# Limiting fragmentation at LHC energies

## TL;DR

This paper tests the limiting-fragmentation hypothesis in heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies using a relativistic diffusion model, finding results consistent with the hypothesis across a wide energy range.

## Contribution

It introduces a phenomenological three-source relativistic diffusion model to extrapolate pseudorapidity distributions to LHC energies, supporting the limiting-fragmentation conjecture.

## Key findings

- Results are compatible with limiting fragmentation from 19.6 GeV to 5.02 TeV.
- Extrapolated pseudorapidity distributions agree with the hypothesis.
- Supports the universality of limiting fragmentation at high energies.

## Abstract

We investigate the validity of the limiting-fragmentation hypothesis in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at energies reached at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A phenomenological analysis of central AuAu and PbPb collisions based on a three-source relativistic diffusion model (RDM) is used to extrapolate pseudorapidity distributions of produced charged hadrons from RHIC to LHC energies into the fragmentation region. Data in this region are not yet available at LHC energies, but our results are compatible with the limiting-fragmentation conjecture in the full energy range sqrt(s_NN) = 19.6 GeV to 5.02 TeV.