Hadron production and phase changes in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

We study soft hadron production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions in a wide range of reaction energy, 4.8 GeV \( \sqrt{{s_{{\rm NN}}}}\)≥200 GeV, we use continuity of particle yields and statistical parameters to predict the hadron production at \( \sqrt{{s_{{\rm NN}}}}\) = 62.4 GeV, and obtain total yields of hadrons at \( \sqrt{{s_{{\rm NN}}}}\) = 130 GeV. We consider, in depth, the pattern we uncover within the hadronization condition, and discuss possible mechanisms associated with the identified rapid change in system properties at \( \sqrt{{s_{{\rm NN}}^{{\rm cr}}}}\) . We propose that the chemically over-saturated 2 + 1 flavor hadron matter system undergoes a 1st-order phase transition.