Light nuclei photoproduction in relativistic heavy ion ultraperipheral collisions

Abstract

We have investigated light nuclei pair photoproduction in relativistic heavy ion ultraperipheral collisions. As a first attempt, we employ our previously developed quantum electrodynamics model, which incorporates a wave-packet description of initial nuclei, to compute the cross section for proton-antiproton pair photoproduction. The effective vertex for the photon and proton interaction is chosen based on studies of two-photon exchange effects in hadron physics. We present the transverse momentum, invariant mass, and azimuthal angle distributions of proton-antiproton pairs at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV in Au+Au ultraperipheral collisions. We observe a $\cos(2\phi)$ modulation and an almost negligible $\cos(4\phi)$ modulation in the azimuthal angle distribution. Our studies helps us better understand the matter generated by light.