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    with STAR detector of RHIC at BNL

    Zhangbu Xu

    Physics
    Professor
    Campus:
    Kent
    Office Hours:
    215 Smith Hall
    Contact Information
    Email:
    zxu22@kent.edu
    Phone:
    3306720088

    Biography

    Kent State High-Energy Nuclear Experimental Group Members: 

    Declan Keane (retired Professor), 
    Zhangbu Xu (Professor)

    Sooraj Radhakrishnan (Research Scientist) 
    Ashik IKbal Sheihk (Research Scientist) 
    Chun Yuen (Tommy) Tsang (postdoc)

    Emmy Duckworth (student, graduated 08/2025) 
    Maci Kesler (student) 
    Albandry Alshammri (student)
    Daniel Samuel (student)
    Shilpa (student) 
    Marceline Thornton (student)

    Research Interests: 

    Study the properties of Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), a new form of matter believed to have existed during the first few microseconds after the Big Bang, using the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Europe. The group utilizes flow, (strangeness and charmed) hadron spectra, and thermal e⁺e⁻ pair radiation to investigate QGP properties and the phase diagram of strongly interacting Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) matter.

    Search and study properties of exotic antinuclei and hypernuclei

    Discover and study the Breit-Wheeler process (two photon colliding to generate matter-antimatter)

    Study the gluon junction as a possible tracer of baryon number

    Image nuclei using spin-interference diffractive vector meson production in Ultra-peripheral nucleus-nucleus collisions (UPC) and Electron-Ion collisions (EIC)

    Research on silicon based AC coupled Low Gain Avalanche Detector (AC-LGAD) technology for the ePIC time-of-Flight detector at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) at BNL.

    Collaboration member of STAR at BNL, ePIC at BNL, LHCb at CERN.

    INSPIRE PUBLICATION List

    Teaching: 
    66201/76201: Introduction to Particle Physics
    45403/55403: Data Analyses and Computational Physics Techniques 

    Education

    PhD 1999 Yale University
    B.S. 1994 USTC/China

    Expertise

    High Energy Physics
    Experimental Nuclear Physics
    Matter-Antimatter

    Publications

    • STAR Collaboration, "Tracking the baryon number with nuclear collisions", e-Print: 2408.15441 [nucl-ex]
    • STAR Collaboration, "Temperature Measurement of Quark-Gluon Plasma at Different Stages", e-Print: 2402.01998 [nucl-ex]
    • Maci Kesler et al., "Projective Imaging of High-Energy Nuclei via Coherent Exclusive Vector Meson Production in Electron-Nucleus Collisions", e-Print: 2502.15596 [nucl-th]
    • Lewis, Nicole, et al., "Search for baryon junctions in photonuclear processes and isobar collisions at RHIC." The European Physical Journal C 84.6 (2024): 590.
    • Magdy, Niseem, et al., "Search for baryon junctions in e+ A collisions at the electron ion collider." The European Physical Journal C 84.12 (2024): 1326.
    • "Probing quantum phenomena through photoproduction in relativistic heavy-ion collisions", Prog.Part.Nucl.Phys. 143 (2025) 104174 • e-Print: 2504.18342 [nucl-ex]
    • "Coalescence formation of muonic atoms at RHIC", Phys.Lett.B 861 (2025) 139242 • e-Print: 2410.06518 [hep-ph]
    • "Beam energy dependence of net-hyperon yield and its implication on baryon transport mechanism", Phys.Lett.B 860 (2025) 139205 • e-Print: 2409.06492 [nucl-th]
    • "Dense nuclear matter equation of state from heavy-ion collisions", Prog.Part.Nucl.Phys. 134 (2024) 104080 • e-Print: 2301.13253 [nucl-th]

      Documents

      PDF icon xu-cv-2025.pdf

      News Stories

      • New heaviest exotic antimatter nucleus (2024)
      • New Form of Quantum Entanglement Gives Insight into Nuclei (2023)
      • BNL’s Zhangbu Xu, others prove 87-year-old theories of famous physicists
      • Collisions of light produce matter/antimatter from pure energy
      • DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SELECTS KENT STATE NUCLEAR PHYSICS DOCTORAL STUDENT FOR PRESTIGIOUS RESEARCH PROGRAM
      • 'Strange' glimpse into neutron stars and symmetry violation
      • Advances in Nuclear Matter Dynamics: A Tribute to Declan Keane
      • NUCLEAR PHYSICIST TRACKS RARE COLLIDED PARTICLES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND BIG BANG
      • Prashanth Shanmuganathan, PhD ’16, was selected as one of two winners of the prestigious Thesis Award at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
      • Yale’s Helen Caines takes a leadership role in international experiment
      • The heaviest known antimatter
      • Heaviest Antimatter Found; Made in U.S. Atom Smasher (2010)
      • Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2004)
      • BNL Science Award (2010)
      • APS Fellow (2010)
      • STAR Team Receives Secretary's Achievement Award (2018)
      • INSPIRE research publications (Current)

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      Kent, OH 44242

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