Nucleation rate of the quark-gluon plasma droplet at finite quark chemical potential

The nucleation rate of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) droplet is computed at finite quark chemical potential. In the course of computing the nucleation rate, the finite size effects of the QGP droplet are taken into account. We consider the phenomenological flow parameter of quarks and gluons, which is dependent on quark chemical potential and we calculate the nucleation rate of the QGP droplet with this parameter. While calculating the nucleation rate, we find that for low values of quark phenomenological parameter ?? _q , nucleation rate is negligible and when ?? _q increases, nucleation rate increases significantly.     

Formation time of hadrons and density of matter produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Density of matter produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions depends substantially on the spacetime evolution of the collision and on the formation time of hadrons produced. Interactions of hadrons younger than their formation time are attenuated with respect to their normal values (transparency of hadronic matter for newly formed hadrons). The system of secondary hadrons produced in a heavy-ion collision thus expands as a gas of almost non interacting particles before hadrons reach their formation time. Densities of interacting hadronic matter produced in oxygen-lead and sulphur-lead collisions at 200 GeV/nucleon are estimated as a function of the formation time of hadrons. Uncertainties in our knowledge of the critical temepratureT _c and of the formation time of hadrons τ₀ permit at present three scenarios: an optimistic one (QGP has already been produced in collisions of oxygen and sulphur with heavy ions and will be copiously produced in Lead collisions), a pessimistic one (QGP cannot be produced at 200 GeV/nucleon) and an intermediate one (QGP has not been produced in oxygen and sulphur interactions with heavy ions and will be at best produced only marginally in Pb-collisions). We find the last opinion as most probable.     

Anisotropies in momentum space at finite shear viscosity in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

Within a parton cascade we investigate the dependence of anisotropies in momentum space, namely the elliptic flow v₂=〈cos(2?)〉 and the v₄=〈cos(4?)〉, on both the finite shear viscosity η and the freeze-out (f.o.) dynamics at the RHIC energy of 200 GeV. In particular the impact of the f.o. dynamics is discussed looking at two different procedures: switching-off the collisions when the energy density goes below a fixed value or reducing the cross section according to the increase in η/s from a QGP phase to a hadronic one. We address the relation between the scaling of v₂(p_T) with the eccentricity ?_x and with the integrated elliptic flow. We show that the breaking of the v₂(p_T)/?_x scaling is not coming mainly from the finite η/s but from the f.o. dynamics and that the v₂(p_T) is weakly dependent on the f.o. scheme. On the other hand the v₄(p_T) is found to be much more sensitive to both the η/s and the f.o. dynamics and hence is indicated to put better constraints on the properties of the QGP. A first semi-quantitative analysis shows that both v₂ and v₄ (with the smooth f.o.) consistently indicate a plasma with 4πη/s∼1−2.     

Comments on |V ub /V cb | and |V ub | from non-leptonic B decays within the perturbative QCD approach

The Color String Percolation Model (CSPM) is used to determine the equation of state (EOS) of the Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP) produced in central Au–Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathit{NN}}} = 200$  A GeV using STAR data at RHIC. When the initial density of interacting colored strings exceeds the 2D percolation threshold a cluster is formed, which defines the onset of color deconfinement. These interactions also produce fluctuations in the string tension which transforms the Schwinger particle (gluon) production mechanism into a maximum entropy thermal distribution analogous to QCD Hawking–Unruh radiation. The single string tension is determined by identifying the known value of the universal hadron limiting temperature T _c =167.7±2.6 MeV with the CSPM temperature at the critical percolation threshold parameter ξ _c =1.2. At midrapidity the initial Bjorken energy density and the initial temperature determine the number of degrees of freedom consistent with the formation of a ～2+1 flavor QGP. An analytic expression for the equation of state, the sound velocity $C_{s}^{2}(\xi)$ is obtained in CSPM. The CSPM $C_{s}^{2}(\xi)$ and the bulk thermodynamic values energy density ε/T ⁴ and entropy density s/T ³ are in excellent agreement in the phase transition region with recent lattice QCD simulations (LQCD) by the HotQCD Collaboration.     

