Electromagnetic Probes of Strongly Interacting Matter: Probes of Chiral Symmetry Restoration?

Abstract

The QCD sum rule approach to in-medium modifications of the omega meson in nuclear matter is reviewed with emphasis of its relation to 4-quark condensates and chiral symmetry restoration. Possible implications of the CB-TAPS experiment for the reaction gamma A -> A' omega (-> pi0 gamma) are sketched and the particularly important role of di-electron probes, accessible with HADES, is highlighted. A brief update of a parametrization of the previous dilepton and photon probes from CERES and WA98 of heavy-ion collisions at CERN-SPS energies is presented.