Searching for the Critical Point of QCD Theoretical Benchmark Calculations.pdf

APS/123-QED Searching for the Critical Point of QCD: Theoretical Benchmark Calculations Benjamin Lungwitz∗ Institut f¨ur Kernphysik, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universit¨at, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Marcus Bleicher† Institut f¨ur Theoretische Physik, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universit¨at, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Dated: February 1, 2008) We present a comprehensive study of event-by-event multiplicity fluctuations in nucleon-nucleon and nucleus-nucleus interactions from AGS/FAIR to RHIC energies within the UrQMD transport 7 approach. The scaled variances of negative, positive, and all charged hadrons are analysed. The 0 scaled variance in central Pb+Pb collisions increases with energy and behaves similar to inelastic 0 p+p interactions. We find a non-trivial dependence of multiplicity fluctuations on the rapidity 2 and transverse momentum interval used for the analysis and on the centrality selection procedure. p Quantitative predictions for the NA49 experiment are given, taking into account the acceptance of e the detector and the selection procedure of central events. S PACS