The 3rd flow component as a QGP signal

Earlier fluid dynamical calculations with QGP show a softening of the directed flow while with hadronic matter this effect is absent. On the other hand, we indicated that a third flow component shows up in the reaction plane as an enhanced emission, which is orthogonal to the directed flow. This is not shadowed by the deflected projectile and target, and shows up at measurable rapidities, y _CM=1?2. To study the formation of this effect initial stages of relativistic heavy ion collisions are studied. An effective string rope model is presented for heavy ion collisions at RHIC energies. Our model takes into account baryon recoil for both target and projectile, arising from the acceleration of partons in an effective field. The typical field strength (string tension) for RHIC energies is about 5–12 GeV/fm, what allows us to talk about “string ropes”. The results show that QGP forms a tilted disk, such that the direction of the largest pressure gradient stays in the reaction plane, but deviates from both the beam and the usual transverse flow directions. The produced initial state can be used as an initial condition for further hydrodynamical calculations. Such initial conditions lead to the creation of third flow component. Recent v ₁ measurements are promising that this effect can be used as a diagnostic tool of the QGP.     

Ultralight glueballs in Quark-Gluon Plasma

We consider the dynamics of the scalar and pseudoscalar glueballs in the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). By using the instanton model for the QCD vacuum we give the arguments that the nonperturbative gluon-gluon interaction is qualitatively different in the confinement and deconfinement phases. Based on this observation it is shown that above T _c the values of the scalar and pseudoscalar glueball masses might be very small. The estimation of the temperature of scale invariance restoration, at which the scalar glueball becomes massless, is given. We also discuss the Bose—Einstein condensation of the glueballs and the superfluidity of the glueball matter in QGP.     

Why is the null HBT result at RHIC so interesting?

Pion interferometry (HBT of A+A) data have posed a thorn in the theoretical interpretation of AA collisions at RHIC (√s=130 AGeV). How can R _out≈R _side≈R _long and remain so between AGS and RHIC? Where is the QGP Stall? Can elephants hide along the x ₀ ⁺ dimension? We rummage old hydrodynamic scenarios and uncover some previously ignored NULL solutions.     

The thermodynamic properties of weakly interacting quark-gluon plasma via the one-gluon exchange interaction

The thermodynamic properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), as well as its phase diagram, are calculated as a function of baryon density (chemical potential) and temperature. The QGP is assumed to be composed of the light quarks only, i.e., the up and down quarks, which interact weakly, and the gluons which are treated as they are free. The interaction between quarks is considered in the framework of the one gluon exchange model which is obtained from the Fermi liquid picture. The bag model is used, with fixed bag pressure (B)for the nonperturbative part, and the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) coupling is assumed to be constant, i.e., with no dependence on the temperature or the baryon density. The effect of weakly interacting quarks on the QGP phase diagram are shown and discussed. It is demonstrated that the one-gluon exchange interaction for the massless quarks has considerable effect on the QGP phase diagram and it causes the system to reach to the confined phase at the smaller baryon densities and temperatures. The pressure of excluded volume hadron gas model is also used to find the transition phase diagram. Our results depend on the values of bag pressure and the QCD coupling constant. The latter does not have a dramatic effect on our calculations. Finally, we compare our results with the thermodynamic properties of strange quark matter and the lattice QCD prediction for the QGP transition critical temperature.     

Physical mechanism of the (tri)critical point generation

We discuss some ideas resulting from a phenomenological relation recently declared between the tension of string connecting the static quark-antiquark pair and surface tension of corresponding cylindrical bag. This relation analysis leads to the temperature of vanishing surface tension coefficient of the QGP bags at zero baryonic charge density as T _?? = 152.9 ± 4.5 MeV. We develop the view point that this temperature value is not a fortuitous coincidence with the temperature of (partial) chiral symmetry restoration as seen in the lattice QCD simulations. Besides, we argue that T _?? defines the QCD (tri)critical endpoint temperature and claim that a negative value of surface tension coefficient recently discovered is not a sole result but is quite familiar for ordinary liquids at the supercritical temperatures.     

Photon production from quark gluon plasma at finite baryon density

The photon yield from a baryon-rich quark gluon plasma (QGP) at SPS energy has been estimated. In the QGP phase, rate of photon production is evaluated up to two-loop level. In the hadron phase, dominant contribution from π,ρ, ω mesons has been considered. The evolution of the plasma has been studied with appropriate equation of state in both QGP and hadron phase for a baryon-rich system. At SPS energy, the total photon yield is found to increase marginally in the presence of baryon density.     

