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Hydrodynamics near the QCD Phase Transition: Looking for the Longest-Lived Fireball

C. M. Hung, E. V. Shuryak

hep-pharXiv:hep-ph/9412360

Abstract

We propose a new strategy for the experimental search of the QCD phase transition in heavy ion collisions: One may tune collision energy around the point where the lifetime of the fireball is expected to be longest. We demonstrate that the hydrodynamic evolution of excited nuclear matter does change dramatically as the initial energy density goes through the "softest point" (where the pressure to energy density ratio reaches its minimum). For our choice of equation of state, this corresponds to epsiloni approx. = 1.5 GeV/fm3 and collision energy Elab/A approx. = 30 GeV (for Au+Au). Various observables seem to show distinct changes near the softest point.

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