Light fragment yields from central Au+Au collisions at 11.5A GeV/c

Inclusive double differential multiplicities of deuterons, H-3, He-3, and He-4 measured by E877 for 11.5A GeV/c Au + Au collisions at the Brookhaven's Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) are presented. Light fragments at beam rapidity are measured for the first time at AGS energies. Beam rapidity deuteron and He-4 yields and transverse slope parameters are found to be strongly dependent on the impact parameter, and the shape of the deuteron spectra is not consistent with that expected for a simple thermal distribution. The deuteron yields relative to proton yields are analyzed in terms of a simple coalescence model. While results indicate an increase in source size compared to collisions of lighter systems at the same energy, they are inconsistent with a simple coalescence model reflected by a rapidity dependence of the coalescence parameter B-d. A new approach utilizing an expanding thermalized source combined with a coalescence code is developed for studying deuteron formation in heavy-ion collisions. The strong dependence of deuteron yields on collective motion implies that deuteron yields relative to those of protons can be used for constraining source parameters.