Classical behavior in high temperature chromodynamics
In searching for tools to describe physical systems consisting of hadronic matter at high temperature, it is worthwhile to consider the application of classical chromodynamics. Classical non-Abelian gauge theories have been extensively studied and continue to attract theoretical interest. However, the thrust of most work has been to consider classical dynamics as merely a guide to the quantum mechanical path integral. Attention has therefore focussed on particle-like field configurations or on topological structures which may be important in the presence of color confinement. Confinement in low-temperature QCD provides a substantial barrier to the use of any classical approximations. With color fields confined to isolated spatial regions, it is vey implausible that any classical approximation can be made for bulk hadronic matter. However, at temperatures above the postulated deconfining phase transition there are reasons to believe that classical physics would be a valid approximation. Statistical fluctuations at high temperature can dominate quantum fluctuations and it is possible that the behavior of a large system can be described by averaged fields which obey classical equations. The use of the classical approximation for the non-Abelian dynamics is discussed. (WHK)
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6568180
- Report Number(s):
- ANL-HEP-CP-84-51; CONF-8405193-38; ON: DE84015815
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Conference on the intersections between particle and nuclear physics, Steamboat Springs, CO, USA, 23 May 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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