Inhomogeneous freeze-out in heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

Relative hadron abundances from high-energy heavy-ion collisions reveal substantial inhomogeneities of temperature and baryon-chemical potential within the decoupling volume. The freeze-out volume is not perfectly "stirred", i.e. the concentrations of pions, kaons, (anti-) nucleons etc are inhomogeneous. Such inhomogeneities in the late stages of the hydrodynamic expansion might be traces of a first-order phase transition.

Comments: Contribution to the GSI annual scientific report 2004