Covariant calculations at finite temperature: The relativistic plasma
It is shown that finite-temperature calculations in field theory are manifestly Lorentz covariant at all stages if the Minkowski-space form of the temperature-dependent propagators is used and if the four-velocity u/sub ..mu../ of the heat bath is taken into account. New tensor structures involving u/sub ..mu../ generally arise but are severely constrained by covariant current conservation. A complete high-temperature (T>>m) expansion of the vacuum polarization tensor for non-Abelian gauge theories is computed to order g/sup 2/ and displays the separate dependence on frequency ..omega.. and wave number k that occurs at finite temperature. A covariant phenomenology of ''electric'' and ''magnetic'' properties is applied to the collective plasma effects, characterized by a plasma frequency ..omega../sub p/ /sup 2/ = (N/sub f/+2N)g/sup 2/T/sup 2//6 for SU(N) with N/sub f/ fermions. The longitudinal normal modes of the ''electric'' field exist only for ..omega..>..omega../sub p/; for ..omega..<..omega../sub p/ all ''electric'' fields are screened. The transverse normal modes are plane waves along E x B for ..omega..>..omega../sub p/; for ..omega..<..omega../sub p/ both transverse ''electric'' and ''magnetic'' fields are shielded except for the static (..omega.. = 0) case.
- Research Organization:
- Department of Physics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
- OSTI ID:
- 6702583
- Journal Information:
- Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 26:6; ISSN PRVDA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
EQUATIONS
FIELD EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GAUGE INVARIANCE
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LIE GROUPS
LORENTZ INVARIANCE
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MINKOWSKI SPACE
PLASMA
PROPAGATOR
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA
SPACE
SU GROUPS
SYMMETRY GROUPS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
VACUUM POLARIZATION