Vector Mesons in Medium and Dileptons in Heavy-Ion Collisions

Abstract

Theoretical approaches to assess modifications of vector mesons in the medium, as well as their experimental identification via electromagnetic probes, are discussed. Implications for the nature of chiral symmetry restoration in hot/dense matter are outlined and put into context with the axialvector channel.Comment: Invited talk by first author at the 2nd KEK-Tanashi International Symposium on 'Nuclear and Hadronic Physics with Electromagnetic Probes', Tokyo, Oct. 25-27, 1999; 8 pages LaTeX including 7 eps-figures and style file espcrc1.st