Anomalous J/Psi suppression and the nature of deconfinement

Abstract

We study the characteristic features of J/Psi suppression by deconfinement. A first order phase transition leads to an essentially discontinuous onset of anomalous J/Psi suppression. The different energy densities required for the dissociation of different charmonium states result in a two-step suppression pattern, in which first the J/Psi's from chi decays are suppressed and subsequently the directly produced J/Psi states. Combining both features leads to a unique form of J/Psi suppression in a deconfining medium.