations in the inhomogeneous phases in the neutron star inner crust within a superfluid hydrodynamics approach. Our aim is to describe the whole range of wavelengths from the long-wavelength limit which can be described by macroscopic approaches and which is crucial for the low-energy part of the spectrum, to wavelengths of the order of the dimensions of the Wigner-Seitz cells, corresponding to the modes usually described in microscopic calculations. As an application, we will discuss the contribution of these collective modes to the specific heat of the “lasagna” phase in comparison with other known contributions.

The ${}^{30}$S($\alpha ,p$)${}^{33}$Cl reaction may have a significant impact on final elemental abundances and energy output of type I X-ray bursts, as well as influencing observables such as double-peaked luminosity profiles, because it could bypass the ${}^{30}$S waiting point. This reaction has been studied experimentally for the first time in inverse kinematics via the time-inverse reaction ${}^1$H(${}^{33}$Cl,${}^{30}$S)$\alpha$ with a ${}^{33}$Cl radioactive ion beam produced at the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System facility by the “in-flight” technique. This reaction was studied at three different beam energies. The experimental method used and the resulting data are discussed.

Medium- and high-spin states of ${}^{134}$Pr were populated using the ${}^{116}$Cd(${}^{23}\text{Na},5n$) reaction and studied with the GAMMASPHERE spectrometer. Several new bands have been found in this nucleus, one of them being linked to the previously observed chiral-candidate twin-band structure. The ground state of ${}^{134}$Pr could be determined through establishing a level structure that connects the two previously known long-lived isomeric states. Unambiguous spin-parity assignments for the excited states could be performed based on the known 2${}^{-}$ spin-parity of the ground state combined with the present experimental data. Intrinsic single-particle configurations have been assigned to the newly observed bands on the basis of the measured $B\left(M1\right)/B\left(E2\right)$ ratios, alignments, band-crossing frequencies, bandhead spins, the observed single-particle configurations in the neighboring nuclei, and taking into account the predictions of total Routhian surface and tilted-axis cranking calculations.

The odd-odd neutron-rich nucleus ${}^{152}$Pr has been studied from the spontaneous fission of ${}^{252}$Cf with Gammasphere. A high-spin level scheme of ${}^{152}$Pr has been established for the first time. Angular correlation and internal conversion coefficient measurements are used to determine the transition multipolarities. The possible configurations of the bandhead have been discussed based on systematics and total Routhian surface calculations.