Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT

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 h...

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Main Authors: Vaidya, Varun, Yao, Xiaojun
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Theoretical Physics
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2021
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/131549
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author Vaidya, Varun
Yao, Xiaojun
author2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Theoretical Physics
author_facet Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Theoretical Physics
Vaidya, Varun
Yao, Xiaojun
author_sort Vaidya, Varun
collection MIT
description 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.
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spelling mit-1721.1/1315492023-12-14T15:37:07Z Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT Vaidya, Varun Yao, Xiaojun Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Theoretical Physics 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. 2021-09-20T17:20:20Z 2021-09-20T17:20:20Z 2020-10-05 2020-10-11T03:23:14Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/131549 Journal of High Energy Physics. 2020 Oct 05;2020(10):24 PUBLISHER_CC en https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP10(2020)024 Creative Commons Attribution https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The Author(s) application/pdf Springer Berlin Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg
spellingShingle Vaidya, Varun
Yao, Xiaojun
Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT
title Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT
title_full Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT
title_fullStr Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT
title_full_unstemmed Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT
title_short Transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark-gluon plasma: an open quantum system EFT
title_sort transverse momentum broadening of a jet in quark gluon plasma an open quantum system eft
url https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/131549
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AT yaoxiaojun transversemomentumbroadeningofajetinquarkgluonplasmaanopenquantumsystemeft