EMMI Rapid Reaction Task Force: "Nuclear physics confronts relativistic collisions of isobars" (part 1/2)

EMMI Rapid Reaction Task Force (RRTF)

"Nuclear physics confronts relativistic collisions of isobars"

High-energy collisions of the A=96 isobars $^{96}$Zr and $^{96}$Ru have been performed in 2018 at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) as a means to probe effects of local parity violation in the strong sector, that would manifest as deviations from unity in the ratio of observables taken between $^{96}$Zr+$^{96}$Zr and $^{96}$Ru+$^{96}$Ru collisions. Recently released measurements of such ratios reveal deviations from unity. However, such observations are primarily caused by the two collided isobars having different radial profiles and intrinsic deformations. To make progress in understanding RHIC data, we will gather nuclear physicists across the energy spectrum to answer the following question. Does the combined effort of state of-the-art low-energy nuclear structure physics and high-energy heavy-ion physics allow us to understand the observations made in isobar collisions at RHIC?