Possible effect of mixed phase and deconfinement upon spin correlations in the $\Lambda \bar \Lambda $ pairs generated in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

Spin correlations for the ΛΛ and pairs, generated in relativistic heavy ion collisions, and related angular correlations at the joint registration of hadronic decays of two hyperons, in which space parity is not conserved, are analyzed. The correlation tensor components can be derived from the double angular distribution of products of two decays by the method of “moments”. The properties of the “trace” of the correlation tensor (a sum of three diagonal components), determining the relative fractions of the triplet states and singlet state of respective pairs, are discussed. Spin correlations for two identical particles (ΛΛ) and two non-identical particles () are considered from the viewpoint of the conventional model of one-particle sources. In the framework of this model, correlations vanish at sufficiently large relative momenta. However, under these conditions, in the case of two non-identical particles () a noticeable role is played by two-particle annihilation (two-quark, two-gluon) sources, which lead to the difference of the correlation tensor from zero. In particular, such a situation may arise when the system passes through the “mixed phase”.