Review of Monte Carlo methods for particle multiplicity evaluation

Abstract

I present a brief review of the existing models for particle multiplicity evaluation in heavy ion collisions which are at our disposal in the form of Monte Carlo simulators. Models are classified according to the physical mechanisms with which they try to describe the different stages of a high-energy collision between heavy nuclei. A comparison of predictions, as available at the beginning of year 2000, for multiplicities in central AuAu collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and PbPb collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is provided.