arXiv subjects

Larry McLerran

Publications and source records attributed to Larry McLerran.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Gluon Transport Equation in the Small Angle Approximation and the Onset of Bose-Einstein Condensation

In this paper, we study the evolution of a dense system of gluons, such as those produced in the early stages of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions. We describe the approach to thermal equilibrium using the small angle approximation for gluon scattering in a Boltzmann equation that includes the effects of Bose statistics. In the present study we ignore the effect of the longitudinal expansion, i.e., we restrict ourselves to spatially uniform systems, with spherically symmetric momentum distributions. Furthermore we take into account only elastic scattering, i.e., we neglect inelastic, number changing, processes. We solve the transport equation for various initial conditions that correspond to small or large initial gluon phase-space densities. For a small initial phase-space density, the system evolves towards thermal equilibrium, as expected. For a large enough initial phase-space density the equilibrium state contains a Bose condensate. We present numerical evidence that such over-populated systems reach the onset of Bose-Einstein condensation in a finite time. The approach to condensation is characterized by a scaling behavior that we briefly analyze.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Gauge turbulence, topological defect dynamics, and condensation in Higgs models

The real-time dynamics of topological defects and turbulent configurations of gauge fields for electric and magnetic confinement are studied numerically within a 2+1D Abelian Higgs model. It is shown that confinement is appearing in such systems equilibrating after a strong initial quench such as the overpopulation of the infrared modes. While the final equilibrium state does not support confinement, metastable vortex defect configurations appear in the gauge field which are found to be closely related to the appearance of physically observable confined electric and magnetic charges. These phenomena are seen to be intimately related to the approach of a non-thermal fixed point of the far-from-equilibrium dynamical evolution, signalled by universal scaling in the gauge-invariant correlation function of the Higgs field. Even when the parameters of the Higgs action do not support condensate formation in the vacuum, during this approach, transient Higgs condensation is observed. We discuss implications of these results for the far-from-equilibrium dynamics of Yang-Mills fields and potential mechanisms how confinement and condensation in non-abelian gauge fields can be understood in terms of the dynamics of Higgs models. These suggest that there is an interesting new class of dynamics of strong coherent turbulent gauge fields with condensates.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Transverse Momentum of Protons, Pions and Kaons in High Multiplicity pp and pA Collisions: Evidence for the Color Glass Condensate?

The CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider has recently presented data on the average transverse momentum of protons, kaons and pions as a function of particle multiplicity. We relate the particle multiplicity to saturation momentum using recently published computations of the interaction radius determined from the theory of the Color Glass Condensate. We show that the pp and the pA experimental data scale in terms of these saturation momenta. Computing transverse momentum spectra for identified particles using Boltzmann-type distributions and relating different associated multiplicities using geometric scaling, these simple distributions reproduce the observed dependence of the mean transverse momentum on particle multiplicities seen in both pp and pA interactions for pions to good accuracy, and to fair agreement for protons and kaons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Production of Photons and Dileptons in the Glasma

We study the production of photons and dileptons during the pre-equilibrium Glasma stage in heavy ion collisions and discuss the implications in light of the PHENIX data. We find that the measured distributions of such electromagnetic emissions, while having some features not well understood if hypothesized to entirely arise from a thermalized Quark-Gluon Plasma, have some qualitative features that might be described after including effects from a thermalizing Glasma. The shape and centrality dependence of the transverse momentum spectra of the so-called "thermal photons" are well described. The mass and transverse momentum dependence of intermediate mass dileptons also agree with our estimates. The low transverse momenta from which the excessive dileptons (in low to intermediate mass region) arise is suggestive of emissions from a Bose condensate. We also predict the centrality dependence of dilepton production. Uncertainties in the current approach and improvements in the future are discussed.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Thermalization and Bose-Einstein Condensation in Overpopulated Glasma

We report recent progress on understanding the thermalization of the quark-gluon plasma during the early stage in a heavy ion collision. The initially high overpopulation in the far-from-equilibrium gluonic matter ("Glasma") is shown to play a crucial role. The strongly interacting nature (and thus fast evolution) naturally arises as an {\em emergent property} of this pre-equilibrium matter where the intrinsic coupling is weak but the highly occupied gluon states coherently amplify the scattering. A possible transient Bose-Einstein Condensate is argued to form dynamically on a rather general ground. We develop a kinetic approach for describing its evolution toward thermalization, and based on that we find approximate scaling solutions as well as numerically study the onset of condensation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Interweaving Chiral Spirals

