Centrality dependence of proton and antiproton spectra in Pb plus Pb collisions at 40A GeV and 158A GeV measured at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron

The yields of (anti) protons were measured by the NA49 Collaboration in centrality-selected Pb + Pb collisions at 40A and 158A GeV. Particle identification was obtained in the laboratory momentum range from 5 to 63 GeV/c by measuring the energy loss dE/dx in the time projection chamber detector gas. The corresponding rapidity coverage extends 1.6 units from midrapidity into the forward hemisphere. Transverse-mass spectra, the rapidity dependences of the average transverse mass, and rapidity density distributions were studied as a function of collision centrality. The values of the average transverse mass as well as the midrapidity yields of protons normalized to the number of wounded nucleons show only modest centrality dependences. In contrast, the shape of the rapidity distribution changes significantly with collision centrality, especially at 40A GeV. The experimental results are compared to calculations of the hadron-string dynamics and the ultrarelativistic quantum-moleculardynamics transport models.