  A systematic investigation of hard thermal photon spectra from central
ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions is presented with emphasis on the
effects of bremsstrahlung processes in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP).
Bremsstrahlung photon production in the quark-gluon plasma has recently been
considered within the Braaten-Pisarski method in thermal QCD, where rates have
been found that exhibit the same order in the coupling constants as those
describing the lowest order processes, Compton scattering and
q\bar{q}-annihilation. The impact of these bremsstrahlung photon production
rates on the thermal photon spectra is studied systematically within a simple,
well understood one-fluid hydrodynamical model that describes an only
longitudinally expanding fireball (1+1 Bjorken scaling hydrodynamics). It is
found that the bremsstrahlung processes enhance the thermal photon yield from
the QGP by about one order of magnitude over the complete considered
p_{\perp}-range independent of the choice of the model parameters. Experimental
upper limits on direct photon production in fixed target 200 A GeV S + Au
collisions at the CERN SPS are also considered and used to extract upper limits
for the initial temperature of the QGP, where the QGP bremsstrahlung processes
are found to make a difference of about 15 to 20 MeV depending on the
temperature at which the phase transition is assumed. In comparison with other
theoretical studies, the importance of reaction features not described in the
simple model are estimated and interesting elements for a future extension of
this systematic investigation are identified, which will be of great interest
in prospect of the upcoming experiments at the BNL RHIC and the CERN LHC.
