Initial energy density of quark-gluon plasma in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:5004124

Wong, C Y

Recently, there has been considerable interest in the central rapidity region of highly relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Such an interest stems from the possibility of creating hadron matter of high energy density which may exceed the critical energy density for a phase transition between ordinary confined matter and the unconfined quark-gluon plasma. The experimental searches and identification of the quark-gluon plasma may provide a new insight into the question of quark confinement. The estimate of the initial energy density is quite uncertain. The initial energy density is nonetheless an important physical quantity. It is one of the factors which determines whether the produced matter can undergo phase transition or not. The energy density has been estimated previously by using the color neutralization model of Brodsky et al. However, the color neutralization model gives a central rapidity multiplicity in heavy-ion collision too low by a factor of two. For this reason, we wish to obtain a better estimate of the energy density (in the central rapidity region). As is well known, a simple Glauber-type multiple collision model can reproduce the total multiplicity and multiplicity plateau near the central rapidity region to within 30%. The simple multiple collision model has an approximate validity as a gross description of the reaction process. We shall adopt a semiempirical approach. Using the multiple collision model and the thickness function of Glauber, we obtain analytical functional form for all the quantities in question. A single parameter, r/sub rms/, is adjusted to fit the experimental central rapidity multiplicity data. The semi-empirical results provide a useful tool to extrapolate to the unknown central rapidity region of heavy-ion collisions.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5004124
• Report Number(s): CONF-8403101-3; ON: DE84008510
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

653002 -- Nuclear Theory-- Nuclear Matter
653003* -- Nuclear Theory-- Nuclear Reactions & Scattering
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
BARYON-BARYON INTERACTIONS
CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS
ENERGY DENSITY
ENERGY RANGE
HADRON-HADRON INTERACTIONS
HEAVY ION REACTIONS
INTERACTIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATTER
MULTIPLE COLLISION METHOD
MULTIPLICITY
NUCLEAR MATTER
NUCLEAR MODELS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEON-NUCLEON INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
QUARK MATTER
RELATIVISTIC RANGE