8 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, invited talk presented at the ELI Workshop and School on Fundamental Physics with Ultra-high Fields (September 29 - October 2, 2008, Frauenwoerth, Germany)
Ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas can be produced in high-intensity laser fields and play a role in various astrophysical situations. Their properties can be calculated using QED at finite temperature. Here we will use perturbative QED at finite temperature for calculating various important properties, such as the equation of state, dispersion relations of collective plasma modes of photons and electrons, Debye screening, damping rates, mean free paths, collision times, transport coefficients, and particle production rates, of ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas. In particular, we will focus on electron-positron plasmas produced with ultra-strong lasers.
Ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas can be produced in high-intensity laser fields and play a role in various astrophysical situations. Their properties can be calculated using QED at finite temperature. Here we will use perturbative QED at finite temperature for calculating various important properties, such as the equation of state, dispersion relations of collective plasma modes of photons and electrons, Debye screening, damping rates, mean free paths, collision times, transport coefficients, and particle production rates, of ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas. In particula…
The generation of narrow beams of high-energy positrons (electrons) in the process of resonant photogeneration of ultrarelativistic electron-positron pairs by high-energy gamma quanta in the field of the nucleus and a strong electromagnetic wave is theoretically predicted. It is shown that if the energy of the initial gamma quanta significantly exceeds the characteristic energy of the process, then ultrarelativistic positrons (for channel A) or electrons (for channel B) are emitted with energies very close to the energy of gamma quanta. Moreover, the resonant differential cross-section of such…
We consider the production of ultrarelativistic parapositronium and orthopositronium atoms in collisions of high energy electrons with laser photons. Our results demonstrate the opportunity of intensive positronium beam formation with Lorentz-factor 10^6 using laser beam conversion on high energy electrons at the future Electron Linear Accelerators.
A novel scheme is proposed for generating a polarized positron beam via multiphoton Breit-Wheeler process during the collision of a 10 GeV, pC seeding electron beam with the other 1 GeV, nC driving electron beam. The driving beam provides the strong self-generated field, and a suitable transverse deviation distance between two beams enables the field experienced by the seeding beam to be unipolar, which is crucial for realizing the positron polarization. We employ the particle simulation with a Monte-Carlo method to calculate the spin- and polarization-resolved photon emission and electron-pos…
The calculation of the transport coefficients of the strong quark-gluon plasma (sQGP), i.e. sheer viscosity $η$, heat conductivity $\gk$ and bulk viscosity $ζ$, in the first Chapman-Enskog approximation is presented. Their formulation in terms of two-fold integrals depending on the particle interaction, known as relativistic omega integrals, is derived and their evaluation in the ultrarelativistic limit is worked out assuming a cross section independent of the relative and total momentum of two colliding particles. We find a suppression of the bulk viscosity and a pronounced temperature depend…
The quark-gluon plasma close to the critical temperature is a strongly interacting system. Using strongly coupled, classical, non-relativistic plasmas as an analogy, we argue that the quark-gluon plasma is in the liquid phase. This allows to understand experimental observations in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions and to interpret lattice QCD results. It also supports the indications of the presence of a strongly coupled QGP in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.
For complete development of quantum electrodynamics in the presence of a strong external field, the proper understanding of resonant processes and all their peculiarities is essential. We present our attempt to analytically investigate the resonant case of laser-assisted electron-positron pair photoproduction on a nucleus. Due to the presence of external field, the intermediate virtual particle may become real, herewith the second order process in the fine structure constant effectively reduces into the two successive first order processes. All inherent kinematics features were discussed in de…
We propose a unified space-time picture of baryon stopping and quark-gluon plasma creation in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. It is assumed that the highly Lorentz contracted nuclei are decelerated by the coherent color field which is formed between them after they pass through each other. This process continues until the field is neutralized by the Schwinger mechanism. Conservation of energy and momentum allow us to calculate the energy losses of the nuclear slabs and the initial energy density of the quark-gluon plasma.
We analyze the possibilities for studying properties of dense QCD-matter, created in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions, by hard QCD-production processes, so-called "hard" probes -- heavy quarkonia, hard jets, high mass dimuons. Special attention is paid to the potential of coming heavy ion experiments on Large Hadron Collider to observe the rescattering and energy losses of hard partons in quark-gluon plasma.
