Influence of electromagnetic fields on the properties of strongly interacting matter in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

• Grant number: 24/18493-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Ana Júlia Silveira Mizher
• Grantee: Ana Júlia Silveira Mizher
• Visiting researcher: Jose Alejandro Ayala Mercado
• Visiting researcher institution: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Pós-Graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão. Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/08826-7 - Electromagnetic effects in strongly interacting matter, AP.JP

Abstract

Electromagnetic fields of a very large intensity can be produced in peripheral relativistic heavy-ion collisions. These fields are short-lived and their peak intensity takes place during the early stages of the collision, also known as the pre-equilibrium stage,where gluon fields dominate the dynamics of the reaction. An interesting question thatemerges is to what extent, these intense electromagnetic fields influence both the QCDvacuum and the gluon dynamics to modify the collision evolution and/or to produce finalstate observables. In this project we put forward some research avenues, enclosing theoryand phenomenology, that can contribute to shed light on these questions. We will explorethe influence of electromagnetic backgrounds in the QCD beta function, a theoretical resultthat is relevant for all the phenomenology that has been developed in the last decade by thecommunity in this topic. In addition, we propose to study how the strong electromagneticfields influence the production of electromagnetic signals, such as photons, and how theanisotropic pressure they induce modify the road towards isotropization.The proponents of this proposal have a long lasting collaboration, having contributed toshed light on these questions, together with other colleagues from Brazil and abroad. Thesabbatical visit of prof. Alejandro Ayala to S¿ao Paulo is a unique opportunity to strengtheven more the tights between the Brazilian community on high energy nuclear physics andMexico, since prof. Ayala is one of the main senior Mexican researchers in the field, currentlybeing the chairman of the international board of the heavy-ion collision experiment NICA inRussia, recently put in activity. (AU)