Münster 2002 – scientific programme

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HK: Physik der Hadronen und Kerne

HK 8: Plenary Session

HK 8.3: Plenary Talk

Tuesday, March 12, 2002, 09:30–10:00, Plenarsaal

Properties of K-Mesons in the Nuclear Medium — •Christian Sturm — GSI Darmstadt

Experimental data on the production and propagation of kaons and antikaons in heavy ion collisions at relativistic energies are reviewed with respect to in-medium effects. The K⁻/K⁺ ratios measured in nucleus-nucleus collisions are 1 - 2 orders of magnitude larger than in proton-proton collisions. The azimuthal angle distributions of K⁺ mesons indicate a repulsive kaon-nucleon potential. Microscopic transport calculations consistently explain both the yields and the emission patterns of kaons and antikaons assuming that their properties are modified in dense nuclear matter. The K⁺ production excitation functions measured in light and heavy collision systems provide evidence for a soft nuclear equation-of-state.