Modeling cluster production at the BNL Alternating Gradient Synchrotron

Deuteron coalescence, during a relativistic nucleus-nucleus collision, is carried out in a model incorporating a minimal quantal treatment of the formation of the cluster from its individual nucleons by evaluating the overlap of initial cascading nucleon wave packets with the final deuteron wave function. The nucleon wave packet sizes are estimated dynamically using the coalescing pair’s past light-cone history. A parameter free determination of the absolute deuteron yields results, and a globally consistent picture of the Si+Au measurements is achieved. In light of the deuteron’s evident fragility, information obtained from this analysis may be useful in establishing freeze-out volumes and help in heralding the presence of high-density phenomena in a baryon-rich environment. © 1996 The American Physical Society.