Detailed comparison between parton cascade and hadronic cascade at SPS and RHIC

Abstract

For the STAR COLLABORATION aWhen the Relativistic Hei)wy Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL begins operation in the Fall of 1999, heavy ions will be accelerated in collider mode for the first time, and a new energy regime will be entered for Heavy Ion Physics. The Solenoidal Tracker At RHIC (STAR) detector has a near 47r coverage and is dedicated to taking hadronic measuren]ents. A large volume Time Projection Chamber placed in a solenoidal magnet at 0.5T is used to track and identify the many thousands of produced particles. STiiR will measure many observable simultaneously on an event-by-event basis to study signatures of a possible QGP phase transition and the spsxe-time evolution of the collision process. The goal is to obtain a fundamental understanding of the microscopic structure of hadronic interactions, at the level of quarks and gluons, at high energy densities. This paper outlines the physics STAR intends to study during t] Ie first year of operation.