Low-mass dileptons at the SPS

Abstract

We use a simple QCD-based model to study particle production in S+Au collisions at 200 GeV/n. A requisite consistency is met for the hadronic observables (pi0 and pi- spectra) while pursuing estimates for e+e- production. Since radiative decays of initially produced hadrons has accounted for only a portion of the observed dileptons at the CERN SPS, we search for additional mechanisms. By including contributions from prompt secondary hadronic scatterings, pi rho -> pi e+e-, and adding to pi+ pi- annihilation and hadronic decays, the ``excess'' dilepton signal can possibly be interpreted.

14 pages of LaTex and 5 postscript figures submitted Phys Rev D