Centrality dependence of the expansion dynamics in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c

Two-particle correlation functions of negatively charged hadrons from Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon have been measured by the WA97 experiment at the CERN SPS. A Coulomb correction procedure that assumes an expanding source has been implemented. Within the framework of an expanding thermalized source model the size and dynamical state of the collision fireball at freeze-out have been reconstructed as a function of the centrality of the collision. Less central collisions exhibit a different dynamics than central ones: both transverse and longitudinal expansion velocities are slower, the expansion duration is shorter and the system freezes out showing smaller dimensions and higher temperature.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, Te

Production of strange and multistrange hadrons in nucleus-nucleus collisions at SPS

We report the main results from experiment WA97 on the production of strange and multistrange hadrons at midrapidity in Pb+Pb, p+Pb and p+Be collisions at 158~A~GeV/$c$. A comparison with some of the available models is presented

Transverse mass spectra of strange and multi-strange particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c

The WA97 experiment has measured the transverse mass (\mT) spectra fornegative hadrons (\hneg) and strange particles produced at mid--rapidity in Pb--Pb collisions. The increased statistics of analysed data samples allowed us to perform a study of the spectra of \PKzS, \PgL, $\mathrm{\Xi}$, $\mathrm{\Omega}$ and\hneg~as a function of the collision centrality. The data, whichcorrespond to the most central 40\% of the total inelastic cross section,have been divided into four centrality classes according to the estimated numberof nucleons taking part in the collision. The \mT~ spectra, analysed separatelyfor each centrality bin, exhibit only weak ($\leq$ 15\%) centrality dependence. The deviation of the$\mathrm{\Omega}$ inverse slope from the linear dependence on the particle massis confirmed even for the most central Pb--Pb collisions

Strangeness enhancement at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c

$K^{0}_{s}$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$, $\Omega$ and negative particle yields and transverse mass spectra have been measured at central rapidity in Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions at 158 $A$ GeV/$c$. The yields in Pb-Pb interactions % are presented as a function of the collision centrality and compared with those obtained from p-Pb collisions. Strangeness enhancement in Pb-Pb relative to p-Pb collisions increases with the strangeness content of the particle. Going from p-Pb to Pb-Pb, the strange particle yields increase faster than linearly with the number of participants $N_{part}$ up to $N_{part} \approx 100$, thereafter the increase becomes %linear with $N_{part}$. Yields are studied as a function of the number of nucleons participating in the collision $N_{part}$, which is estimated with the Glauber model. From p-Pb to Pb-Pb collisions the particle yields per participant increase substantially. The enhancement is more pronounced for multistrange particles, and exceeds an order of magnitude for the $\Omega$. For a number of participants, $N_{part}$, greater than $100$, however, all yields per participant appear to be constant

Determination of the number of wounded nucleons in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c

The charged particle multiplicity distributions measured by two experiments, WA97 and NA57, in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c have been analyzed in the framework of the wounded nucleon model (WNM). We obtain a good description of the data within the centrality range of our samples. This allows us to make use of the measured multiplicities to estimate the number of wounded nucleons of the collision