Development of the Hamiltonian molecular dynamics (HMD) model: A first-principles, relativistic description of nucleus-nucleus interactions at medium energy

Simulation of energetic, colliding nuclear systems at energies between 100 AMeV and 5 AGeV has utility in fields as diverse as the design and construction of fundamental particle physics experiments, patient treatment by radiation exposure, and in the protection of astronaut crews from the risks of exposure to natural radiation sources during spaceflight. Descriptions of these colliding systems which are derived from theoretical principles are necessary in order to provide confidence in describing systems outside the scope of existing data, which is sparse. The system size and velocity dictate descriptions which include both special relativistic and quantum effects, and the currently incomplete state of understanding with respect to the basic processes at work within nuclear matter dictate that any description will exist at some level of approximation. Models commonly found in the literature employ approximations to theory which lead to simulation results which demonstrate departure from fundamental physical principles, most notably conservation of system energy. The HMD (Hamiltonian Molecular Dynamics) mode is developed as a phase-space description of colliding nuclear system on the level of hadrons, inclusive of the necessary quantum and relativistic elements. Evaluation of model simulations shows that the HMD model shows the necessary conservations throughout system simulation. HMD model predictions are compared to both the RQMD (Relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics) and JQMD (Jaeri-Quantum Molecular Dynamics) codes, both commonly employed for the purpose of simulating nucleus-nucleus collisions. Comparison is also provided between all three codes and measurement. The HMD model is shown to perform well in light of both measurement and model calculation, while providing for a physically self-consistent description of the system throughout.