Abstract
Several hadronic observables have been studied in central 158A GeV Pb+Pb collisions using data measured by the WA98 experiment at CERN: single π- and K- production, as well as two- and three-pion interferometry. The Wiedemann-Heinz hydrodynamical model has been fitted to the pion spectrum, giving an estimate of the temperature and transverse flow velocity. Bose-Einstein correlations between two identified π- have been analyzed as a function of kT, using two different parametrizations. The results indicate that the source does not have a strictly boost invariant expansion or spend time in a long-lived intermediate phase. A comparison between data and a hydrodynamical based simulation shows very good agreement for the radii parameters as a function of kT. The pion phase-space density at freeze-out has been measured, and agrees well with the Tomášik-Heinz model. A large pion chemical potential close to the condensation limit of mπ seems to be excluded. The three-pion Bose-Einstein interferometry shows a substantial contribution of the genuine three-pion correlation, but not quite as large as expected for a fully chaotic and symmetric source.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 014906 |
Pages (from-to) | 149061-1490613 |
Number of pages | 1341553 |
Journal | Physical Review C - Nuclear Physics |
Volume | 67 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - Jan 1 2003 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics