Delta mass shift as a thermometer of kinetic decoupling in Au+Au reactions at 1.23 AGeV

Abstract: The HADES experiment at GSI will soon provide data on the production and properties of $\Delta$(1232) baryons from Au+Au reactions at 1.23 AGeV. Using the UrQMD model, we predict the yield and spectra of $\Delta$(1232) resonances. In addition we show that one expects to observe a mass shift of the $\Delta$(1232) resonance on the order of 50 MeV in the reconstructable $\Delta$(1232) mass distribution. This mass shift can be understood in terms of late stage $\Delta$(1232) formation with limited kinetic energy. We show how the mass shift can be used to constrain the kinetic decoupling temperature of the system.