Non-perturbative effects for the Quark-Gluon Plasma equation of state

The non-perturbative effects for the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) equation of state (EoS) are considered. The modifications of the bag model EoS are constructed to satisfy the main qualitative features observed for the QGP EoS in the lattice QCD calculations. A quantitative comparison with the lattice results is done for the SU(3) gluon plasma and for the QGP with dynamical quarks. Our analysis advocates a negative value of the bag constant B.     

Large momenta fluctuations of charm quarks in the Quark-Gluon Plasma<Superscript>⋆</Superscript>

We show that large fluctuations of D-mesons kinetic-energy (or momentum) distributions might be a signature of a phase transition to the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). In particular, a jump in the variance of the momenta or kinetic energy, as a function of a control parameter (temperature or Fermi energy at finite baryon densities) might be a signature for a first-order phase transition to the QGP. This behavior is completely consistent with the order parameter defined for a system of interacting quarks both at zero temperature (and finite baryon densities) or at finite temperatures which shows a jump in correspondence with a first-order phase transition to the QGP. The J/Ψ displays exactly the same behavior of the order parameter and of the variance of the D-mesons. We discuss implications for relativistic heavy-ion collisions within the framework of a transport model and possible hints for experimental search.     

Shear viscosity of the Quark–Gluon Plasma from a virial expansion

We calculate the shear viscosity η in the quark–gluon plasma (QGP) phase within a virial expansion approach with particular interest in the ratio of η to the entropy density s, i.e. η/s. The virial expansion approach allows us to include the interactions between the partons in the deconfined phase and to evaluate the corrections to a single-particle partition function. In the latter approach we start with an effective interaction with parameters fixed to reproduce thermodynamical quantities of QCD such as energy and/or entropy density. We also directly extract the effective coupling α _V for the determination of η. Our numerical results give a ratio η/s≈0.097 at the critical temperature T _c, which is very close to the theoretical bound of 1/(4π). Furthermore, for temperatures T≤1.8T _c the ratio η/s is in the range of the present experimental estimates 0.1–0.3 at RHIC. When combining our results for η/s in the deconfined phase with those from chiral perturbation theory or the resonance-gas model in the confined phase we observe a pronounced minimum of η/s close to the critical temperature T _c.     

Comments on a Minimal Quasiparticle Approach for the QGP and Its Large-N c Limits

A minimal quasiparticle approach for describing QGP at temperatures much higher than the critical one is discussed. It involves an ideal-gas framework in which quark and gluon masses depend on temperature. This model is able to reproduce the recent equations of state computed in lattice QCD for temperatures typically higher than 2 T _c , in a range in which it is reasonable to neglect interactions between quasiparticles. In addition, the equations of state for a generic gauge theory with gauge groups SU(N _c ) and quarks in an arbitrary representation are studied. The gauge independence in the pure glue sector and the large-N _c equivalence between the gauge groups SU(N _c ) and SO(2N _c ) in a full plasma is finally shown for normalized thermodynamic quantities.     

Simulation of first order confinement transition in relativistic heavy ion collision

We have carried out numerical simulation of first order phase transition in 2+1 dimensions to study the formation and evolution of Z(3) domain walls in relativistic Heavy Ion Collision using the effective potential proposed by Pisarski for QCD where Polyakov loop is the order parameter of the weak first order phase transition. Bubbles of the QGP phase are randomly nucleated on the lattice, which grow and coalesce. The spontaneous breaking of Z(3) symmetry in QGP phase gives rise to domain walls and topological strings. We discuss P _T enhancement due to reflection of quarks from the collapsing domain walls. We also discuss enhancement of doubly strange and triply strange hadrons due to larger concentration of s quarks inside collapsing wall. The decay of the domain walls when temperature drops below T _c results in the fluctuations of energy density.     

