No Arabic abstract
New measurements by the NA49 experiment of the centrality dependence of event-by-event fluctuations of the particle yield ratios (K$^{+}$+K$^{-}$)/($pi^{+}+pi^{-}$), (p+$bar{text p}$)/($pi^{+}+pi^{-}$), and (K$^{+}$+K$^{-}$)/(p+$bar{text p}$) are presented for Pb+Pb collisions at 158$A$ GeV. The absolute values of the dynamical fluctuations of these ratios, quantified by the measure $sigma_{text{dyn}}$, increase by about a factor of two from central to semi-peripheral collisions. Multiplicity scaling scenarios are tested and found to apply for both the centrality and the previously published energy dependence of the (K$^{+}$+K$^{-}$)/($pi^{+}+pi^{-}$) and (p+$bar{text p}$)/($pi^{+}+pi^{-}$) ratio fluctuations. A description of the centrality and energy dependence of (K$^{+}$+K$^{-}$)/(p+$bar{text p}$) ratio fluctuations by a common scaling prescription is not possible since there is a sign change in the energy dependence.
First results on the measurement of localized fluctuations in the multiplicity of charged particles and photons produced in central 158 A GeV Pb+Pb collisions are presented. The charged versus neutral correlations in common phase space regions of varying azimuthal size are analyzed by two different methods. The measured results are compared to those from simulations and to those from different types of mixed events. The comparison indicates the presence of non-statistical fluctuations in both charged particle and photon multiplicities in limited azimuthal regions. However, no correlated charge-neutral fluctuations are observed.
A novel approach, the identity method, was used for particle identification and the study of fluctuations of particle yield ratios in Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). This procedure allows to unfold the moments of the unknown multiplicity distributions of protons (p), kaons (K), pions ($pi$) and electrons (e). Using these moments the excitation function of the fluctuation measure $ u_{text{text{dyn}}}$[A,B] was measured, with A and B denoting different particle types. The obtained energy dependence of $ u_{text{dyn}}$ agrees with previously published NA49 results on the related measure $sigma_{text{dyn}}$. Moreover, $ u_{text{dyn}}$ was found to depend on the phase space coverage for [K,p] and [K,$pi$] pairs. This feature most likely explains the reported differences between measurements of NA49 and those of STAR in central Au+Au collisions.
We present results of a two-pion correlation analysis performed with the Au+Pb collision data collected by the upgraded CERES experiment in the fall of 2000. The analysis was done in bins of the reaction centrality and the pion azimuthal emission angle with respect to the reaction plane. The pion source, deduced from the data, is slightly elongated in the direction perpendicular to the reaction plane, similarly as was observed at the AGS and at RHIC.
Results are presented on hyperon and antihyperon production in Pb-Pb, pPb and pBe collisions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon. Lambda, Xi and Omega yields have been measured at central rapidity and medium transverse momentum as functions of the centrality of the collision. Comparing the yields in Pb-Pb to those in pBe interactions, strangeness enhancement is observed. The enhancement increases with the centrality and with the strangeness content of the hyperons, reaching a factor of about 20 for the Omega in the central Pb-Pb collisions.
Charged particle multiplicities from high multiplicity central interactions of 158 GeV/nucleon Pb ions with Pb target nuclei have been measured in the central and far forward projectile spectator regions using emulsion chambers. Multiplicities are significantly lower than predicted by Monte Carlo simulations. We examine the shape of the pseudorapidity distribution and its dependence on centrality in detail.