Bose-Einstein or HBT correlation signature of a second order QCD phase transition

Abstract

For particles emerging from a second order QCD phase transition, we show that a recently introduced shape parameter of the Bose-Einstein correlation function, the Levy index of stability equals to the correlation exponent - one of the critical exponents that characterize the behavior of the matter in the vicinity of the second order phase transition point. Hence the shape of the Bose-Einstein / HBT correlation functions, when measured as a function of bombarding energy and centrality in various heavy ion reactions, can be utilized to locate experimentally the second order phase transition and the critical end point of the first order phase transition line in QCD.