We study the thermodynamic properties of infinite nuclear matter with the
Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (URQMD), a semiclassical transport
model, running in a box with periodic boundary conditions. It appears that the
energy density rises faster than T4 at high temperatures of Tā200ā300~MeV. This indicates an increase in the number of degrees of freedom.
Moreover, We have calculated direct photon production in Pb+Pb collisions at
160~GeV/u within this model. The direct photon slope from the microscopic
calculation equals that from a hydrodynamical calculation without a phase
transition in the equation of state of the photon source.Comment: Proceedings of the XIV International Conference on Particles and
Nuclei (PANIC'96), 22-28 May 1996, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, to be
published by World Scientific Publ. Co. (3 pages