Search for a mixed quark-hadron phase of QCD matter at the JINR nuclotron
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earch for a Mixed Quark–Hadron Phase of QCD Matter at the JINR Nuclotron¶ A. N. Sissakian, A. S. Sorin, and V. D. Toneev Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, 141980 Russia Abstract—Physics aspects of a JINR project to reach the planned 5 A GeV energy for the Au and U beams and to increase the bombarding energy up to 10 AGeV are discussed. The project aims to search for a possible formation of a strongly interacting mixed quark–hadron phase. The relevant problems are exemplified. The need for scanning heavy-ion interactions in bombarding energy, collision centrality, and isospin asymmetry is emphasized. PACS numbers: 21.65.Qr DOI: 10.1134/S1063779608070162
1. INTRODUCTION Over the last 25 years, a lot of efforts have been made to search for new states of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions of high temperature and/or baryon density, as predicted by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). These states are relevant to understanding the evolution of the early Universe after the Big Bang, the formation of neutron stars, and the physics of heavy-ion collisions. The latter is of great importance since it opens a way to reproduce these extreme conditions in the terrestrial laboratories. This explains a continuing trend of leading world research centers to construct new heavy ion accelerators for even higher colliding energy. Looking at the list of heavy-ion accelerators, one can see that after the pioneering experiments at the Dubna Synchrophasotron, heavy-ion physics developed successfully at Bevalac (Berkley) with the bombarding energy to Elab ~ 2 A GeV, AGS (Brookhaven) Elab ~ 11 A GeV, and SPS (CERN) Elab ~ 160 A GeV. The first two machines are closed now. The nuclear physics programs at SPS as well as at SIS (GSI, Darmstadt, Elab ~ 1 A GeV) are practically completed. The new relativistic heavy-ion collider (RHIC, Brookhaven) is intensively working in the ultrarelativistic energy range s NN ~ 200 GeV to search for signals of the quark–gluon plasma formation. In this respect, many hopes are related to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC, CERN), which will start to operate in the TeV region in two years. The lowenergy scanning program at SPS (NA49 Collaboration) revealed an interesting structure in the energy dependence of some observables at Elab ~ 20–30 A GeV which can be associated with the exit of an excited system into a deconfinement state. This fact essentially
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stimulates a new large project FAIR GSI (Darmstadt) for studying compressed baryonic matter in a large energy range of Elab = 10–30 A GeV, which should come into operation after the year 2015 [1]. These problems are so attractive that the RHIC scientific society has discussed the possibility to decrease the collider energy up to the FAIR domain [2]. On the other hand, in JINR there is a modern superconducting accelerator, Nuclotron, which has not yet realized its planned parameters. The Veksler and Baldin Laboratory of High Energy has certain experimental facilities and large experience in worki
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