A matter of shape: seeing the deformation of atomic nuclei at\n high-energy colliders

This work establishes a deep connection between two seemingly distant\nbranches of nuclear physics: nuclear structure and relativistic heavy-ion\ncollisions. At the heart of this connection is the recent discovery made at\nparticle colliders that the elliptic flow of outgoing hadrons in central\nnucleus-nucleus collisions is strongly impacted by the quadrupole deformation\nof the colliding nuclear species. I review the physics of the soft sector of\nrelativistic heavy-ion collisions, and I explain that the interpretation of\nelliptic flow data in central $^{197}$Au+$^{197}$Au, $^{238}$U+$^{238}$U, and\n$^{129}$Xe+$^{129}$Xe collisions requires a deep understanding the structure of\nthese ions. Subsequently, I introduce a technique that permits one to isolate\ncollision configurations in which the deformed shapes of the colliding nuclei\nmaximally break rotational (azimuthal) symmetry in the interaction region. This\nallows me to construct observables that possess an unparalleled sensitivity to\nthe quadrupole deformation of the colliding ions, and thus to conclude that\nnuclear experiments at high energy can be used to place new quantitative\nconstraints on the deformation of atomic nuclei. I emphasize the great\nopportunities offered by potential collider experiments aimed at the systematic\nstudy of nuclear deformation across the valley of stability.\n

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