K−/K+K^-/K^+ ratios in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We study $K^-/K^+$ ratios as a function of centrality (participant nucleon number), transverse mass ($m_t$), and rapidity, in heavy-ion collisions at beam energies between 1A and 2A GeV. We use the relativistic transport model that includes expicitly the strangeness degrees of freedom and consider two scenarios for kaon properties in dense matter, one with and one without medium modifications of their properties. In both scenarios, The $K^-/K^+$ ratio does not change very much with the centrality, while the $K/\pi$ and ${\bar K}/\pi$ ratios increase with increasing centrality. Significant differences are predicted, both in magnitudes and shapes, for the $m_t$ spectra and rapidity distributions of $K^-/K^+$ ratio. Experimental measurement of these ratios, currently under investigation by the FOPI, KaoS, E866, and E895 collaborations, will be useful in revealing the kaon in-medium properties.Comment: RevTex, 10 pages, including 17 postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Photon production in heavy-ion collisions at SPS energies

Single photon spectra in heavy-ion collisions at SPS energies are studied in the relativistic transport model that incorporates self-consistently the change of hadron masses in dense matter. We separate the total photon spectrum into `background' arising from the radiative decays of $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons, and the `themal' one from other sources. For the latter we include contributions from radiative decays of $\rho$, $\omega$, $\eta'$, and $a_1$, radiative decays of baryon resonances, as well as two-body processes such as $\pi\pi \to \rho\gamma$ and $\pi\rho \to \pi\gamma$. It is found that more than 95% of all photons come from the decays of $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ mesons, while the thermal photons account for less than 5% of the total photon yield. The thermal photon spectra in our calculations with either free or in-medium meson masses do not exceed the upper bound set by the experimental measurment of the WA80 Collaboration.Comment: RevTeX, 21 pages, including 13 postscript figure

Difficulties in probing density dependent symmetry potential with the HBT interferometry

Based on the updated UrQMD transport model, the effect of the symmetry potential energy on the two-nucleon HBT correlation is investigated with the help of the coalescence program for constructing clusters, and the CRAB analyzing program of the two-particle HBT correlation. An obvious non-linear dependence of the neutron-proton (or neutron-neutron) HBT correlation function ($C_{np,nn}$) at small relative momenta on the stiffness factor $\gamma$ of the symmetry potential energy is found: when $\gamma \lesssim 0.8$, the $C_{np,nn}$ increases rapidly with increasing $\gamma$, while it starts to saturate if $\gamma \gtrsim 0.8$. It is also found that both the symmetry potential energy at low densities and the conditions of constructing clusters at the late stage of the whole process influence the two-nucleon HBT correlation with the same power.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Antikaon flow in heavy-ion collisions: the effects of absorption and mean fields

We study antikaon flow in heavy-ion collisions at SIS energies based on the relativistic transport model (RVUU 1.0). The production of antikaons from both baryon-baryon and pion-baryon collisions are included. Taking into account only elastic and inelastic collisions of the antikaon with nucleons and neglecting its mean-field potential as in the cascade model, a strong antiflow or anti-correlation of antikaons with respect to nucleons is seen as a result of the strong absorption of antikaons by nucleons. However, the antiflow of antikaons disappears after including also their propagation in the attractive mean-field potential. The experimental measurement of antikaon flow in heavy-ion collision will be very useful in shedding lights on the relative importance of antikaon absorption versus its mean-field potential.Comment: 12 pages, 2 postscript figures omitted in the original submission are included, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Antiproton production in Ni+Ni collisions at 1.85 GeV/nucleon

Antiproton production in Ni+Ni collisions at 1.85 GeV/nucleon is studied in the relativistic Vlasov-Uehling-Uhlenbeck model. The self-energies of the antiproton are determined from the nucleon self-energies by the G-parity transformation. Also, the final-state interactions of the antiproton including both rescattering and annihilation are explicitly treated. With a soft nuclear equation of state, the calculated antiproton momentum spectrum is in good agreement with recent experimental data from the heavy-ion synchrotron at GSI. The effect due to the reduced nucleon and antinucleon masses in a medium is found to be more appreciable than in earlier Bevalac experiments with lighter systems and at higher energies.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures available upon request to [email protected]. TAMUNT-940