Ultra-intense lasers are expected to produce, in near future, relativistic electron-positron plasma droplets. Considering the local photon production rate in complete leading order in quantum electrodynamics (QED), we point out that these droplets are interesting sources of gamma ray flashes
We investigate the influence of a temperature-dependent shear viscosity over entropy density ratio eta/s on the transverse momentum spectra and elliptic flow of hadrons in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. We find that the elliptic flow in sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC is dominated by the viscosity in the hadronic phase and in the phase transition region, but largely insensitive to the viscosity of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). At the highest LHC energy, the elliptic flow becomes sensitive to the QGP viscosity and insensitive to the hadronic viscosity.
We compute the damping rate of a fermion in a dense relativistic plasma at zero temperature. Just above the Fermi sea, the damping rate is dominated by the exchange of soft magnetic photons (or gluons in QCD) and is proportional to $(E-μ)$, where E is the fermion energy and $μ$ the chemical potential. We also compute the contribution of soft electric photons and of hard photons. As in the nonrelativistic case, the contribution of longitudinal photons is proportional to $(E-μ)^2$, and is thus non leading in the relativistic case.
We compute the damping rates of one-particle excitations in a cold ultrarelativistic plasma to leading order in the coupling constant e for three types of interaction: Yukawa coupling to a massless scalar boson, QED and QCD. Damping rates of charged particles in QED and QCD are of order e^3 mu, while damping rates of other particles are of order e^4 mu or e^4 mu log(1/e). We find that the damping rate of an electron or of a quark is constant far from the Fermi surface, and decreases linearly with the excitation energy close to the Fermi surface. This unusual behavior is attributed to the long-…
We study the initial properties and positron annihilation within a small electron-positron plasma drop formed by intense laser pulse. Such QED cascade initiated plasma is, in general, far below the chemical (particle yield) equilibrium. We find that the available electrons and positrons equilibrate kinetically, yet despite relatively high particle density, the electron-positron annihilation is very slow, suggesting a rather long lifespan of the plasma drop.
The expansion dynamics of hot electron-positron-photon plasma droplets is dealt with within relativistic hydrodynamics. Such droplets, envisaged to be created in future experiments by irradiating thin foils with counter-propagating ultra-intense laser beams, are sources of flashes of gamma radiation. Warm electron-positron plasma droplets may be identified and characterized by a broadened 511 keV line.
We present an overview of selected aspects of ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions, a research program devoted to the study of strongly interacting matter at high energy densities and in particular to the characterization of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The basic features of the phase diagram of nuclear matter, as currently understood theoretically, are discussed. The experimental program, carried out over a broad energy domain at various accelerators, is briefly reviewed, with an emphasis on the global characterization of nucleus-nucleus collisions. Two particular aspects are treated…
The emission rate of photons from a hot, weakly coupled ultrarelativistic plasma is analyzed. Leading-log results, reflecting the sensitivity of the emission rate to scattering events with momentum transfers from $gT$ to $T$, have previously been obtained. But a complete leading-order treatment requires including collinearly enhanced, inelastic processes such as bremsstrahlung. These inelastic processes receive O(1) modifications from multiple scattering during the photon emission process, which limits the coherence length of the emitted radiation (the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal effect). We per…
The solution of the plasmon problem and the subsequent development of an effective field theory approach to ultrarelativistic plasmas are reviewed. The effective lagrangians that summarize collective effects in ultrarelativistic quark-gluon and electron-photon plasmas are presented. A generalization that describes an electromagnetic plasma at all temperatures and densities is proposed.
Creation of electrons and positrons from light alone is a basic prediction of quantum electrodynamics, but yet to be observed. Here we show that it is possible to create ${>}10^8$ positrons by dual laser irradiation of a structured plasma target, at intensities of $2 \times 10^{22} \mathrm{W}\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$. In contrast to previous work, the pair creation is primarily driven by the linear Breit-Wheeler process ($γγ\to e^+ e^-$), not the nonlinear process assumed to be dominant at high intensity, because of the high density of $γ$ rays emitted inside the target. The favorable scaling with las…
We study production and equilibration of pions and muons in relativistic electron-positron-photon plasma at a temperature $T\ll m_μ, m_π$. We argue that the observation of pions and muons can be a diagnostic tool in the study of the initial properties of such a plasma formed by means of strong laser fields. Conversely, properties of muons and pions in thermal environment become accessible to precise experimental study.
