Charged Multiplicities at SPS and RHIC and consequences for $J/\psi$ suppression

Abstract

Hadron multiplicities in nucleus--nucleus interactions are calculated in the Dual Parton Model and its dependence on the number of collisions and the number of participants is analyzed. Shadowing corrections are calculated as a function of impact parameter and the multiplicity per participant as a funtion of centrality is found to be in agreement with experiment at SPS and RHIC energies. The obtained results are used to compute the $J/\psi$ suppression in a comover approach.

Comments: 4 pages, 4 postscript figures. Talk given at XXXVI Rencontres de Moriond, Les Arcs, France, March 2001