Time and space dependence of electromagnetic field in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

TL;DR

This paper provides an exact analytical solution for the evolution of electromagnetic fields in conducting nuclear matter during heavy-ion collisions, highlighting how matter effects dominate at RHIC and LHC energies.

Contribution

It introduces a parameter $\sigma\gamma b$ that governs electromagnetic field evolution, emphasizing the importance of matter effects in high-energy collisions.

Findings

Electromagnetic field evolution differs significantly from vacuum when $\sigma\gamma b \\geq 1$.

The parameter $\sigma\gamma b$ determines the strength of matter effects on the electromagnetic field.

At RHIC and LHC, matter effects are dominant due to large $\sigma\gamma b$ values.

Abstract

Exact analytical solution for the space-time evolution of electromagnetic field in electrically conducting nuclear matter produced in heavy-ion collisions is discussed. It is argued that the parameter that controls the strength of the matter effect on the field evolution is $\sigma\gamma b$, where $\sigma$ is electrical conductivity, $\gamma$ is the Lorentz boost-factor and $b$ is the characteristic transverse size of the matter. When this parameter is of the order one or larger, which is the case at RHIC and LHC, space-time dependence of electromagnetic field is completely different form that in vacuum.