Baryon Fluctuations and the QCD Phase Transition

Abstract

The dynamic separation into phases of high and low baryon density in a heavy ion collision can enhance fluctuations of the net rapidity density of baryons compared to model expectations. We demonstrate that event-by-event proton and antiproton measurements can be used to observe this phenomenon. We then perform real-time lattice simulations to show how these fluctuations arise and how they can survive through freeze out.

Comments: 5 pages, 4 figures; added text, references