Jet-induced gauge field instabilities in the quark-gluon plasma: A kinetic theory approach
- Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (IEEC/CSIC), Campus Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Facultat de Ciencies, Torre C5 E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain)
We discuss the properties of the collective modes of a system composed by a thermalized quark-gluon plasma traversed by a relativistic jet of partons. The transport equations obeyed by the components of the plasma and of the jet are studied in the Vlasov approximation. Assuming that the partons in the jet can be described with a tsunamilike distribution function we derive the expressions of the dispersion law of the collective modes. Then the behavior of the unstable gauge modes of the system is analyzed for various values of the velocity of the jet, of the momentum of the collective modes and of the angle between these two quantities. We find that the most unstable modes are those with momentum orthogonal to the velocity of the jet and that these instabilities appear when the velocity of the jet is higher than a threshold value, which depends on the plasma and jet frequencies. The results obtained within the Vlasov approximation are compared with the corresponding results obtained using a chromohydrodynamical approach. The effect we discuss here suggests a possible collective mechanism for the description of the jet quenching phenomena in heavy-ion collisions.
- OSTI ID:
- 21249715
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 77, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.77.054018; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Momentum broadening in unstable quark-gluon plasma
Jet energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma by stream instabilities