Rapid Decay of Color Gauge Fields by Production of Magnetic Monopoles

TL;DR

This paper proposes that magnetic monopole production via the dual Schwinger mechanism causes the rapid decay of color gauge fields, explaining the quick formation of quark-gluon plasma after heavy ion collisions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism involving magnetic monopoles for the rapid decay of gauge fields, supported by classical statistical field theory analysis.

Findings

Magnetic monopoles are highly produced by the dual Schwinger mechanism.

Monopoles act as unstable modes leading to gauge field decay.

This mechanism aligns with phenomenological constraints on gauge field lifetime.

Abstract

It has been argued that the rapid decay of coherent color gauge fields generated immediately after high energy heavy ion collisions produces quark gluon plasma. But there are no convincing mechanisms for the rapid decay of the gauge fields which satisfy phenomenological constraints on their life time. We show by using classical statistical field theory that the production of magnetic monopoles cause the rapid decay of the gauge fields. The monopoles are unstable modes just like Nielsen-Olesen modes and are enormously produced by dual Schwinger mechanism.