Bubble free energy at the quark-hadron phase transition

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.44.878· OSTI ID:5309070

Mardor, I; Svetitsky, B ^[1]

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1. School of Physics and Astronomy, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel (IL)

We calculate the free energy of finite droplets of quark-gluon plasma, and of finite hadronic bubbles in the bulk plasma, near the confinement phase transition. We sum over free quark and gluon energy levels in the presence of MIT bag boundary conditions. We find that the curvature term in the free energy, proportional to the radius of the droplet or bubble, is far more important than the contribution of the surface tension, proportional to the radius squared. This affects the critical radius for nucleation of plasma droplets in the superheated hadron gas, and seems to lead to instability of the plasma (even when {ital not} supercooled) against nucleation of hadron gas bubbles.

• OSTI ID: 5309070
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States) Vol. 44:3; ISSN PRVDA; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645204* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Theoretical-- Strong Interactions & Properties
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BAG MODEL
BOSONS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
COMPOSITE MODELS
DROPLETS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY LEVELS
EXTENDED PARTICLE MODEL
GLUONS
HADRONS
MASS SPECTRA
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATTER
NUCLEATION
PARTICLE MODELS
PARTICLES
PHASE SHIFT
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
QUARK MATTER
QUARK MODEL
SPECTRA
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACE TENSION