Relaxation Time and Relaxation Function of Quark-Gluon Plasma with Lattice QCD

TL;DR

This paper introduces a QCD-based method to calculate relaxation times in quark-gluon plasma using spectral functions derived from lattice QCD, revealing complex damping behaviors that challenge existing hydrodynamic models.

Contribution

It presents the first calculation of the relaxation function for baryon-number current in charm quark-gluon plasma using lattice QCD and explores its implications for hydrodynamic equations.

Findings

Relaxation function exhibits strongly-oscillating damping behavior.

The Israel-Stewart equation's applicability is limited for certain plasma conditions.

Spectral functions derived from lattice QCD can inform improved hydrodynamic models.

Abstract

We propose a method which enables a QCD-based calculation of a relaxation time for a dissipative current in the causal and dissipative hydrodynamic equation derived by Israel and Stewart. We point out that the Israel-Stewart equation is not unique as a causal and dissipative hydrodynamic equation, and the form of the causal and dissipative hydrodynamic equation is determined by the shape of a spectral function reflecting the properties of elementary excitations in the system we consider. Our method utilizes a relaxation function, which can be calculated from QCD using the linear response theory. We show that the relaxation function can be derived from a spectral function for a microscopic representation of the dissipative current. We also show that the Israel-Stewart equation is acceptable only as long as the calculated relaxation function is approximated well by a exponentially damping function, and the relaxation time can be obtained as its damping time constant. Taking a baryon-number dissipative current of a plasma consisting of charm quarks and gluons as a simple example, we present the first calculation of the relaxation function with use of the spectral function derived employing the quenched lattice QCD together with the maximum entropy method. The calculated relaxation function shows a strongly-oscillation damping behaviour due to the charmed vector hadron $J/\Psi$ surviving above the deconfinement phase transition temperature in QCD. This result suggests that the applicability of the Israel-Stewart equation to the baryon-number dissipative current of the charm quark-gluon plasma is quite doubtful. We present an idea for the improvement of the Israel-Stewart equation by deriving the hydrodynamic equation consistent with the strongly-oscillation damping relaxation function.