Strange mesons in dense nuclear matter

Abstract

Experimental data on the production of kaons and antikaons in heavy ion collisions at relativistic energies are reviewed with respect to in-medium effects. The $K^-/K^+$ ratios measured in nucleus-nucleus collisions are 1 - 2 orders of magnitude larger than in proton-proton collisions. The azimuthal angle distributions of $K^+$ mesons indicate a repulsive kaon-nucleon potential. Microscopic transport calculations consistently explain both the yields and the emission patterns of kaons and antikaons when assuming that their properties are modified in dense nuclear matter. The $K^+$ production excitation functions measured in light and heavy collision systems provide evidence for a soft nuclear equation-of-state.