Speaker
Description
The equation of state (EOS) of high-density nuclear matter is one of the central questions in nuclear physics. Collisions of deformed nuclei provide a unique opportunity to probe the EOS by controlling the collision geometry through the orientation of the colliding nuclei. In particular, body–body collisions of strongly prolate nuclei such as U can generate a large spatial eccentricity even in central collisions, leading to sizable elliptic flow without relying on a finite impact parameter.
We investigate collisions of deformed nuclei at low and intermediate collision energies using the JAM transport model, with particular emphasis on central body–body U–U collisions. We study how nuclear deformation and collision orientation affect the compression and collective dynamics of the system, and examine their sensitivity to the nuclear EOS. The results show characteristic differences in stopping, particle production, and anisotropic flow among different collision geometries. In particular, elliptic flow in body–body collisions provides a sensitive probe of the EOS due to the large initial geometric anisotropy. We also discuss the behavior of directed flow and its potential sensitivity to the EOS. These results demonstrate that geometry-selected collisions of deformed nuclei offer a promising approach to constraining the EOS of high-density nuclear matter.