High Baryon Densities Achieveable at RHIC and LHC

TL;DR

This paper calculates baryon and energy densities in high-energy nuclear collisions at RHIC and LHC, revealing extremely high baryon densities at high rapidities, which serve as initial conditions for studying matter under extreme conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a calculation of baryon densities using the color glass condensate model and a space-time collision picture, providing new insights into baryon distribution at high energies.

Findings

Baryon densities exceed ten times that of atomic nuclei at high rapidities.

Results serve as initial conditions for hydrodynamic models.

High baryon densities can test the equation of state of matter.

Abstract

In high energy collisions nuclei are practically transparent to each other but produce very hot, nearly baryon-free, matter in the central rapidity region. Where do the baryons go? We calculate the energy loss of the nuclei using the color glass condensate model. Using a space-time picture of the collision we calculate the baryon and energy densities of the receding baryonic fireballs. For central collisions of large nuclei at RHIC and LHC we find baryon densities more than ten times that of atomic nuclei over a large volume which appear at high rapidities. These results can and are being used as initial conditions for subsequent hydrodynamic evolution and could test the equation of state of matter at very high baryon densities.