Charged particle rapidity distributions at relativistic energies - art. no. 011902

Using a multiphase transport model (AMPT), which includes both initial part onic and final hadronic interactions, we study the rapidity distributions o f charged particles such as protons, antiprotons, pions, and kaons in heavy ion collisions at RHIC. The theoretical results for the total charged part icle multiplicity at midrapidity are consistent with those measured by the PHOBOS Collaboration in central Au+Au collisions at roots = 56 and 130A GeV . We find that these hadronic observables are much more sensitive to the ha dronic interactions than to the partonic interactions.