Results of the NA49 experiment on the search for the quark-gluon plasma at the CERN SPS

Experiment NA 49 at the CERN SPS has performed large acceptance measurements of hadron production in Pb+Pb collisions at 40 and 158 A-GeV beam energies. These data allowed a study of the space-time evolution, the hadro-chemical composition and event-by-event fluctuations of average event properties of the created hadron system. Results at top SPS energy are consistent with the existence of a transient deconfined phase in the early stage of the reaction.     

D and J/ψ production from deconfined matter in relativistic heavy ion collisions

We study the production of the D and J/ψ mesons from deconfined quark matter at CERN SPS energy. Using the MICOR microscopical coalescence model we determine the transverse momentum spectra of these charm mesons. We predict the slopes of their transverse momentum spectra in Pb+Pb collision at 158 GeV/nucleon beam energy.     

Particle production in Pb+Pb collisions at the SPS

Experiment NA49 at the CERN SPS employs a large acceptance detector to study particle spectra, yields and correlations in nucleus-nucleus, nucleon-nucleus and nucleon-nucleon collisions. Preliminary results on pion, kaon, A and ā production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40, 80 and 158 A·GeV beam energy are shown and compared to measurements at lower and higher energies.     

Strange meson enhancement in PbPb collisions

The NA44 Collaboration has measured yields and differential distributions of K⁺, K⁻, π⁺, π⁻ in transverse kinetic energy and rapidity, around the center-of-mass rapidity in 158 A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. A considerable enhancement of K⁺ production per π is observed, as compared to p+p collisions at this energy. To illustrate the importance of secondary hadron rescattering as an enhancement mechanism, we compare strangeness production at the SPS and AGS with predictions of the transport model RQMD.     

Signatures of the deconfinement transition in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN SPS

The energy dependence of hadron production in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions reveals anomalies-kink, horn, and step. They have been predicted as the signals of the deconfinement phase transition and observed recently by the NA49 Collaboration in Pb + Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. This indicates the onset of deconfinement in nucleus-nucleus collisions at about 30 A GeV. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

Energy Dependence of String Fragmentation Function and φ Meson Production

The φ meson productions in Au+Au and/or Pb+Pb collisions at AGS, SPS, RHIC, and LHC energies have been studied systematically with a hadron and string cascade model LUCIAE. After considering the energy dependence of the model parameter α in string fragmentation function and adjusting it to the experimental data of charged multiplicity to a certain extent, the model predictions for φ meson yield, rapidity, and transverse mass distributions are compatible with the experimental data at AGS, SPS and RHIC energies. A calculation for Pb+Pb collisions at LHC energy is given as well. The obtained fractional variable in string fragmentation function shows a saturation in energy dependence. It is discussed that the saturation of fractional variable in string fragmentation function might be a qualitative representation of the energy dependence of nuclear transparency.     

Indications for the onset of deconfinement in Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS

Particle production in central Pb+Pb collisions was studied with the NA49 large acceptance spectrometer at the CERN SPS at beam energies of 20, 30, 40, 80 and 158 GeV per nucleon. A change of the energy dependence is observed around 30A GeV for the yields of pions and strange particles as well as for the shapes of the transverse mass spectra. The energy dependence of fluctuations and correlations shows no structure. At present only a reaction scenario with onset of deconfinement is able to reproduce the measurements.     

高能重离子碰撞中正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏研究

用强子和弦级联模型,JPCIAE及相应的Monte Carlo事例产生器,研究相对论性核–核碰撞中有限快度区间内正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏与能量、中心度、共振态衰变及快度间隔的关系.JPCIAE模型能够较好地符合CERN/SPS能区Pb+Pb碰撞的实验结果.本文还用此模型预言了RHIC能区Au+Au碰撞和ALICE能区Pb+Pb碰撞中的正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏.可以看出碰撞能量、中心度、共振态衰变及快度间隔对正负荷电粒子比单事例起伏的影响都不大.     

Onset of deconfinement and critical point: NA49 and NA61/SHINE at the CERN SPS

This paper is dedicated to the memory of József Zimányi one of the founders of the experiment NA49 at the CERN SPS. Firstly, the paper summarizes the main results of NA49 concerning observation of the onset of deconfinement in central Pb+Pb collisions at the low SPS energies. Secondly, it sketches the physics program of NA61 at the CERN SPS, the successor of NA49, which in particular aims to discover the critical point of strongly interacting matter. Finaly, a brief review of the future experimental programs in the CERN SPS energy range is given.     

Strange particle production in relativistic collisions of heavy ions

This review examines data on strange particle production in Pb + Pb collisions obtained in heavy ion experiments at CERN SPS. The yields of K, Λ, Ξ and Ω are considered, as well as their rapidity and transverse mass distributions, depending on the centrality of Pb + Pb collisions at SPS energies. Experimental results are compared with predictions of the statistical nuclear fireball and microscopic parton -string models. We discuss in detail the experimentally observed effect of strangeness enhancement in nucleus-nucleus collisions as compared to nucleon-nuclear interactions and its interpretation within the framework of various theoretical models. Also, we analyze the behavior of hyperon yields and nuclear modification factors in passing from SPS to RHIC energies.     

