Abstract
We review the recent progress in extracting the equation of state of hot dense hadronic matter from relativistic heavy ion collisions. At first a discussion of the bulk properties of infinite nuclear matter is presented. Next the theoretical approaches are developed which describe the complicated dynamics and non-equilibrium features in actual high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions: Nuclear fluid dynamics, the intranuclear cascade model, classical equation of motion simulations, the Vlasov Uehling-Uhlenbeck theory and the time dependent Dirac equation with meson field dynamics are exhibited. The recent experimental confirmation of the early hydrodynamic predictions on nuclear shock compression establishes the key mechanism for creating high nuclear density and temperatures in the laboratory, and thus the key mechanism for investigating the nuclear equation of state. Evidence for a suprisingly stiff nuclear equation of state is presented from a comparison of the distinct theoretical predictions to recent high multiplicity selected 4π data on fragment formation, pion production and collective sidewards flow. We also discuss the possible creation of a deconfined quark gluon plasma at future ultra-relativistic heavy ion facilities.
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