Spinodal decomposition in Bjorken flow

TL;DR

This paper models the spinodal decomposition during the QCD phase transition in heavy-ion collisions by integrating surface effects into relativistic hydrodynamics on a Bjorken flow background.

Contribution

It develops a hydrodynamical framework incorporating spinodal decomposition effects relevant for analyzing phase transition signatures in heavy-ion collision experiments.

Findings

Formulated relativistic hydrodynamics equations with spinodal effects

Solved these equations in a Bjorken flow background

Provides a basis for identifying experimental signatures of the phase transition

Abstract

The QCD first-order phase transition at large baryon densities is expected to proceed by spinodal decomposition. This spinodal phase is likely to leave its signatures on the experimental observables measured in heavy-ion collision experiments. Identifying these signatures requires phenomenological models integrating surface effects resulting from the phase transition into the hydrodynamical description of the expanding quark gluon plasma. We write the equations of relativistic hydrodynamics with spinodal decomposition and solve it in on a background of Bjorken flow relevant for heavy-ion collisions.