We elaborate how to construct interweaving chiral spirals in (2+1) dimensions, defined as a superposition of chiral spirals oriented in different directions. We divide a two-dimensional Fermi sea into distinct wedges, characterized by the opening angle 2Theta and depth Q ~ pF, where pF is the Fermi momentum. In each wedge, the energy is lowered by forming a single chiral spiral. The optimal values for Theta and Q are chosen by balancing this gain in energy versus the cost of deforming the Fermi surface (which dominates at large Theta) and patch-patch interactions (dominant at small Theta). Using a non-local four-Fermi interaction model, we estimate the gain and cost in energy by expanding in terms of 1/Nc (where Nc is the number of colors), lqcd/Q, and Theta. Due to a form factor in our non-local model, at small 1/Nc the mass gap (chiral condensate) is large, and the interaction among quarks and the condensate local in momentum space. Consequently, interactions between different patches are localized near their boundaries, and it is simple to embed many chiral spirals. We identify the dominant and subdominant terms at high density and categorize formulate an expansion in terms of lqcd/Q or Theta. The kinetic term in the transverse directions is subdominant, so that techniques from (1+1)-dimensional systems can be utilized. To leading order in 1/Nc and lqcd/Q, the total gain in energy is ~ pF lqcd^2 with Theta ~ (lqcd/pF)^{3/5}. Since Theta decreases with increasing pF, there should be phase transitions associated with the change in the wedge number. We also argue the effects of subdominant terms at lower density where the large-Nc approximation is more reliable.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Electroweak Instantons, Axions, and the Cosmological Constant

If there is explicit violation of baryon plus lepton number at some energy scale, then the electroweak theory depends upon a θ-angle. Due to a singular integration over small scale size instantons, this θ-dependence is sensitive to very high momentum scales. Assuming that there is no new physics between the electroweak and Planck scales, for an electroweak axion the energy difference between the vacuum at θ /= 0, and that at θ = 0, is of the correct order of magnitude to be the dark energy observed in the present epoch.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Bose--Einstein Condensation and Thermalization of the Quark Gluon Plasma

In ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions, the matter formed shortly after the collision is a dense, out of equilibrium, system of gluons characterized by a semi-hard momentum scale $Q_{\rm s}$. Simple power counting arguments indicate that this system is over-occupied: the gluon occupation number is parametrically large when compared to a system in thermal equilibrium with the same energy density. On short time scales, soft elastic scatterings tend to drive the system towards the formation of a Bose--Einstein condensate that contains a large fraction of the gluons while contributing little to the energy density. The lifetime and existence of this condensate depends on whether inelastic processes, that occur on the same time scale as the elastic ones, preferably increase or decrease the number of gluons. During this overpopulated stage, and all the way to thermalization, the system behaves as a strongly interacting fluid, even though the elementary coupling constant is small. We argue that while complete isotropization may never be reached, the system may yet evolve for a long time with a fixed anisotropy between average longitudinal and transverse momenta.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Summary of Theoretical Physics for ICPAQGP 2010

This talk includes a discussion of recent theory developments in the areas related to ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions. It includes the topics of the Quark Gluon Plasma, Color Glass Condensate, Glasma and Quarkyonic Matter.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Happy Island

I discuss the phase diagram for QCD in the baryon chemical potential and temperature plane. I argue that there is a new phase of matter different from the deconfined Quark Gluon Plasma: Quarkyonic Matter. Quarkyonic Matter is confined and exists at densities parametrically large compared to the QCD scale, when the number of quark colors, $N_c$ is large. I motivate the possibility that Quarkyonic Matter is in an inhomogeneous phase, and is surrounded by lines of phase transitions, making a Happy Island in the $μ_B$-T plane. I conjecture about the geography of Happy Island.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

The Dichotomous Nucleon: Some Radical Conjectures for the Large Nc Limit

We discuss some problems with the large Nc approximation for nucleons which arise if the axial coupling of the nucleon to pions is large, g_A \sim Nc. While g_A \sim Nc in non-relativistic quark and Skyrme models, it has been suggested that Skyrmions may collapse to a small size, r \sim 1/f_pi \sim Lambda_QCD^{-1}/sqrt(Nc). (This is also the typical scale over which the string vertex moves in a string vertex model of the baryon.) We concentrate on the case of two flavors, where we suggest that to construct a nucleon with a small axial coupling, that most quarks are bound into colored diquark pairs, which have zero spin and isospin. For odd Nc, this leaves one unpaired quark, which carries the spin and isospin of the nucleon. If the unpaired quark is in a spatial wavefunction orthogonal to the wavefunctions of the scalar diquarks, then up to logarithms of Nc, the unpaired quark only costs an energy \sim Lambda_QCD. This naturally gives g_A \sim 1 and has other attractive features. In nature, the wavefunctions of the paired and unpaired quarks might only be approximately orthogonal; then g_A depends weakly upon Nc. This dichotomy in wave functions could arise if the unpaired quark orbits at a size which is parametrically large in comparison to that of the diquarks. We discuss possible tests of these ideas from numerical simulations on the lattice, for two flavors and three and five colors; the extension of our ideas to more than three or more flavors is not obvious, though.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Saturation and Scaling of Multiplicity, Mean p_T and p_T Distributions from 200 GeV < sqrt{s} < 7 TeV - Addendum

