Dilepton production in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at SPS energies Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Dilepton production in proton- and nucleus-induced reactions is studied in the relativistic transport model using initial conditions determined by the string dynamics from RQMD. It is found that both the CERES and HELIOS-3 data for dilepton spectra in proton-nucleus reactions can be well described by the 'conventional' mechanism of Dalitz decay and direct vector meson decay. However, to provide a quantitative explanation of the observed dilepton spectra in central S+Au and S+W collisions requires contributions other than these direct decays. Introducing a decrease of vector meson masses in hot and dense medium, we find that these heavy-ion data can also be satisfactorily explained. This agrees with our earlier conclusions based on a fire-cylinder model. We also give predictions for Pb+Au collisions at 160 GeV/nucleon using current CERES mass resolution and acceptance.

published proceedings

  • Nuclear Physics A

author list (cited authors)

  • Li, G. Q., Ko, C. M., Brown, G. E., & Sorge, H.

citation count

  • 67

complete list of authors

  • Li, GQ||Ko, CM||Brown, GE||Sorge, H

publication date

  • December 1996