Thermalization of non-Abelian gauge theories at next-to-leading order
Y. Fu, Jacopo Ghiglieri, Shahin Iqbal, Aleksi Kurkela
Abstract
We provide the first next-to-leading-order (NLO) weak-coupling description of the thermalization process of far-from-equilibrium systems in non-Abelian gauge theory. We study isotropic systems starting from either over- or underoccupied initial conditions and follow their time evolution toward thermal equilibrium by numerically solving the QCD effective kinetic theory at NLO accuracy. We find that the NLO corrections remain well under control for a wide range of couplings and that the overall effect of NLO corrections is to reduce the time needed to reach thermal equilibrium in the systems considered.
Topics & Concepts
ThermalisationGauge theoryThermal equilibriumPhysicsQuantum chromodynamicsGauge (firearms)Abelian groupIsotropyOrder (exchange)Coupling (piping)ThermalRange (aeronautics)Quantum electrodynamicsTheoretical physicsParticle physicsQuantum mechanicsMathematicsEconomicsThermodynamicsEngineeringMaterials scienceFinanceAerospace engineeringMechanical engineeringCombinatoricsMetallurgyHigh-Energy Particle Collisions ResearchCosmology and Gravitation TheoriesQuantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions