Gluon saturation and baryon stopping in the SPS, RHIC and LHC energy regions

Abstract

A new geometrical scaling method with gluon saturation rapidity limit is proposed to study the gluon saturation feature of the central rapidity region of relativistic nuclear collisions. The net-baryon number is essentially transported by valence quarks that probe the saturation regime in the target by multiple scattering. We take advantage of the gluon saturation model with geometric scaling of the rapidity limit to investigate the net baryon distributions, nuclear stopping power and gluon saturation features in the SPS and RHIC energy regions. Predictions for net-baryon rapidity distributions, the mean rapidity loss and gluon saturation feature in central Pb + Pb collisions at LHC are made in this paper.