Baryon-Rich Quark-Gluon Plasma in Nuclear Collision

Abstract

The maximum achievable temperature (energy density) and minimum kinetic energy required for the formation of a baryon-rich quark-gluon plasma formed at central rapidity in small impact parameter nuclear collisions is estimated. A possible mechanism leading to the pile-up of matter is introduced. Plasma formation is expected to appear at about 15 GeV/Nucleon uranium beam energy on a stationary target or 2.7 GeV/Nucleon in colliding beams.

Comments: 22 pages incl. 6 figures, to appear in proceedings of Bad Honnef meeting on "Fundamental Issues in Elementary Matter" Septmeber 25-29, 2000. This manuscript was widely circulated in November 1984 as University of Cape Town preprint UCT-TP 7/84. Its content is highly topical today. Compared to the preprint only corrections of a few equation typos seen in UCT-TP 7/84, and update of footnotes and references, were made