Title: Exploring Coherent Photon Interactions from UPC to HHIC: Recent Advances and Future Directions

Speaker: Dr. ZHA Wangmei (The University of Science and Technology of China) 

Time: 10:00 am, Apr. 21 (Friday), 2023 

Place:  Room 218, Building 5  

Abstract:  

The study of coherent photon-nucleus and photon-photon interactions has been extensively conducted to investigate the gluon distribution in nuclei and test QED through relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Typically, these interactions are observed only in ultra-peripheral collisions (UPC) where there is no hadronic interaction. However, the observation of an abnormal excess of J/ψ production at very low transverse momentum by the ALICE collaboration in peripheral A+A collisions has led to the study of coherent photoproduction in hadronic heavy-ion collisions (HHIC), providing evidence of coherent photon products in HHIC. The survival of photoproduced products in HHIC has stimulated further experimental and theoretical investigations, offering a novel approach to study the properties of the quark-gluon plasma generated in HHIC. This talk reviews recent experimental and theoretical advancements in the coherent photon-induced reactions from UPC to HHIC and discusses the potential prospects for future electron ion collision facilities. 

About the speaker:

ZHA Wangmei has been an Associate Professor at USTC since 2020. He received a bachelor's degree and Ph.D from the USTC in 2008 and 2014 and severed as a postdoctoral researcher and associate research fellow at USTC after graduation. He has devoted to the data analysis and phenomenological model of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collision, and has published more than 30 papers as first author, corresponding author or primary author. He has served as the convener of light flavor physics working group for STAR collaboration, convener of heavy flavor physics working group and editor board member for MPD collaboration, convener of heavy flavor and jet physics working group for ePIC collaboration, fellow of youth innovation promotion association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and has won the RHIC&AGS merit award.