The space-averaged phase-space density and entropy per particle are both fundamental observables which can be extracted from the two-particle correlation functions measured in heavy-ion collisions. Two techniques have been proposed to extract the densities from correlation data: either by using the radius parameters from Gaussian fits to meson correlations or by using source imaging, which may be applied to any like-pair correlation. We show that the imaging and Gaussian fits give the same result in the case of meson interferometry. We discuss the concept of an equivalent instantaneous source on which both techniques rely. We also discuss the phase-space occupancy and entropy per particle. Finally, we propose an improved formula for the phase-space occupancy that has a more controlled dependence on the uncertainty of the experimentally measured source functions.

• Received 15 February 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.62.014904