Charged meson rapidity distributions in central Au+Au collisions at s(NN)**(1/2) = 200-GeV

We have measured rapidity densities $dN/dy$ of $\pi^{\pm}$ and $K^{\pm}$ over a broad rapidity range (-0.1 < y < 3.5) for central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{^{s}NN}$ = 200 GeV. These data have significant implications for the chemistry and dynamics of the dense system that is initially created in the collisions. The full phase-space yields are $1660\pm15\pm133(\pi^{+})$, $1683\pm16\pm135(\pi^{-})$, $286\pm5\pm23(K^{+})$ and $242\pm4\pm19(K^{-})$. The systematics of the strange to non--strange meson ratios are found to track the variation of the baryo-chemical potential with rapidity and energy. Landau--Carruthers hydrodynamic is found to describe the bulk transport of the pions in the longitudinal direction.