Kaon production and multi-body collisions in dense nuclear matter

The spectra and yields of K+ and K− production in Au+Au reactions at 11.6 A GeV are compared to the predictions of a hadronic transport model, RQMD. This not only provides a quantitative test for the model but also explores the possibility of multi-body hadronic collisions within dense matter. At nuclear densities three to four times normal matter density the estimated mean-free path is smaller than the size of a typical hadron. Each hadron is likely to suffer multiple collisions within the duration of any one collision. The effects of these multi-body collisions in heavy-ion reactions are discussed, in particular the possibility that multi-body collisions may increase the absorption of particles, e.g. K−.