Polarization of Λ0 hyperons as a signature for the quark-gluon plasma.

The momentum distribution of Λ⁰ hyperons produced from the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is calculated in dependence on their polarization. The momentum distribution of Λ⁰ hyperons is defined by matrix elements of relativistic quark Wigner operators, which are calculated within the effective quark model with chiral U(3)×U(3) symmetry and the quark-gluon transport theory. We show that the polarization of the Λ⁰ hyperon depends on the spin of the strange quark that agrees well with the DeGrand-Miettinen model. We show that Λ⁰ hyperons, produced from the QGP, are fully unpolarized. This means that a detection of unpolarized Λ⁰ hyperons, produced in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, should serve as one of the signatures for the existence of the QGP in intermediate states of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]