What Can We Learn from Transverse Momentum Spectra in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions?

Abstract

We compare the predictions of different models for transverse momentum spectra in relativistic heavy ion collisions. Particular emphasis is given to hydrodynamic flow with different assumptions for the radial expansion, and to models based on a superposition of fireballs along the transverse direction (random walk). It is shown that present experimental data cannot distinguish between the models under consideration.