High-energy photons from quark-gluon plasma versus hot hadronic gas

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.44.2774· OSTI ID:6103274

Kapusta, J; Seibert, D ^[1]; Lichard, P ^[2]

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1. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)
2. Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)

Photons in the energy range of about one-half to several GeV have been proposed as a signal of the formation of a quark-gluon plasma in high-energy collisions. To lowest order the thermal emission rate is infrared divergent for massless quarks, but we regulate this divergence using the resummation technique of Braaten and Pisarski. Photons can also be produced in the hadron phase. We find that the dominant contribution comes from the reactions {pi}{pi}{r arrow}{rho}{gamma} and {pi}{rho}{r arrow}{pi}{gamma}; the decays {omega}{r arrow}{pi}{gamma} and {rho}{r arrow}{pi}{pi}{gamma} are also significant. Comparing the thermal emission rates at a temperature {ital T}=200 MeV we conclude that the hadron gas shines just as brightly as the quark-gluon plasma.

• DOE Contract Number: FG02-87ER40328
• OSTI ID: 6103274
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States) Vol. 44:9; ISSN PRVDA; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

662240 -- Models for Strong Interactions-- (1992-)
662340* -- Hadron Interactions-- (1992-)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ACCELERATORS
BROOKHAVEN AGS
CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
CROSS SECTIONS
CYCLIC ACCELERATORS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EMISSION
ENERGY
ENERGY RANGE
FIELD THEORIES
FORM FACTORS
FUNCTIONS
HADRON-HADRON INTERACTIONS
INFRARED DIVERGENCES
INTERACTIONS
LINEAR MOMENTUM
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATTER
MESON-MESON INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PHOTON EMISSION
PION-PION INTERACTIONS
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUARK MATTER
SELF-ENERGY
SYNCHROTRONS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TEV RANGE
TRANSVERSE MOMENTUM