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Nonequilibrium evolution of a “tsunami,” a high multiplicity initial quantum state: Dynamical symmetry breaking

Daniel Boyanovsky, Hector J. de Vega, Richard Holman, Prem Kumar Orcid Logo, Robert D Pisarski

Physical Review D, Volume: 57, Issue: 6, Pages: 3653 - 3669

Swansea University Author: Prem Kumar Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1103/PhysRevD.57.3653

Abstract

We propose to study the non-equilibrium features of heavy-ion collisions by following the evolution of an initial state with a large number of quanta with a distribution around a momentum |⃗k0| corresponding to a thin spherical shell in momentum space, a ‘tsunami’. An O(N) (Φ⃗2)2 model field theory...

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Published in: Physical Review D
Published: 1998
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa16122
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Abstract: We propose to study the non-equilibrium features of heavy-ion collisions by following the evolution of an initial state with a large number of quanta with a distribution around a momentum |⃗k0| corresponding to a thin spherical shell in momentum space, a ‘tsunami’. An O(N) (Φ⃗2)2 model field theory in the large N limit is used as a framework to study the non-perturbative aspects of the non-equilibrium dynamics including a resummation of the effects of the medium (the initial particle distribution). In a theory where the symmetry is spontaneously broken in the absence of the medium, when the initial number of particles per correlation volume is chosen to be larger than a critical value the medium effects can restore the symmetry of the initial state. We show that if one begins with such a symmetry-restored, non-thermal, initial state, non-perturbative effects automatically induce spinodal instabilities leading to a dynamical breaking of the symmetry. As a result there is explosive particle production and a redistribution of the particles towards low momentum due to the nonlinearity of the dynamics. The asymptotic behavior displays the onset of Bose condensation of pions and the equation of state at long times is that of an ultrarelativistic gas although the momentum distribution is non-thermal.
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Issue: 6
Start Page: 3653
End Page: 3669