Statistical Thermodynamics of Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions

Mekjian, Aram Z.

doi:10.1016/0375-9474(78)90604-8

Statistical Thermodynamics of Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions

Aram Z. Mekjian
(
- Rutgers U., Piscataway
)

Mar, 1978

33 pages

Published in:

Nucl.Phys.A 312 (1978) 491-523

Published: 1978

DOI:

10.1016/0375-9474(78)90604-8

Report number:

PRINT-78-0251 (RUTGERS)

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Abstract: (Elsevier)

Statistical thermodynamics is used to investigate properties of the collisions of two heavy ions at high energies. Composite particle formation and multiparticle production are considered. The basis of the description is a heated system of nucleons and produced particles which expands from some initial state to some break-up state where interactions cease. In this expansion dynamical processes occur which form and fragment nuclei, and produce and absorb particles. Interactions persist until the mean free paths describing the various processes become comparable to the size of the system. Thereafter, the system is non-interacting and the multiplicity of the various species present at the break-up stage is assumed to reflect a frozen-in equilibrium. Using the Van't Hoff reaction box, the phase space distribution of composite particles is shown to be quasiclassical. Pion multiplicities are also considered and the importance of the expansion stage on this multiplicity is stressed. For an isentropic expansion, the multiplicity of produced pions is shown to be greatly reduced. The predictions of the model may be useful in establishing the role of viscosity in collisions of heavy ions.

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