Objective
The theory of the strong interactions, quantum chromodynamics (QCD), appears to have a confinement/deconfinement phase transition, as well as a transition from a chirally broken to a chirally symmetric phase. It is an interesting question as to whether the latter transition can be observed in heavy-ion collisions, where a quark gluon plasma is thought to form, as there is evidence that both transitions occur at the same temperature. Extensive studies of an effective model of QCD (the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model) are therefore required.
Both equilibrium and non-equilibrium processes related to reactions and the nature of the phase transition will be studied. Higher order correlations that could possibly render the phase transition first order necessitate a study of bubble nucleation rates in plasma formation and attendant properties. Former attempts at making the model more realistic, such as investigating the effect of gluon condensates on the behaviour of the constituent quark masses, the quark condensates and other physical properties of mesons in the hot and dense medium will be studied. In particular, pion properties such as the e.-m. form factor and polarizabilities in the medium will be studied.
Topic(s)
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DW 6900 Heidelberg
Germany