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Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 1295 - 1298 (1999)

Elliptic Flow: Transition from Out-of-Plane to In-Plane Emission in Au  +  Au Collisions

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C. Pinkenburg et al. (E895 Collaboration)
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Received 21 September 1998

We have measured the proton elliptic flow excitation function for the Au+Au system spanning the beam energy range (2–8)A GeV. The excitation function shows a transition from negative to positive elliptic flow at a beam energy, Etr∼4A GeV. Detailed comparisons with calculations from a relativistic Boltzmann equation are presented. The comparisons suggest a softening of the nuclear equation of state from a stiff form ( K∼380 MeV) at low beam energies ( Ebeam≤2A GeV) to a softer form ( K∼210 MeV) at higher energies ( Ebeam≥4A GeV) where the calculated baryon density ρ∼4ρ0.


©1999 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.1295
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.1295
PACS: 25.75.Ld, 21.65.+f, 24.10.Jv

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