In the previous paper we have argued that the LHC data on multiplicity, average transverse momentum, and charged particle transverse momentum distributions are well described with minimal modeling in terms of a saturation scale Q_sat(s). As a consequence, the p_T spectra should exhibit geometric scaling. In this short note we show that recently released CMS data at sqrt{s}=0.9, 2.36 and 7 TeV fall on a universal curve when plotted in terms of suitably defined scaling variable τ.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Strongly Interacting Matter Matter at Very High Energy Density: 3 Lectures in Zakopane

These lectures concern the properties of strongly interacting matter at very high energy density. I begin with the Color Glass Condensate and the Glasma, matter that controls the earliest times in hadronic collisions. I then describe the Quark Gluon Plasma, matter produced from the thermalized remnants of the Glasma. Finally, I describe high density baryonic matter, in particular Quarkyonic matter. The discussion will be intuitive and based on simple structural aspects of QCD. There will be some discussion of experimental tests of these ideas.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Gluon Evolution and Saturation Proceedings

Almost 40 years ago, Gribov and colleagues at the Leningrad Nuclear Physics Institute developed the ideas that led to the Dokhsitzer-Gribov-Altarelli-Parisi the Baltisky-Fadin-Kuraev-Lipatov equations. These equations describe the evolution of the distributions for quarks and gluon inside a hadron to increased resolution scale of a probe or to smaller values of the fractional momentum of a hadronic constituent. I motivate and discuss the generalization required of these equations needed for high energy processes when the density of constituents is large. This leads to a theory of saturation realized by the Color Glass Condensate

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

The CGC and the Glasma: Two Lectures at the Yukawa Insitute

These lectures concern the theory of the Color Glass Condensate (CGC) and the Glasma. These are forms of matter that control the earliest times in hadronic collisions. I will motivate the CGC and Glasma from simple physical considerations, and provide a sketchy derivation from QCD. There will be some discussion of experimental tests of these ideas.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Saturation and Scaling of Multiplicity, Mean p_T and p_T Distributions from 200 GeV < sqrt{s} < 7 TeV

The multiplicity, average transverse momentum, and charged particle transverse momentum distributions have recently been measured in LHC experiments. The multiplicity and average transverse momentum grow with beam energy. Such growth is expected in the theory of the Color Glass Condensate, a theory that incorporates the physics of saturation into the evolution of the gluon distribution. We show that the energy dependence of the $p\overline{p}$ data and the LHC data for $pp$ scattering at \sqrt{s} > 200 GeV may be simply described using a minimal amount of model input. Such a description uses parameters consistent with the Color Glass Condensate descriptions of HERA and RHIC experimental data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Quarkyonic Chiral Spirals

We consider the formation of chiral density waves in Quarkyonic matter, which is a phase where cold, dense quarks experience confining forces. We model confinement following Gribov and Zwanziger, taking the gluon propagator, in Coulomb gauge and momentum space, as 1/(p^2)^2. We assume that the number of colors, N, is large, and that the quark chemical potential, mu, is much larger than renormalization mass scale, Lambda_QCD. To leading order in 1/N and Lambda_QCD/mu, a gauge theory with Nf flavors of massless quarks in 3+1 dimensions naturally reduces to a gauge theory in 1+1 dimensions, with an enlarged flavor symmetry of SU(2Nf). Through an anomalous chiral rotation, in two dimensions a Fermi sea of massless quarks maps directly onto the corresponding theory in vacuum. A chiral condensate forms locally, and varies with the spatial position, z, as < psibar exp(2 i mu z gamma^0 gamma^z) psi >. Following Schon and Thies, we term this two dimensional pion condensate a (Quarkyonic) chiral spiral. Massive quarks also exhibit chiral spirals, with the magnitude of the oscillations decreasing smoothly with increasing mass. The power law correlations of the Wess-Zumino-Novikov-Witten model in 1+1 dimensions then generate strong infrared effects in 3+1 dimensions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Theoretical Concepts for Ultra-Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions

Various forms of matter may be produced in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions. These are the Quark Gluon Plasma, the Color Glass Condensate, the Glasma and Quarkyonic Matter. A novel effect that may be associated with topological charge fluctuations is the Chiral Magnetic Effect. I explain these concepts and explain how they may be seen in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions.

hep-ph↗