For nucleus-nucleus collisions at Relativistic-Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) energies we calculate observables in two conceptually transport theories, i.e. the n-body molecular dynamical model RSP and in the Parton-Hadron-String-Dynamics (PHSD), starting out from the same distribution of the initial energy density at the quark gluon plasma (QGP) formation time. The RSP is based on the Nambu Jona-Lasinio (NJL) Lagrangian whereas in PHSD the partons are described by the dynamical quasi-particle model (DQPM). Despite of the very different description of the parton properties, their interactions and o…
The resonant photoproduction of ultrarelativistic electron-positron pairs (PPP) in a nuclear field and a weak laser field is theoretically studied. Under resonance conditions, the intermediate virtual electron (positron) in the laser field becomes a real particle. As a result, the initial process of the second order in the fine structure constant in the laser field effectively reduces into two successive processes of the first order: single-photon production of electron-positron pair in a laser field (laser-stimulated Breit-Wheeler process) and laser-assisted process of electron (positron) sca…
Recently much attention has being attracted to the problem of limitations on the attainable intensity of high power lasers [A.M. Fedotov {\it et al.} Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{105}, 080402 (2010)]. The laser energy can be absorbed by electron-positron pair plasma produced from a seed by strong laser field via development of the electromagnetic cascades. The numerical model for self-consistent study of electron-positron pair plasma dynamics is developed. Strong absorption of the laser energy in self-generated overdense electron-positron pair plasma is demonstrated. It is shown that the absorptio…
We investigate the response of a relativistic plasma to electromagnetic fields in the framework of the Boltzmann equation incorporating a collision term in the relaxation rate approximation selected in a form assuring current conservation. We obtain an explicit solution for the linearized perturbation of the Fermi-Dirac equilibrium distribution in terms of the average relaxation rate $κ$. We study the resulting covariant, gauge invariant, and current conserving form of the polarization tensor in the ultrarelativistic and non-relativistic limits. We evaluate the susceptibility in the ultrarelat…
Spin and polarization effects and correlations between them in the processes of pair production by a photon and synchrotron radiation in a magnetic field are considered. Expressions for the probabilities of the processes with arbitrary polarizations of the particles are obtained. These expressions are analyzed in detail in both the lowest Landau levels and ultrarelativistic approximations.
Collective excitations of N = 1 supersymmetric electromagnetic plasma are studied. Since the Keldysh-Schwinger approach is used, not only equilibrium but also non-equilibrium plasma, which is assumed to be ultrarelativistic, is under consideration. The dispersion equations of photon, photino, electron and selectron modes are written down and the self-energies, which enter the equations, are computed in the Hard Loop Approximation. The self-energies are discussed in the context of effective action which is also given. The photon modes and electron ones appear to be the same as in the usual ultr…
We present a model for radiative energy loss of heavy quarks in quark gluon plasma which incorporates coherence effects. We then study its consequences on the radiation spectra as well as on the nuclear modification factor of open heavy mesons produced in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions.
The non-equilibrium evolution of heavy-ion collisions is studied in the limit of weak coupling at very high energy employing lattice simulations of the classical Yang-Mills equations. Performing the largest classical-statistical simulations to date, we find that the dynamics of the longitudinally expanding plasma becomes independent of the details of the initial conditions. After a transient regime dominated by plasma instabilities and free streaming, the subsequent space-time evolution is governed by a nonthermal fixed point, where the system exhibits the self-similar dynamics characteristic …
We study the induced photon bremsstrahlung from a fast quark produced in AA-collisions due to multiple scattering in quark-gluon plasma. For RHIC and LHC conditions the induced photon spectrum is sharply peaked at photon energy close to the initial quark energy. In this region the contribution of the induced radiation to the photon fragmentation function exceeds the ordinary vacuum radiation. Contrary to previous analyses our results show that at RHIC and LHC energies the final-state interaction effects in quark-gluon plasma do not suppress the direct photon production, and even may enhance it…
The DC electrical conductivity of an ultrarelativistic QED plasma is studied in real time by implementing the dynamical renormalization group. The conductivity is obtained from the realtime dependence of a dissipative kernel related to the retarded photon polarization. Pinch singularities in the imaginary part of the polarization are manifest as growing secular terms that in the perturbative expansion of this kernel. The leading secular terms are studied explicitly and it is shown that they are insensitive to the anomalous damping of hard fermions as a result of a cancellation between self-ene…
Positronium decay into a muon-antimuon pair by virtue of the interaction with a superintense laser field of linear polarization is considered. The minimum laser intensity required amounts to a few 10^22 W/cm^2 in the near-infrared frequency range. Within the framework of laser-dressed quantum electrodynamics, the total reaction rate is calculated and related to the cross section for field-free electron-positron annihilation into muons. The muons are created with ultrarelativistic energies and emitted under narrow angles along the laser propagation direction. The dynamical properties of the muo…
