Sphalerons and axion dynamics in high-temperature QCD

Journal Article · Fri Mar 15 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.43.2027· OSTI ID:5834995

McLerran, L ^[1]; Mottola, E ^[2]; Shaposhnikov, M E ^[3]

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1. Theoretical Physics Institute, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (USA)
2. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Theoretical Division, T-8, Mail Stop B285, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (USA)
3. Institute for Nuclear Research, Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R., Moscow 117312 (USSR)

We consider the effects of sphaleronlike transitions in the high-temperature QCD plasma. Because of the chiral anomaly, these imply rapid chirality change, and strongly influence the dynamics of any axionic fields that may couple to the topological winding number of QCD. We derive a coupled set of equations describing the evolution of the axion field and chiral fermion density at high temperatures. The unsuppressed sphaleronlike transitions result in the damping of coherent axionic oscillations. The implications of this phenomenon for axion fields in early Universe cosmology is discussed.

• OSTI ID: 5834995
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA) Vol. 43:6; 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
645300 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries
645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
AXIONS
BARYON NUMBER
BOSONS
CHIRAL SYMMETRY
COSMOLOGY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GAUGE INVARIANCE
GOLDSTONE BOSONS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LIE GROUPS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS
P INVARIANCE
PARTICLE MODELS
PLASMA
POSTULATED PARTICLES
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
SU GROUPS
SU-2 GROUPS
SYMMETRY
SYMMETRY BREAKING
SYMMETRY GROUPS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TOPOLOGY
U GROUPS
U-1 GROUPS
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
UNIFIED-FIELD THEORIES
UNIVERSE
VACUUM STATES
WEINBERG-SALAM GAUGE MODEL
YANG-MILLS THEORY