Toward Equilibration in the Early Stages After a High Energy Heavy Ion Collision

TL;DR

This paper investigates the early gluon dynamics in high-energy heavy ion collisions, providing an equation for momentum transfer and tracking the system towards equilibration, but not reaching full equilibrium.

Contribution

It introduces a new equation for the rate of momentum change in gluons and models the early evolution toward equilibration in heavy ion collisions.

Findings

Derived an equation for transverse to longitudinal momentum transfer

Tracked system evolution up to the onset of equilibration

Identified limitations in following the system to full equilibrium

Abstract

The early stages in the evolution of the gluons produced in the central region of a head-on high-energy heavy ion collision is studied. An equation is given for the rate of change of transverse momentum into longitudinal momentum where the longitudinal direction is along the collision axis. We are able to follow the system up to the time where equilibration seems to be setting in, but we are unable to actually follow the system as it reaches equilibrium.