Strangeness and Statistical QCD

Abstract

We discuss properties of statistical QCD relevant in Fermi phase space model analysis of strange hadron production experimental data. We argue that the analysis results interpreted using established statistical QCD properties are demonstrating formation of the color deconfined state of matter in relativistic heavy ion collisions at highest CERN-SPS energies and at BNL-RHIC, comprising deconfined matter composed of nearly massless quarks and gluons, in statistical equilibrium.

Comments: 22 pages, including 7 figures, 3 tables, to appear in Nuclear Physics Proceedings Supplement: STATISTICAL QCD, held at Bielefeld August 2001