Drell-Yan Cross Section and J/psi Production in High-Energy Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

We use the Drell-Yan differential distribution dN_{DY}^{AB}/dE_T in high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions to obtain a relation between the transverse energy E_T and the impact parameter b. Such a relation is then utilized to study the transverse-energy dependence of J/psi production in Pb-Pb collisions, using the J/psi absorption model presented previously. The anomalous Pb-Pb suppression data at 158A GeV can be explained if one assumes the occurrence of a new phase of strong J/psi absorption when the energy density exceeds 4.2 GeV/fm^3. The results are extended to make predictions for J/psi production at higher collision energies. It is found that J/psi survival probabilities reach the lowest survival limit when the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies is greater than about 35 GeV.