Hadronization of Expanding QGP

We discuss how the dynamics of an exploding hot fireball of quark--gluon matter impacts the actual phase transition conditions between the deconfined and confined state of matter. We survey the chemical conditions prevailing at hadronization.Comment: 8 pages, presented at QGPTH05, Vienna, August 200

Centrality Dependence of Bulk Fireball Properties at RHIC

We explore the centrality dependence of properties of the dense hadronic matter created in \sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV Au--Au collisions at RHIC. Using the statistical hadronization model we fit particle yields known for 11 centrality bins. We present the resulting model parameters, rapidity yields of physical quantities and the physical properties of bulk matter at hadronization as function of centrality. We discuss the production of strangeness and entropy.Comment: 7 pages including 5 figures, 1 table: more information provided: figure 1 in lieu of work in progress defines phi-data, table for statistical parameters for all models as function of centrality, additional references and reference update, section captions, PRC `nearly to be published'.... look out for further updates, referees run amoc

Quark-Gluon Plasma Fireball

Lattice-QCD results provide an opportunity to model, and extrapolate to finite baryon density, the properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). Upon fixing the scale of the thermal coupling constant and vacuum energy to the lattice data, the properties of resulting QGP equations of state (EoS) are developed. We show that the physical properties of the dense matter fireball formed in heavy ion collision experiments at CERN-SPS are well described by the QGP-EoS we presented. We also estimate the properties of the fireball formed in early stages of nuclear collision, and argue that QGP formation must be expected down to 40A GeV in central Pb--Pb interactions.Comment: 10 pages, 9 postscript figures, 1 table, uses revtex, V3: introduced difference between n_f and n_s; fireball restframe energy corrected, references added. Publisched version in press Phys. Rev.

Strangeness Chemical Equilibration in QGP at RHIC and LHC

We study, in the dynamically evolving QGP fireball formed in relativistic heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC, the growth of strangeness yield toward and beyond the chemical equilibrium. We account for the contribution of the direct strangeness production and evaluate the thermal-QCD strangeness production mechanisms. The specific yield of strangeness per entropy, s/S, is the primary target variable. We explore the effect of collision impact parameter, i.e., fireball size, on kinetic strangeness chemical equilibration in QGP. Insights gained in study the RHIC data with regard to the dynamics of the fireball are applied to the study strangeness production at the LHC. We use these results and consider the strange hadron relative particle yields at RHIC and LHC in a systematic fashion. We consider both the dependence on s/S and directly participant number dependence.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, PRC in press. Strangeness production recomputed with K-factor K=1.7. Particle yields recomputed with SHARE 2.

Soft Hadron Ratios at the LHC

High precision soft hadron abundance data produced in relativistic nuclear collisions at LHC at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}\le 5500$ GeV will become available beginning in 2007/8. We explore, within the statistical hadronization model, how these results can help us understand the properties of the deconfined quark--gluon phase at its breakup. We make assumptions about the physical properties of the fireball and obtain particle production predictions. Then, we develop a strategy to measure parameters of interest, such as strangeness occupancy $\gamma_s$, chemical potentials $\mu_{\rm B}$ and $\mu_{\rm S}$.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, v2: clarifications added, title simplified; accepted for publication in the European Journal of Physics

Centrality dependence of strangeness and (anti)hyperon production at BNL RHIC

We evaluate strangeness produced in Au--Au interactions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=200$ GeV, as function of reaction participant number $A$, and obtain the relative strange quark content at hadronization. Strange baryon and antibaryon rapidity density yields are studied, relative to, and as function of, participant number, and produced hadron yields.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figures, v2 text improvmen

Gluon production, cooling and entropy in nuclear collisions

We study the cooling (heating) of a glue-parton gas due to production (destruction) of particles and determine the associated production of entropy. We incorporate sharing of the system energy among a changing number of particles. We find that the entropy of an evolving glue-parton gas changes in an insignificant range once the initial high temperature state has been formed, despite a great change in particle number and temperature.Comment: Replaced for bad printing on US paper. 7 pages, LaTeX, 4 postscript figure

The statistical hadronization model approach to sNN=200\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV Au-Au collisions: pTp_{T}-spectra fits and global variable predictions

Three possible scenarios of the statistical hadronization model are reexamined with the use of the $p_{T}$ spectra of the PHENIX and very low $p_{T}$ PHOBOS measurements at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV. These scenarios are: (\textit{a}) full chemical non-equilibrium, (\textit{b}) strangeness chemical non-equilibrium and (\textit{c}) chemical equilibrium. Fits to the spectra are done within the Cracow single-freeze-out model, which takes into account both the expansion and resonance decays. Predictions for spectra of $\phi$, $K(892)^{\ast 0}$ and $\pi^{0}$ are also given. The global variables like the transverse energy at midrapidity, the charged particle multiplicity at midrapidity and the total multiplicity of charged particles are evaluated and their predicted values agree qualitatively well with the experimental data. The thorough analysis within this model suggests that the chemical full non-equilibrium case is the least likely and both other cases are of the similar likelihood. It is also shown that if the full chemical non-equilibrium freeze-out took place it could manifest itself in the enhancement of the $\pi^{0}$-production at very low transverse momenta.Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures (included). This is the final version accepted in Phys. Rev. C. Figs.9 and 10 have been changed since it turned out that the data on \phi meson production were corrected for the branching ratio of \phi decay into K_{+}K_{-