RAPIDITY DISTRIBUTION OF PHOTONS EMITTED FROM A HADRONIZING QUARK-GLUON PLASMA

The rapidity distribution of thermal photons emitted from a hadronizing quark-gluon plasma is obtained with initial conditions locally determined from the hadronic rapidity density and assuming a longitudinal scaling expansion as in Bjorken hydrodynamics. The corresponding results for direct (QCD) photons and for decay photons are also obtained. The rapidity distributions of the three types of photons are found to be quite different and may help identify the most favorable window in the momentum space for identification for the quark-gluon plasma. © 1995 The American Physical Society.