Meson Mixing and Dilepton Production in Heavy Ion Collisions

We study the possibility of $\rho-a_0$ mixing via N-N excitations in dense nuclear matter. This mixing is found to induce a peak in the dilepton spectra at an invariant mass equal to that of the $a_0$. We calculate the cross section for dilepton production through mixing and we compare its size with that of $\pi-\pi$ annihilation. In-medium masses and mixing angles are also calculated. Some preliminary results of the mixing effect on the dilepton production rates at finite temperature are also presented.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of CIPANP 200

A unique parametrization of the shapes of secondary dilepton spectra observed in central heavy-ion collisions at CERN-SPS energies

A unique parametrization of secondary (thermal) dilepton yields in heavy-ion experiments at CERN-SPS is proposed. This parametrization resembles a thermal $q \bar q$ annihilation rate. This is inspired by the observation that lepton pair production rates are quantitatively similar, whether expressed in a hadronic or partonic basis. Adding the thermal yield and the background contributions (hadronic cocktail, Drell-Yan, correlated semileptonic decays of open charm) the spectral shapes of the CERES/NA45, NA38, NA50 and HELIOS/3 data from experiments with lead and sulfur beams can be well described.Comment: 23 pages including figures (new version: only new output format

Squeezing lepton pairs out of broken symmetries

We discuss two possible signatures of symmetry breaking that can appear in dilepton spectra, as measured in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The first involves scalar-vector meson mixing and is related to the breaking of Lorentz symmetry by a hot medium. The second is related to the breaking of Furry's theorem by a charged quark-gluon plasma. Those signals will be accessible to upcoming measurements to be performed at the GSI, RHIC, and the LHC.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, talk given at the INPC 2001 (International Conference on Nuclear Physics), 30 July - 3 August 2001, Berkeley, C