Multiplicity fluctuations at the quark-hadron phase transition from a fluid dynamical model

Abstract

The region of large net-baryon densities in the QCD phase diagram is expected to exhibit a first-order phase transition. Experimentally, its study will be one of the primary objectives for the upcoming FAIR accelerator. We model the transition between quarks and hadrons in a heavy-ion collision using a fluid which is coupled to the explicit dynamics of the chiral order parameter and a dilaton field. This allows us to investigate signals stemming from the nonequilibrium evolution during the expansion of the hot plasma. Special emphasis is put on an event-by-event analysis of baryon number fluctuations which have long since been claimed to be sensitive to a critical point.