Radiative energy loss reduction in an absorptive plasma

The influence of the damping of radiation on the radiative energy loss spectrum of a relativistic charge in an infinite, absorptive plasma is studied. We find increasing reduction of the spectrum with increasing damping. Our studies, which represent an Abelian approximation for the colour charge dynamics in the quark-gluon plasma, may influence the analysis of jet quenching phenomena observed in high-energy nuclear collisions. Here, we focus on a formal discussion of the limiting behaviour with increasing radiation frequency. In an absorptive (and polarizable) medium, this is determined by the behaviour of the exponential damping factor entering the spectrum and the formation time of radiation.Comment: Jan 2012. 4pp. Talk given at Quark Matter 2011, 23-28 May 2011, Annecy, Franc

Isentropic Equation of State of Two-Flavour QCD in a Quasi-Particle Model

We examine the isentropic QCD equation of state within a quasi-particle model being adjusted to first principle QCD calculations of two quark flavours. In particular, we compare with Taylor expansion coefficients of energy and entropy densities and with the isentropic trajectories describing the hydrodynamical expansion of a heavy-ion collision fireball.Comment: Aug. 2006. 6pp. Invited talk given at International Workshop on Hot and Dense Matter in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions, Budapest, Hungary, 9-12 Apr 200

Radiative energy loss in the absorptive QGP: taming the long formation lengths in coherent emission

In an absorptive plasma, damping of radiation mechanisms can influence the bremsstrahlung formation in case of large radiation formation lengths. We study qualitatively the influence of this effect on the gluon bremsstrahlung spectrum off heavy quarks in the quark-gluon plasma. Independent of the heavy-quark mass, the spectrum is found to be strongly suppressed in an intermediate gluon energy region which grows with increasing gluon damping rate and increasing energy of the heavy quark. Thus, just as polarization effects in the plasma render the bremsstrahlung spectra independent of the quark mass in the soft gluon regime, damping effects tend to have a similar impact for larger gluon energies.Comment: contribution to the International Meeting "Excited QCD", Peniche, Portugal, 06 - 12 May 201

Impact of resonance regeneration and decay on the net-proton fluctuations in a hadron resonance gas

We investigate net-proton fluctuations as important observables measured in heavy-ion collisions within the hadron resonance gas (HRG) model. Special emphasis is given to effects which are a priori not inherent in a thermally and chemically equilibrated HRG approach. In particular, we point out the importance of taking into account the successive regeneration and decay of resonances below the chemical freeze-out, which lead to a randomization of the isospin of nucleons and thus to additional fluctuations in the net-proton number. We find good agreement between our model results and the recent STAR measurements of the higher-order moments of the net-proton distribution

QCD equation of state of hot deconfined matter at finite baryon density : a quasiparticle perspective

The quasiparticle model, based on quark and gluon degrees of freedom, has been developed for the description of the thermodynamics of a hot plasma of strongly interacting matter which is of enormous relevance in astrophysics, cosmology and for relativistic heavy-ion collisions as well. In the present work, this phenomenological model is extended into the realm of imaginary chemical potential and towards including, in general, different and independent quark flavour chemical potentials. In this way, nonzero net baryon-density effects in the equation of state are self-consistently attainable. Furthermore, a chain of approximations based on formal mathematical manipulations is presented which outlines the connection of the quasiparticle model with the underlying gauge field theory of strong interactions, QCD, putting the model on firmer ground. A comparison of quasiparticle model results with available lattice QCD data for, e. g., basic bulk thermodynamic quantities and various susceptibilities such as diagonal and off-diagonal susceptibilities, which provide a rich and sensitive testing ground, is found to be successful. Furthermore, different thermodynamic quantities and the phase diagram for imaginary chemical potential are faithfully described. Thus, the applicability of the model to extrapolate the equation of state known from lattice QCD at zero baryon density to nonzero baryon densities is shown. In addition, the ability of the model to extrapolate results to the chiral limit and to asymptotically large temperatures is illustrated by confrontation with available first-principle lattice QCD results. These extrapolations demonstrate the predictive power of the model. Basing on these successful comparisons supporting the idea that the hot deconfined phase can be described in a consistent picture by dressed quark and gluon degrees of freedom, a reliable QCD equation of state is constructed and baryon-density effects are examined, also along isentropic evolutionary paths. Scaling properties of the equation of state with fundamental QCD parameters such as the number of active quark flavour degrees of freedom, the entering quark mass parameters or the numerical value of the deconfinement transition temperature are discussed, and the robustness of the equation of state in the regions of small and large energy densities is shown. Uncertainties arising in the transition region are taken into account by constructing a family of equations of state whose members differ from each other in the specific interpolation prescription between large energy density region and a realistic hadron resonance gas equation of state at low energy densities. The obtained family of equations of state is applied in hydrodynamic simulations, and the implications of variations in the transition region are discussed by considering transverse momentum spectra and differential elliptic flow of directly emitted hadrons, in particular of strange baryons, for both, RHIC top energy and LHC conditions. Finally, with regard to FAIR physics, implications of the possible presence of a QCD critical point on the equation of state are outlined both, in an exemplary toy model and for an extended quasiparticle model