Using an advanced version of the hadron resonance gas model we have found indications for irregularities in data for hadrons produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. These include an abrupt change of the effective number of degrees of freedom,
a change of the slope of the ratio of lambda hyperons to protons at laboratory energies 8.6--11.6 AGeV, as well as highly correlated plateaus in the collision-energy dependence of the entropy per baryon, total pion number per baryon, and thermal pion number per baryon at laboratory energies 6.9-11.6 AGeV. Also, we observe a sharp peak in the dimensionless trace anomaly at a laboratory energy of 11.6 AGeV. On the basis of the generalized shock-adiabat model we demonstrate that these observations give evidence for the anomalous thermodynamic properties of the mixed phase at its boundary to the quark-gluon plasma. We argue that the trace-anomaly peak and the local minimum of the generalized specific volume observed at a laboratory energy of 11.6 AGeV provide a signal for the formation of a mixed phase between the quark-gluon plasma and the hadron phase. This naturally explains the change of slope in the energy dependence of the yield of lambda hyperons per proton at a laboratory energy of 8.6 GeV.
Using the most advanced model of the hadron resonance gas we reveal, at chemical freeze-out, remarkable irregularities such as an abrupt change of the effective number of degrees of freedom and plateaus in the collision-energy dependence of the entro
py per baryon, total pion number per baryon, and thermal pion number per baryon at laboratory energies 6.9-11.6 AGeV. On the basis of the generalized shock adiabat model we show that these plateaus give evidence for the thermodynamic anomalous properties of the mixed phase at its boundary to the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). A new signal for QGP formation is suggested and justified.
The chemical freeze-out of hadrons created in the high energy nuclear collisions is studied within the realistic version of the hadron resonance gas model. The chemical non-equilibrium of strange particles is accounted via the usual $gamma_{s}$ facto
r which gives us an opportunity to perform a high quality fit with $chi^2/dof simeq 63.5/55 simeq 1.15$ of the hadronic multiplicity ratios measured from the low AGS to the highest RHIC energies. In contrast to previous findings, at low energies we observe the strangeness enhancement instead of a suppression. In addition, the performed $gamma_{s}$ fit allows us to achieve the highest quality of the Strangeness Horn description with $chi^2/dof=3.3/14$. For the first time the top point of the Strangeness Horn is perfectly reproduced, which makes our theoretical horn as sharp as an experimental one. However, the $gamma_{s}$ fit approach does not sizably improve the description of the multi-strange baryons and antibaryons. Therefore, an apparent deviation of multi-strange baryons and antibaryons from chemical equilibrium requires further explanation.
The Hadron Resonance Gas Model with two chemical freeze-outs, connected by conservation laws is considered. We are arguing that the chemical freeze-out of strange hadrons should occur earlier than the chemical freeze-out of non-strange hadrons. The h
adron multiplicities measured in the heavy ion collisions for the center of mass energy range 2.7 - 200 GeV are described well by such a model. Based on a success of such an approach, a radical way to improve the Hadron Resonance Gas Model performance is suggested. Thus, we suggest to identify the hadronic reactions that freeze-out noticeably earlier or later that most of the others reactions (for different collision energies they may be different) and to consider a separate freeze-out for them.
Below we analyze the `critic statements made in the Preprint arXiv:1301.1828v1 [nucl-th]. The doubtful scientific argumentation of the authors of the Preprint arXiv:1301.1828v1 [nucl-th] is also discussed.
