On the First Order Phase Transitions Signal in Multiple Production Processes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a parameter analogous to chemical potential that signals first order phase transitions in particle production processes, and discusses how to measure it in hadron inelastic collisions.

Contribution

It proposes a new parameter sensitive to phase transitions in hadronic media and explores methods to measure it in high multiplicity hadron production.

Findings

The parameter decreases with particle number during phase transition

It increases if no phase transition occurs

A simple lattice gas model illustrates the concept

Abstract

We offer the parameter, interpreted as the "chemical potential", which is sensitive to the first order phase transition: it must decrease with number of evaporating (produced) particles (hadrons) if the (interacting hadron or/and QCD plasma) medium is boiling and it increase if no phase transition occur. The main part of the paper is devoted to the question: how one can measure the "chemical potential" in the hadron inelastic processes. Our definition of this parameter is quite general but assumes that the hadron multiplicity is sufficiently large. The simple transparent phenomenological lattice gas model is considered for sake of clarity only.