This grant will support experimental nuclear physics research studying collisions of relativistic heavy ions. The initial focus of the activity will be experiment E-814 at Brookhaven National Laboratory in which differences between central and peripheral collisions will be probed with the aid of a special target calorimeter constructed of approximately 1200 sodium-iodide modules. The grantee shares responsibility for the design, construction and use of this calorimeter. The experiments will explore the novel phenomena predicted to occur when relativistic heavy ion collisions create nuclear matter at high energy density and temperature. This is the first year of a five-year continuing grant.