Nonperturbative equation of state of quark-gluon plasma: Applications

The vacuum-driven nonperturbative factors L_i for quark and gluon Green’s functions are shown to define the nonperturbative dynamics of QGP in the leading approximation. EoS obtained recently in the framework of this approach is compared in detail with known lattice data for μ = 0 including P/T⁴, ε/T⁴, . The basic role in the dynamics at T ? 3T_c is played by the factors L_i which are approximately equal to the modulus of Polyakov line for quark L_fund and gluon L_adj. The properties of L_i are derived from field correlators and compared to lattice data, in particular the Casimir scaling property follows in the Gaussian approximation valid for small vacuum correlation lengths. Resulting curves for P/T⁴, ε/T⁴, are in a reasonable agreement with lattice data, the remaining difference points out to an effective attraction among QGP constituents.     

QCD equation of state for heavy ion collisions

In this work, we calculate the equation of state(EoS) of quark gluon-plasma(QGP) using the CornwallJackiw-Tomboulis(CJT) effective action. We get the quark propagator by using the rank-1 separable model within the framework of the Dyson-Schwinger equations(DSEs). The results from CJT effective action are compared with lattice QCD data. We find that, when μ is small, our results generally fit the lattice QCD data when TT_c,but show deviations at and below T_c. It can be concluded that the EoS of CJT is reliable when TT_c. Then,by adopting the hydrodynamic code UVH2+1, we compare the CJT results of the multiplicity and elliptic flow v2 with the PHENIX data and the results from the original EoS in UVH2+1. While the CJT results of multiplicities generally match the original UVH2+1 results and fit the experimental data, the CJT results of v2 are slightly larger than the original UVH2+1 results for centralities smaller than 40% and smaller than the original UVH2+1 results for higher centralities.     

Stability of quark gluon plasma to nielsen-olesen mode

Nielsen and Olesen showed that perturbative vacuum with uniform chromomagnetic field in one space and one color direction is unstable. This instability is called Nielsen-Olesen instability (NOI), and leads to formation of a ‘spaghetti of flux tubes’ as a model for non-perturbative vacuum and confinement. We re-examine this instability in presence of color sources, quarks and gluons, at a finite temperature and find that at sufficiently high temperature NOI is stabilized due to an ‘effective mass’ of gluons arising through plasma effects. This explains how a QGP with no confinement effects may exist at high temperature. As the temperature is lowered, NOI reappears at a valueT=T _c, which is very close to confinement-deconfinement transition from hadrons to QGP..     

Proton-proton interaction with high multiplicity at energy of 70 GeV (proposal)

The goal of the proposed experiment is to investigate the collective behavior of particles in the process of multiple hadron production in pp interaction pp → n _π π + 2N at the beam energy E_lab = 70 GeV. The domain of high multiplicity n _π = 30–40, or z = n/\(\bar n\) = 4–6, will be studied. Near the threshold of reaction n _π → 69, z → z_th = 8.2, all particles acquire small relative momentum Δq < 1/R, where R is the dimension of the particle production region. As a consequence of multiboson interference, a number of collective effects may show up: (a) a drastic increase in the partial cross section σ(n) of production of n identical particles is expected, compared with commonly accepted extrapolation; (b) the formation of jets consisting of identical particles may occur as a result of the multiboson Bose-Einstein correlation (BEC) effect; (c) a large fluctuation of charged n(π⁺,π^?) and neutral n(π⁰) components and onset of centauros or chiral condensate effects are anticipated; (d) an increase in the rate of direct γ as a result of the bremsstrahlung in the partonic cascade and annihilation of π⁺π^? → nγ in dense and cold pionic gas or condensate is expected. In the domain of high multiplicity z ≥ 5, a major part of the c.m. energy \(\sqrt s = 11.6\) GeV is materialized, leading to a high-density thermalized hadronic system. Under this condition, a phase transition to cold quark-gluon plasma (QGP) may occur. The search for QGP signatures like large intermittency in the phase-space particle distribution and an enhanced rate of direct photons will be performed. The experimental setup is designed for detection of rare high-multiplicity events. The experiment is to be carried out at the extracted proton beam of the IHEP U-70 accelerator. The required beam intensity is ～10⁷ s^?1. Under the assumption that the partial cross section σ(n _π = 35) = 10-1 nb, the anticipated counting rate is 10-1 events/h. The multiboson BEC enhancement may drastically increase the counting rate.