What can we learn from a second phi meson peak in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.49.2198· OSTI ID:5093058

Ko, C M; Seibert, D ^[1]

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1. Cyclotron Institute and Physics Department, Texas A M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States) Theory Divison, CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland)

The decay width of a phi meson is reduced from its vacuum value as its mass decreases in hot hadronic matter as a result of the partial restoration of chiral symmetry. This reduction is, however, cancelled by collisional broadening through the reactions [phi][pi][r arrow][ital KK][sup *], [phi][ital K][r arrow][phi][ital K], [phi][rho][r arrow][ital KK], and [phi][phi][r arrow][ital KK]. The resulting phi meson width in hot hadronic matter is found to be less than about 10 MeV for temperatures below 200 MeV. If hadronic matter has a strong first-order phase transtion, this narrow phi meson with reduced mass will appear as a second peak in the dilepton spectrum in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. We discuss use of this second phi peak to determine the transition temperature and the lifetime of the two-phase coexistence region in the case of a strong first-order phase transition. We also discuss using the peak to determine the range of temperatures over which the transition occurs in the case of a smooth but fast change in the entropy density.

• OSTI ID: 5093058
• Journal Information: Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States) Vol. 49:4; ISSN 0556-2813; ISSN PRVCAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

662350 -- Decays of Mesons-- (1992-)
663110* -- General & Average Properties of Nuclei & Nuclear Energy Levels-- (1992-)
663300 -- Nuclear Reactions & Scattering
General-- (1992-)
663450 -- Heavy-Ion-Induced Reactions & Scattering-- (1992-)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
BOSONS
CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
HADRONS
HEAVY ION REACTIONS
LINE BROADENING
LINE WIDTHS
MATTER
MESONS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PHI-1020 MESONS
PHI-1680 MESONS
QUARK MATTER
QUARKONIUM
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
STRANGEONIUM
VECTOR MESONS