Baryon stopping signal for mixed phase formation in HIC

TL;DR

The paper proposes that irregularities in baryon stopping during nuclear collisions indicate the onset of deconfinement, linked to the softest point in the equation of state, demonstrated through three-fluid model calculations.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that baryon stopping irregularities serve as signals for mixed phase formation, supported by model calculations with different equations of state.

Findings

Irregular baryon stopping correlates with deconfinement onset.

Softest point in EoS causes observable effects in collision dynamics.

Different EoS models show distinct baryon stopping signatures.

Abstract

It is argued that an irregularity in the baryon stopping is a natural consequence of onset of deconfinement occurring in the compression stage of a nuclear collision. It is an effect of the softest point inherent in an equation of state (EoS) with a deconfinement transition. In order to illustrate this effect, calculations within the three-fluid model were performed with three different EoS's: a purely hadronic EoS, an EoS with a first-order phase transition and that with a smooth crossover transition.