Rapidity distribution of gluons in the classical field model for heavy ion collisions

Abstract

The rapidity distribution of gluons produced in heavy ion collisions is studied by a numerical computation in 2+1-dimensional classical Yang-Mills theory. By assuming that the classical source strength g^2 mu depends on rapidity as g^4 mu^2 ~ exp(+- lambda y) and studying collisions of two nuclei with different g^2 mu we find that the rapidity distribution of produced gluons at central rapidities is very broad. The transverse energy is seen to decrease even more slowly as a function of y than the multiplicity. We discuss these results and the range in y and sqrt(s) where they are applicable in the light of experimental results and other theoretical calculations.