Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT
Name
13130_2020_Article_13926.pdf
Size
625.79 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
2a9fe5fa1c6ec98ef62e867079282d4f
Author(s)
Vaidya, Varun
Yao, Xiaojun
Date Issued
October 5, 2020
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Citation
Journal of High Energy Physics. 2020 Oct 05;2020(10):24
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Abstract
We utilize the technology of open quantum systems in conjunction with the recently developed effective field theory for forward scattering to address the question of massless jet propagation through a weakly-coupled quark-gluon plasma in thermal equilibrium. We discuss various possible hierarchies of scales that may appear in this problem, by comparing thermal scales of the plasma with relevant scales in the effective field theory. Starting from the Lindblad equation, we derive and solve a master equation for the trans- verse momentum distribution of a massless quark jet, at leading orders both in the strong coupling and in the power counting of the effective field theory. Markovian approximation is justified in the weak coupling limit. Using the solution to the master equation, we study the transverse momentum broadening of a jet as a function of the plasma temperature and the time of propagation. We discuss the physical origin of infrared sensitivity that arises in the solution and a way to handle it in the effective field theory formulation. We suspect that the final measurement constraint can only cut-off leading infrared singularities and the solution to the Markovian master equation resums a logarithmic series. This work is a stepping stone towards understanding jet quenching and jet substructure observables on both light and heavy quark jets as probes of the quark-gluon plasma.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Theoretical Physics
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP10(2020)024
