Update of a multiphase transport model with modern parton distribution functions and nuclear shadowing

TLDR: In this paper, a multiphase transport (AMPT) model with string melting was proposed to describe the overall particle yields and transverse momentum spectra for both $pp$ and $AA$ collisions at RHIC and LHC energies.

Abstract: A multiphase transport (AMPT) model has been successful in explaining a wide range of observables in relativistic heavy ion collisions. In this work, we implement a newer set of free proton parton distribution functions and an impact parameter-dependent nuclear shadowing in the AMPT model. After refitting the parameters of the two-component initial condition model to the experimental data on $pp$ and $p\overline{p}$ total and inelastic cross sections from $\sqrt{s}\ensuremath{\sim}$ 4 GeV to 13 TeV, we study particle productions in $pp$ and $AA$ collisions. We show that the updated AMPT model with string melting can reasonably describe the overall particle yields and transverse momentum spectra for both $pp$ and $AA$ collisions at RHIC and LHC energies after we introduce a nuclear scaling of the minijet transverse momentum cutoff for $AA$ collisions at LHC energies that is motivated by the color glass condensate. Since heavy flavor and $\mathrm{high}\ensuremath{-}{p}_{\mathrm{T}}$ particles are produced by perturbative-QCD processes and thus directly depend on parton distribution functions of nuclei, the updated AMPT model is expected to provide a more reliable description of these observables.