Meson Mixing and Dilepton Production in Heavy Ion Collisions

Abstract

We study the possibility of $\rho -a_0$ mixing via N-N excitations in dense nuclear matter. This mixing is found to induce a peak in the dilepton spectra at an invariant mass equal to that of the $a_0$. We calculate the cross section for dilepton production through mixing and we compare its size with that of $\pi -\pi$ annihilation. In-medium masses and mixing angles are also calculated. Some preliminary results of the mixing effect on the dilepton production rates at finite temperature are also presented.

To be published in the proceedings of CIPANP 2000