QCD thermodynamics and fireball evolution in URHICs

The fireball created in an ultrarelativistic heavy ion collision is the environment in which all processes providing clues about the possible formation of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) happen. It is therefore crucial to understand the dynamics of this hot and dense system. We set up a model in which the fireball evolution is reconstructed between two stages, the freeze-out, which is accessible by hadronic observables, and the initial collision for which the overlap geometry can be calculated. Using the equation of state (EoS) provided by a quasiparticle model of the QGP, we are able to calculate thermodynamical properties in volume slices of constant proper time and determine the volume expansion self-consistently. The resulting evolution model can then be tested against other observables, such as dilepton yields. (orig.)