Quark liberation and coalescence at CERN SPS

The linear coalescence approach to hadronization of quark matter is shown t o have problems with strangeness conservation in a baryon rich environment. The simplest correct quark counting is shown to coincide with the non-line ar algebraic coalescence rehadronization model, ALCOR. We argue that experi mental facts agree with the assumption that quark degrees of freedom are li berated before hadron formation in 158 AGeV central Pb + Pb collisions at C ERN SPS. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.