Chemical and kinetic equilibrations via radiative parton transport

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a quark-gluon plasma reaches chemical and kinetic equilibrium using a radiative transport model, highlighting the role of radiative processes in pressure isotropization and the influence of initial conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a radiative transport model to study equilibration in quark-gluon plasma, emphasizing the impact of radiative processes on pressure isotropization and the interplay between chemical and kinetic equilibration.

Findings

Radiative interactions lead to partial pressure isotropization.

Different initial pressure anisotropies converge to similar evolution.

Radiative processes significantly aid pressure isotropization.

Abstract

A hot and dense partonic system can be produced in the early stage of a relativistic heavy ion collision. How it equilibrates is important for the extraction of Quark-Gluon Plasma properties. We study the chemical and kinetic equilibrations of the Quark-Gluon Plasma using a radiative transport model. Thermal and Color-Glass-Condensate motivated initial conditions are used. We observe that screened parton interactions always lead to partial pressure isotropization. Different initial pressure anisotropies result in the same asymptotic evolution. Comparison of evolutions with and without radiative processes shows that chemical equilibration interacts with kinetic equilibration and radiative processes can contribute significantly to pressure isotropization.