Deconfinement, Monopoles and New Phenomena in Heavy Ion Collisions

TL;DR

This paper explores the magnetic scenario in quark-gluon plasma near the deconfinement transition, proposing a dual magnetohydrodynamics framework that explains phenomena like flux tubes and specific correlation structures observed at RHIC.

Contribution

It introduces a dual magnetohydrodynamics approach to describe magnetic effects in quark-gluon plasma and connects theoretical predictions with experimental observations of flux tubes and correlation structures.

Findings

Existence of a QGP 'corona' with magnetic dominance near T_c

Splitting of sound modes into two velocities due to magnetic effects

Experimental evidence of flux tube remnants in RHIC data

Abstract

We discuss various manifestations of the "magnetic scenario" for the quark-gluon plasma viewed as a mixture of two plasmas, of electrically (quark and gluons) as well as magnetically charged quasiparticles. Near the deconfinement phase transition, $T\approx T_c$ very small density of free quarks should lead to negligible screening of electric field while magnetic screening remains strong. The consequence of this should be existence of a "corona" of the QGP, in a way similar to that of the Sun, in which electric fields influence propagation of perturbations and even form metastable flux tubes. The natural tool for its description is (dual) magnetohydrodynamics: among observable consequences is splitting of sound into two modes, with larger and smaller velocity. The latter can be zero, hinting for formation of pressure-stabilized flux tubes. Remarkably, recent experimental discoveries at RHIC show effects similar to expected for "corona structures". In dihadron correlation function with large-$p_t$ trigger there are a "cone" and a "hard ridge",while the so called "soft ridge" is a similar structure seen without hard trigger. They seem to be remnants of flux tubes, which -- contrary to naive expectations -- seem to break less often in near-$T_c$ matter than do confining strings in vacuum.