Can the Strong Interactions between Hadrons Be Determined Using Femtoscopy?

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Particle Physics
• Quantum Chromodynamics

Background:

• Femtoscopic measurements in heavy-ion collisions analyze hadron interactions.
• Two-hadron momentum correlations are key observables, influenced by production and final-state interactions.
• Current analysis relies on the Koonin-Pratt formula and a universality assumption for the source term.

Purpose of the Study:

• Critically examine the universality assumption in femtoscopic measurements.
• Assess the impact of this assumption on interpreting data, particularly for strongly interacting particles.
• Comment on the potential for exploring three-body interactions.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological modeling of the source term in ultrarelativistic collisions.
• Application and critical analysis of the Koonin-Pratt formula.
• Investigation of two-hadron momentum correlations.

Main Results:

• The universality assumption in femtoscopic measurements is critically examined.
• Potential for large intrinsic uncertainty in interpreting measurements for strongly interacting particles (e.g., nucleons) is identified.
• The study highlights limitations in current analysis methods.

Conclusions:

• The universality assumption in femtoscopic data analysis may introduce significant uncertainties.
• Re-evaluation of analysis methods is needed for strongly interacting particles.
• Future research directions include exploring three-body interactions with femtoscopy.