Theoretical Approach to Alignment Phenomenon

An explanation of the puzzling alignment effect observed in cosmic ray experiments is suggestedComment: 7 pages, LaTEX, 4 figures (available from the author upon request

Color deconfinement and subhadronic matter: phase states and the role of constituent quarks

Major aspects of the subhadronic state of nuclear matter populated with deconfined color particles are reviewed. At high and even at rather low nuclear collision energies, this is expected to be a short-term quark-gluon plasma (QGP), but, seemingly, not only this. Emphasis is put on the self-consistency requirement that must be imposed on any phenomenological description of the evolution of a hot and dense nuclear medium as it expands (cools down) to the point where the final scattering of secondary particles starts. The view is argued and analyzed that massive constituent quarks should then play a major role at a certain cooling stage. A hypothesis is discussed regarding the existence of an intermediate stage (a valon plasma), allowing a consistent explanation of data on the mid-rapidity yields of various kinds of hadrons and direct dileptons (e+e- -pairs) in high-energy heavy-ion collisions.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure

On the Possible Common Nature of Double Extensive Air Showers and Aligned Events

Double Extensive Air Showers and aligned events were discovered at energies E {\gtsim} 1016 eV over fourth century back. But up to now there is no sufficiently identical explanation of their nature. In this paper it is expected that both types of events are the result of breakup of the string formed in the collisions of super high energy particles

"Free" Constituent Quarks and Dilepton Production in Heavy Ion Collisions

An approach is suggested, invoking vitally the notion of constituent massive quarks (valons) which can survive and propagate rather than hadrons (except of pions) within the hot and dense matter formed below the chiral transition temperature in course of the heavy ion collisions at high energies. This approach is shown to be quite good for description of the experimentally observed excess in dilepton yield at masses 250 MeV < M < 700 MeV over the prompt resonance decay mechanism (CERES cocktail) predictions. In certain aspects, it looks to be even more successful, than the conventional approaches: it seems to match the data somewhat better at dilepton masses before the two-pion threshold and before the rho-meson peak as well as at higher dilepton masses (beyond the phi-meson one). The approach implies no specific assumptions on the equation of state (EOS) or peculiarities of phase transitions in the expanding nuclear matter.Comment: 13 pages, 3 PNG figures. submitted to Sov. Nucl. Phy