Antideuteron and deuteron production in mid-central Pb+Pb collisions at 158$A$ GeV

TL;DR

This study measures deuteron and antideuteron production in mid-central Pb+Pb collisions at 158A GeV, analyzing yields and coalescence parameters to understand particle formation mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides new invariant yield data for deuterons and antideuterons and investigates their production via the coalescence model at SPS energies.

Findings

Invariant yields for $ar{d}$ and $d$ measured as functions of centrality.

Coalescence parameters $B_2$ determined as functions of $p_t$ and centrality.

Results support the coalescence model for light nuclei production.

Abstract

Production of deuterons and antideuterons was studied by the NA49 experiment in the 23.5% most central Pb+Pb collisions at the top SPS energy of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=17.3 GeV. Invariant yields for $\bar{d}$ and $d$ were measured as a function of centrality in the center-of-mass rapidity range $-1.2<y<-0.6$. Results for $\bar{d}(d)$ together with previously published $\bar{p}(p)$ measurements are discussed in the context of the coalescence model. The coalescence parameters $B_2$ were deduced as a function of transverse momentum $p_t$ and collision centrality.