Search for direct photon production in 200 A GeV S + Au reactions: A status report

Direct thermal photons in the PT range of 0 - 5 GeV/c are expected to provide a sensitive probe of the hot dense matter formed in the early stage of relativistic heavy ion collisions. The production of single photons in 200 A GeV S+Au reactions has been investigated using the 3800 element Pbglass calorimeter of CERN experiment WA80. Neutral πo and η cross sections have been measured via their two-photon decay branch yields. In a first analysis of the WA80 results, a slight excess photon yield above that which may be accounted for by hadronic decays was observed for central collisions. A report on the status of the reanalysis of this data is presented