Non-equilibrium Hydrodynamics of the Quark-Gluon Plasma, from Theory to Phenomenology
Author | : Dekrayat K. Almaalol |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 0 |
Release | : 2021 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:1350692643 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 ( Downloads) |
Download or read book Non-equilibrium Hydrodynamics of the Quark-Gluon Plasma, from Theory to Phenomenology written by Dekrayat K. Almaalol and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The quark-gluon plasma (QGP) is a deconfined phase of strongly interacting matter which can be described by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The QGP filled the entire universe in the early moments after the big bang and is believed to exist in the present time in the core of massive neutron stars. Understanding the physical properties of QGP and its non-equilibrium dynamics requires solving the full non-perturbative QCD equations of motion, which is an unsolved problem at this time. Ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions (URHICs) can be used to reproduce the extreme conditions of the early universe and create a short-lived QGP in the laboratory; in what is called the ``little'' bang. The highly momentum-anisotropic far-from-equilibrium initial state created in these experiments evolves dynamically in three main stages: pre-equilibrium ([tau] 0.5 fm/c), thermalization/hydrodynamization ([tau] 0.5-2 fm/c), and finally freeze-out/hadronization ([tau]> 10 fm/c), where 1fm/c = 3x10^(-24) s. Each of these stages span a different regime of physics, with different relevant degrees of freedom and, therefore, are described by different theoretical models, such as QCD kinetic theory, dissipative hydrodynamics, and hadronic kinetic theory. This dissertation considers the impact of all three of these stages on our understanding of the QGP generated in URHICs, with the focus on better understanding the non-equilibrium dynamics of the QGP, its path to equilibrium and the effect such non-equilibrium dynamics have on our ability to extract fundamental information about the QGP. This dissertation also provides theoretical insights into how to improve URHIC simulations by examining the impact of non-equilibrium corrections present during different stages of QGP evolution.