Strangeness production in relativistic heavy ion reactions at the AGS

Relativistic Heavy Ion collisions are predicted to supply the ideal conditions for conversion of nuclear matter to a new form of matter, the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). One possible signature for the formation of a QGP is an enhancement of strange particle production. The liberation of the color degrees of freedom, within the bounds of the plasma, results in a much lower energy threshold for strange quark production than that required for the formation of strange hadrons in normal nuclear matter. It is therefore predicted that the formation of a QGP will lead to a direct increase in the strange hadron yields. Relativistic Heavy Ion experimental searches began at the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) in the late 1980's with a 14.6 GeV Si beam. As early as 1990 an increase in the measured K/pi ratio, as compared to p-p collisions was reported. This result has since been confirmed and systematic studies as functions of projectile mass, impact parameter and system energy have been performed.