Parton recombination at all p_T

Abstract.

Hadron production at all p_T in heavy-ion collisions in the framework of parton recombination is reviewed. It is shown that the recombination of thermal and shower partons dominates the hadron spectra in the intermediate p_T region. In d + Au collisions, the physics of particle production at any $\eta$ is basically the same as at $\eta = 0$. The Cronin effect is described as a result of the final-state instead of the initial-state interaction. The suppression of R _CP at high $\eta$ is due to the reduction of the soft parton density on the deuteron side, thus resulting in less pions being produced by recombination, an explanation that requires no new physics. In Au + Au collisions a large $p/\pi$ ratio is obtained because the thermal partons can contribute to the formation of a proton more than they do to the pion.