Thermodynamics of Deconfined QCD at Small and Large Chemical Potential

We present large $N_f$ QCD/QED as a test bed for improved pressure calculations, show how to apply the hints obtained on optimized renormalization scales at large $N_f$ to finite $N_f=2$, and compare the results to recent lattice data.Comment: 5 pages, to appear in the proceedings of SEWM 2004, Helsinki, 16-19 June 200

Rapidity profiles from 3+1D Glasma simulations with finite longitudinal thickness

We present our progress on simulating the Glasma in the early stages of heavy ion collisions in a non-boost-invariant setting. Our approach allows us to describe colliding nuclei with finite longitudinal width by extending the McLerran-Venugopalan model to include a parameter for the Lorentz-contracted but finite extent of the nucleus in the beam direction. We determine the rapidity profile of the Glasma energy density, which shows strong deviations from the boost invariant result. Both broad and narrow profiles can be produced by varying the initial conditions. We find reasonable agreement when we compare the results to rapidity profiles of measured pion multiplicities from RHIC.Comment: 5+1 pages, 2 figures, prepared for Proceedings of the European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics (EPS-HEP) 201

Broken boost invariance in the Glasma via finite nuclei thickness

We simulate the creation and evolution of non-boost-invariant Glasma in the early stages of heavy ion collisions within the color glass condensate framework. This is accomplished by extending the McLerran-Venugopalan model to include a parameter for the Lorentz-contracted but finite width of the nucleus in the beam direction. We determine the rapidity profile of the Glasma energy density, which shows deviations from the boost-invariant result. Varying the parameters both broad and narrow profiles can be produced. We compare our results to experimental data from RHIC and find surprising agreement.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

The pressure of deconfined QCD for all temperatures and quark chemical potentials

A new method for the evaluation of the perturbative expansion of the QCD pressure is presented which is valid for all temperatures and quark chemical potentials in the deconfined phase, and worked out up to and including order g^4. This new approach unifies several distinct perturbative approaches to the equation of state, and agrees with dimensional reduction, HDL and HTL resummation schemes, and the zero-temperature result in their respective ranges of validity.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of Strong and Electroweak Matter 2006 (SEWM), BNL, May 200

Yoctosecond metrology through HBT correlations from a quark-gluon plasma

Expansion dynamics at the yoctosecond timescale affect the evolution of the quark gluon plasma (QGP) created in heavy ion collisions. We show how these dynamics are accessible through Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT) intensity interferometry of direct photons emitted from the interior of the QGP. A detector placed close to the beam axis is particularly sensitive to early polar momentum anisotropies of the QGP. Observing a modification of the HBT signal at the proposed FoCal detector of the LHC ALICE experiment would allow to measure the isotropization time of the plasma and could provide first experimental evidence for photon double pulses at the yoctosecond timescale.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Simulating collisions of thick nuclei in the color glass condensate framework

We present our work on the simulation of the early stages of heavy-ion collisions with finite longitudinal thickness in the laboratory frame in 3+1 dimensions. In particular we study the effects of nuclear thickness on the production of a glasma state in the McLerran-Venugopalan model within the color glass condensate framework. A finite thickness enables us to describe nuclei at lower energies, but forces us to abandon boost-invariance. As a consequence, random classical color sources within the nuclei have to be included in the simulation, which is achieved by using the colored particle-in-cell (CPIC) method. We show that the description in the laboratory frame agrees with boost-invariant approaches as a limiting case. Furthermore we investigate collisions beyond boost-invariance, in particular the pressure anisotropy in the glasma.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures; v2: Minor correction

Yoctosecond photon pulses from quark-gluon plasmas

Present ultra-fast laser optics is at the frontier between atto- and zeptosecond photon pulses, giving rise to unprecedented applications. We show that high-energetic photon pulses down to the yoctosecond timescale can be produced in heavy ion collisions. We focus on photons produced during the initial phase of the expanding quark-gluon plasma. We study how the time evolution and properties of the plasma may influence the duration and shape of the photon pulse. Prospects for achieving double peak structures suitable for pump-probe experiments at the yoctosecond timescale are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; final version as accepted by PR

Streaking At High Energies With Electrons And Positrons

State-of-the-art attosecond metrology deals with the detection and characterization of photon pulses with typical energies up to the hundreds of eV and time resolution of several tens of attoseconds. Such short pulses are used for example to control the motion of electrons on the atomic scale or to measure inner-shell atomic dynamics. The next challenge of time-resolving the inner-nuclear dynamics, transient meson states and resonances requires photon pulses below attosecond duration and with energies exceeding the MeV scale. Here we discuss a detection scheme for time-resolving high-energy gamma ray pulses down to the zeptosecond timescale. The scheme is based on the concept of attosecond streak imaging, but instead of conversion of photons into electrons in a nonlinear medium, the high-energy process of electron-positron pair creation is utilized. These pairs are produced in vacuum through the collision of a test pulse to be characterized with an intense laser pulse, and they acquire additional energy and momentum depending on their phase in the streaking pulse at the moment of production. A coincidence measurement of the electron and positron momenta after the interaction provides information on the pair production phase within the streaking pulse. We examine the limitations imposed by quantum radiation reaction in multiphoton Compton scattering on this detection scheme, and discuss other necessary conditions to render the scheme feasible in the upcoming Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) laser facility.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, contribution to the AIP proceedings of "Light at Extreme Intensities" (LEI 2011), Szeged, Hungary, Nov 14-18, 201