Modeling relativistic heavy ion collisions at the AGS

A quantitative model, based on hadronic physics and Monte Carlo cascading, is described and applied to heavy ion collisions at BNL-AGS energies (similar to 14 GeV/u). The model was found to be in excellent agreement with particle spectra where data previously existed, for Si beams, and was able to successfully predict the spectra where data were initially absent, for Au beams. For Si + Au collisions, baryon densities of three or four times the normal nuclear matter density (rho(0)) are seen in the theory, whereas for Au + Au collisions, matter at densities up to 10 rho(0) is anticipated. The possibility that unusual states of matter may be created by the Au beams and potential signatures for its observation are considered.