  We investigate the excitation function of quark-gluon plasma formation and of
directed in-plane flow of nucleons in the energy range of the BNL-AGS and for
the E(Lab)=40AGeV Pb+Pb collisions performed recently at the CERN-SPS. We
employ the three-fluid model with dynamical unification of kinetically
equilibrated fluid elements. Within our model with first-order phase transition
at high density, droplets of QGP coexisting with hadronic matter are produced
already at BNL-AGS energies, E(Lab)=10AGeV. A substantial decrease of the
isentropic velocity of sound, however, requires higher energies, E(Lab)=40AGeV.
We show the effect on the flow of nucleons in the reaction plane. According to
our model calculations, kinematic requirements and EoS effects work
hand-in-hand at E(Lab)=40AGeV to allow the observation of the dropping velocity
of sound via an increase of the directed flow around midrapidity as compared to
top BNL-AGS energy.
