Bose–Einstein correlations

Abstract: We present a systematic analysis of two-pion interferometry in Au+Au collisions at {radical}(s{sub NN})=200 GeV using the STAR detector at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. We extract the Hanbury-Brown and Twiss radii and study their multiplicity, transverse momentum, and azimuthal angle dependence. The Gaussianness of the correlation function is studied. Estimates of the geometrical and dynamical structure of the freeze-out source are extracted by fits with blast-wave parametrizations. The expansion of the source and its relation with the initial energy density distribution is studied.

Abstract: ▪ Abstract Two-particle momentum correlations between pairs of identical particles produced in relativistic heavy-ion reactions can be analyzed to extract the space-time structure of the collision fireball. We review recent progress in the application of this method, based on newly developed theoretical tools and new high-quality data from heavy-ion collision experiments. Implications for our understanding of the collision dynamics and for the search for the quark-gluon plasma are discussed.

Abstract: The application of Bose–Einstein and Fermi–Dirac interferometry to multi-hadron final states of particle reactions is reviewed. The underlying theoretical concepts of particle interferometry are presented, where a special emphasis is given to the recently proposed Fermi–Dirac correlation analysis. The experimental tools used for interferometry analysis and the interpretation of the results obtained are discussed in detail. In particular, the interpretation of the dimension r, as measured from interferometry analysis, is investigated and compared to that measured in heavy-ion collisions. Finally, the similarity between the dependence of r on the hadron mass and the interatomic separation on the atomic mass in Bose condensates is outlined.