Collective Evolution of Hot QCD Matter from the QGP to Freeze-Out

Abstract

We present results on the evolution of <p_t> with energy, for hadrons emerging from hadronization of a quark-gluon plasma possibly produced in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. We find that BNL-RHIC energy corresponds to the previously predicted plateau of <p_t>, reminiscent of the assumed first-order QCD phase transition. Heavy hadrons are the best messengers of the transverse flow stall.

Comments: 4 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of CIPANP2000, 7th Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics, May 22-28, 2000, Quebec City