Flow at AGS Energies: A Barometer for High Density Effects?

Preliminary data on transverse energy ‘flow’ and event asymmetries reported by the E877(814) collaborations are compared to ARC model calculations for Au+Au at full AGS beam energy. ARC triple differential cross-sections for protons and pions are presented. Proton flow is produced in ARC, with the maximum 〈Px〉 ∼ 120MeV/c. For central events 〈Px〉 for the pions is near zero, consistent with experiment. Pion 〈Px〉 opposite to the nucleons’ is evident in a peripheral sample, however, suggesting that this pion ‘anti-flow’ involves absorption by ‘spectator’ matter. ‘Squeeze-out’ of protons in central events at mid-rapidity is suggested by the ARC distributions. Typeset using REVTEX