Wigner functions in high energy physics

Recent developments are (meta)reviewed in the applications of Wigner functions to describe the observed single-particle spectra and two-particle Bose-Einstein (or Hanbury Brown-Twiss) correlations in high energy particle and nuclear physics, with examples from hadron-proton and Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS.     

On energy densities reached in heavy-ion collisions at the CERN SPS

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 GeV/fm³ following from lattice gauge theory computations. In estimates which we consider as realistic the maximum energy density is about . 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 suppression in nuclear collisions. Received: 3 February 2003 / Revised version: 5 March 2003 / Published online: 5 May 2003     

Search for deconfinement in NA49 at the CERN SPS

Experiment NA49 at the CERN SPS uses a large acceptance detector for a systematic study of particle yields and correlations in nucleus-nucleus, nucleon-nucleus and nucleon-nucleon collisions. Preliminary results for Pb+Pb collisions at 40, 80 and 158 A⋅GeV beam energy shown and compared to measurements at lower and higher energies.     

Current status of quark-gluon plasma signals

Compelling evidence for the creation of a new form of matter has been claimed to be found in Pb+Pb collisions at SPS. We discuss the uniqueness of often proposed experimental signatures for quark matter formation in relativistic heavy ion collisions. It is demonstrated that so far none of the proposed signals like J/? meson production/suppression, strangeness enhancement, dileptons, and directed flow unambiguously show that a phase of deconfined matter has been formed in SPS Pb+Pb collisions. We emphasize the need for systematic future measurements to search for simultaneous irregularities in the excitation functions of several observables in order to come close to pinning the properties of hot, dense QCD matter from data.     

Intriguing aspects of strangeness production at CERN energies

Strange particle production in pp, pA and AA collisions at CERN SPS energies is reviewed. First results from Pb beam experiments are briefly presented. The emerging picture (still incomplete) is discussed.     

Deuteron and triton production with high energy sulphur and lead beams

Proton and deuteron production has been observed in S+S and S+Pb collisions at 200 AGeV and in Pb+Pb reactions at 158 AGeV at the CERN SPS accelerator. For Pb+Pb triton production was also measured. The p and d spectra as well as the p and t spectra were observed in similar rapidity ranges and over similar ranges of transverse momenta per nucleon, making it possible to interpret the cross sections of the composite particles in terms of coalescence mechanisms. Volumes of homogeneity were extracted and compared to pion-pair HBT interferometry results. Special attention is given to the dependence on transverse mass, centrality and rapidity. Received: 23 July 2001 / Revised version: 16 November 2001 / Published online: 25 January 2002     

Charmonium production in Pb−Pb collisions at 158 <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis> GeV

The NA50 experiment at CERN SPS studies charmonia and Drell-Yan production in the μ⁺ μ^? decay channel at 158A GeV. The data collected in Pb?Pb collisions during 1995, 1996 and 1998 run periods show that the J/ψ is anomalously suppressed in central collisions. This observed suppression pattern can be considered as a strong indication of the production of Quark-Gluon Plasma.     

Heavy ion e+e− pairs to all orders in Zα

The heavy ion cross section for continuum e⁺e^? pair production has been calculated to all orders in Zα. Comparison is made with available CERN SPS and RHIC STAR data. Computed cross sections are found to be reduced from perturbation theory with increasing charge of the colliding heavy ions and for all energy and momentum regions investigated. Au or Pb total cross sections are reduced by 28% (SPS), 17% (RHIC) and 11% (LHC). For very high energy (E _e ⁺, E _e ^?>3 GeV) forward pairs at LHC the reduction from perturbation theory is a bit larger (17%). Use of zero degree calorimeter triggering (and thus small impact parameter weighting) makes impact parameter representation of exact pair production useful. Preliminary exact calculations in the zero impact parameter limit show a much larger reduction from perturbation theory (about 40%) at both RHIC and LHC.     

(Non)thermal aspects of charmonium production and a new look at J/ψ suppression

To investigate a recent proposal that J/ψ production in ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions is of thermal origin we have reanalyzed the data from the NA38/50 Collaboration within a thermal model including charm. Comparison of the calculated with measured yields demonstrates the non-thermal origin of hidden charm production at SPS energy. However, the ratio ψ′/(J/ψ) exhibits, in central nucleus-nucleus collisions, thermal features which lead us to a new interpretation of open charm and charmonium production at SPS energy. Implications for RHIC and LHC energy measurements will be discussed.     

Power spectrum analysis to identify exotic events in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The usefulness of the power spectrum method has been studied for identifying non-statistical fluctuations artificially injected in a small subset of normal simulated events in S + Au and Pb + Pb collisions at CERN SPS energy. Number of peaks in the power spectrum above a threshold is used as the selection criterion. In most cases the efficiency of selection is high and the impurity in the filtered sample due to the statistical fluctuation of normal events is quite low. Special treatment is suggested for weak non-statistical component at a level of admixture comparable to the statistical fluctuation.