High baryon and energy densities achievable in heavy-ion collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 39 GeV

Abstract

Baryon and energy densities, which are reached in central Au+Au collisions at collision energy of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=39$ GeV, are estimated within the model of three-fluid dynamics. It is shown that the initial thermalized mean proper baryon and energy densities in a sizable central region approximately are $n_B/n_0\approx$ 10 and $\epsilon \approx$ 40 GeV/fm${}^3$, respectively. The study indicates that the deconfinement transition at the stage of interpenetration of colliding nuclei makes the system quite opaque. The final fragmentation regions in these collisions are formed not only by primordial fragmentation fireballs, i.e. the baryon-rich matter passed through the interaction region (containing approximately 30\% of the total baryon charge), but also by the baryon-rich regions of the central fireball pushed out to peripheral rapidities by the subsequent almost one-dimensional expansion of the central fireball along the beam direction.

Comments: 4 pages, 4 figures, minor corrections, version published in Phys. Rev. C