We present a few estimates of energy densities reached in heavy-ion collisions at the CERN SPS. The estimates are based on data and models of proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions. In all of these estimates the maximum energy density in central Pb+Pb interactions is larger than the critical energy density of about 0.7 GeV/fm^3 following from lattice gauge theory computations. In estimates which we consider as realistic the maximum energy density is about twice the critical value. In this way our analysis gives some support to claims that deconfined matter has been produced at the CERN SPS. Any definite statement requires a deeper understanding of formation times of partons and hadrons in nuclear collisions. We also compare our results with implicit energy estimates contained in earlier models of anomalous J/psi suppression in nuclear collisions.
We study the role of temperature and density inhomogeneities on the freeze-out of relativistic heavy ion collisions at CERN SPS. Especially the impact on the particle abundancies is investigated. The quality of the fits to the measured particle ratios in 158 AGeV Pb+Pb collisions significantly improves as compared to a homogeneous model.
The freeze-out conditions in the light (S+S) and heavy (Pb+Pb) colliding systems of heavy nuclei at 160 AGeV/$c$ are analyzed within the microscopic Quark Gluon String Model (QGSM). We found that even for the most heavy systems particle emission takes place from the whole space-time domain available for the system evolution, but not from the thin freeze-out hypersurface, adopted in fluid dynamical models. Pions are continuously emitted from the whole volume of the reaction and reflect the main trends of the system evolution. Nucleons in Pb+Pb collisions initially come from the surface region. For both systems there is a separation of the elastic and inelastic freeze-out. The mesons with large transverse momenta, $p_t$, are predominantly produced at the early stages of the reaction. The low $p_t$-component is populated by mesons coming mainly from the decay of resonances. This explains naturally the decreasing source sizes with increasing $p_t$, observed in HBT interferometry. Comparison with S+S and Au+Au systems at 11.6 AGeV/$c$ is also presented.
We report a measurement of $phi$ meson production in central Pb+Au collisions at E$_{lab}$/A=158 GeV. For the first time in heavy-ion collisions, $phi$ mesons were reconstructed in the same experiment both in the K$^+$K$^-$ and the dilepton decay channel. Near mid-rapidity, this yields rapidity densities, corrected for production at the same rapidity value, of 2.05 +- 0.14(stat) +- 0.25(syst) and 2.04 +- 0.49(stat)+-{0.32}(syst), respectively. The shape of the measured transverse momentum spectra is also in close agreement in both decay channels. The data rule out a possible enhancement of the $phi$ yield in the leptonic over the hadronic channel by a factor larger than 1.6 at 95% CL.
The baryon and energy densities attained in fragmentation regions in central Au+Au collisions in the energy range of the Beam Energy Scan (BES) program at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) are estimated within the model of the three-fluid dynamics. It is shown that a considerable part of the baryon charge is stopped in the central fireball. Even at 39 GeV, approximately 70% of the total baryon charge turns out to be stopped. The fraction of this stopped baryon charge decreases with collision energy rise, from 100% at 7.7 GeV to $sim$40% at 62 GeV. The highest initial baryon densities of the thermalized matter, $n_B/n_0 approx$ 10, are reached in the central region of colliding nuclei at $sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 20--40 GeV. These highest densities develop up to quite moderate freeze-out baryon densities at the midrapidity because the matter of the central fireball is pushed out to fragmentation regions by one-dimensional expansion. Therefore, consequences of these high initial baryon densities can be observed only in the fragmentation regions of colliding nuclei in AFTER@LHC experiments in the fixed-target mode.
Kinetic equilibration of the matter and baryon densities attained in central region of colliding Au+Au nuclei in the energy range of $sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 3.3--39 GeV are examined within the model of the three-fluid dynamics. It is found that the kinetic equilibration is faster at higher collision energies: the equilibration time (in the c.m. frame of colliding nuclei) rises from $sim$5 fm/c at $sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 3.3 GeV to $sim$1 fm/c at 39 GeV. The chemical equilibration, and thus thermalization, takes longer. We argue that the presented time evolution of the net-baryon and energy densities in the central region is a necessary prerequisite of proper reproduction of bulk observables in midrapidity. We suggest that for informative comparison of predictions of different models it is useful to calculate an invariant 4-volume ($V_4$), where the proper density the equilibrated matter exceeds certain value. The advantage of this 4-volume is that it does not depend on specific choice of the 3-volume in different studies and takes into account the lifetime of the high-density region, which also matters. The 4-volume $V_4=$ 100 fm$^4$/c is chosen to compare the baryon densities attainable at different different energies. It is found that the highest proper baryon density increases with the collision energy rise, from $n_B/n_0approx$ 4 at 3.3 GeV to $n_B/n_0approx$ 30 at 39 GeV. These highest densities are achieved in the central region of colliding system.