Rate estimates for vector-meson and Drell-Yan pair production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Journal Article · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-640X(92)90038-J· OSTI ID:5166244

Vogt, R ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

Some of the most interesting probes of the high-density matter produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions are the lepton pairs produced by the decay of vector-meson resonances. Vector mesons such as {phi}, J/{psi}, and {Upsilon} decay to lepton pairs through heavy quark-antiquark, A {bar Q}, annihilation, that is J/{psi} {r arrow} {mu}{sup +}, {mu}{sup {minus}}, producing a peak in the invariant-mass spectrum at the meson mass. The Drell-Yan mechanism produces muon pairs by light quark-antiquark, q{bar q}, annihilation to a virtual photon that then decays to a muon pair, q{bar q} {r arrow}{gamma}*{r arrow}{mu}{sup +}, {mu}{sup {minus}}, to form a continuum of massive muon pairs, a major background to the resonance peaks. Before vector-meson production can be used as a quark-fluon plasma probe, their properties in a hadronic medium must be understood. The study of vector-meson resonances and the Drell-Yan mechanism alone can reveal fundamental properties of QCD.

• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5166244
• Journal Information: Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables; (United States), Journal Name: Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables; (United States) Vol. 50:2; ISSN 0092-640X; ISSN ADNDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

662220 -- Quantum Electrodynamics-- (1992-)
662390 -- Electromagnetic Processes & Properties-- (1992-)
663430 -- Nucleon-Induced Reactions & Scattering-- (1992-)
663450* -- Heavy-Ion-Induced Reactions & Scattering-- (1992-)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ACCELERATORS
BARYON REACTIONS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BOSONS
BROOKHAVEN RHIC
CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS
COMPILED DATA
CROSS SECTIONS
DATA
DECAY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DRELL MODEL
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
FIELD THEORIES
HADRON REACTIONS
HADRONS
HEAVY ION ACCELERATORS
HEAVY ION REACTIONS
INFORMATION
INTERACTIONS
LINEAR MOMENTUM
MATTER
MESONS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEON REACTIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
PAIR PRODUCTION
PARTICLE DECAY
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
PHOTOPRODUCTION
PROBES
PROTON REACTIONS
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUARK MATTER
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
RESONANCE PARTICLES
STORAGE RINGS
TRANSVERSE MOMENTUM
VECTOR MESONS