Detectors For High Energy Nuclear Collisions: Problems, Progress and Promise [report]

Thomas W. Ludlam
1986 unpublished
INTRODUCTION I present hers an encapsulation of the discussions which tcok placs in ths topical session on Detectors for High Energy Nuclear Collisions. It is not a proper summary, but a perspective view of the aai.i issues raised in the presentations of Gordon, Gruhn, DiGiaeomo, Albrow and Lindenbaum and the responses we have heard from the audience and the session chairman, Chris Fabjan. First, it is clear from the theoretical discussion at this conference and its predeesssors that we do not
more » ... et know of a precisely defined means for identifying and measuring a quark-gluon plasaa. Many different signals have been discussed as characteristic of the radiation from a state in which the nucleonic degrees of freedom have given way to a system or locally unbound quarks and gluons in a condition which approximates thermal equilibrium. Background radiation from the hadronia natter which accompanies the creation and apace-tiae evolution of such a state should be readily understood in leraa of a long experience with soft hadronia processes in liigh energy collisions of elenentary particles. What is not well-understood is the ralativn strengths of these signals and backgrounds.
doi:10.2172/1118861 fatcat:xyuo3xzdpnf7bng3beisf3peym