The glasma initial state and JIMWLK factorization

We review recent work on understanding the next to leading order corrections to the classical fields that dominate the initial stages of a heavy ion collision. We have recently shown that the leading ln(1/x) divergences of these corrections to gluon multiplicities can be factorized into the JIMWLK evolution of the color charge density distributions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Talk given by T.L. at Strong and Electroweak Matter 2008 (SEWM08), August 26-29, 2008, Amsterdam, The Netherland

High energy factorization in nucleus-nucleus collisions II - Multigluon correlations

We extend previous results (arXiv:0804.2630 [hep-ph]) on factorization in high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions by computing the inclusive multigluon spectrum to next-to-leading order. The factorization formula is strictly valid for multigluon emission in a slice of rapidity of width \Delta Y< 1/\alpha_s. Our results show that often neglected disconnected graphs dominate the inclusive multigluon spectrum and are essential to prove factorization for this quantity. These results provide a dynamical framework for the Glasma flux tube picture of the striking "ridge"-like correlation seen in heavy ion collisions.Comment: 29 page

From Glasma to Quark Gluon Plasma in heavy ion collisions

When two sheets of Color Glass Condensate collide in a high energy heavy ion collision, they form matter with very high energy densities called the Glasma. We describe how this matter is formed, its remarkable properties and its relevance for understanding thermalization of the Quark Gluon Plasma in heavy ion collisions. Long range rapidity correlations contained in the near side ridge measured in heavy ion collisions may allow one to directly infer the properties of the Glasma.Comment: Plenary Topical Overview Talk, Quark Matter 2008; 10 pages 8 figure

Non-perturbative computation of double inclusive gluon production in the Glasma

The near-side ridge observed in A+A collisions at RHIC has been described as arising from the radial flow of Glasma flux tubes formed at very early times in the collisions. We investigate the viability of this scenario by performing a non-perturbative numerical computation of double inclusive gluon production in the Glasma. Our results support the conjecture that the range of transverse color screening of correlations determining the size of the flux tubes is a semi-hard scale, albeit with non-trivial structure. We discuss our results in the context of ridge correlations in the RHIC heavy ion experiments.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, uses JHEP3.cls V2: small clarifications, published in JHE

CGC, Hydrodynamics, and the Parton Energy Loss

Hadron spectra in Au+Au collisions at RHIC are calculated by hydrodynamics with initial conditions from the Color Glass Condensate (CGC). Minijet components with parton energy loss in medium are also taken into account by using parton density obtained from hydrodynamical simulations. We found that CGC provides a good initial condition for hydrodynamics in Au+Au collisions at RHIC.Comment: Quark Matter 2004 contribution, 4 pages, 2 figure

QCD at small x and nucleus-nucleus collisions

At large collision energy sqrt(s) and relatively low momentum transfer Q, one expects a new regime of Quantum Chromo-Dynamics (QCD) known as "saturation". This kinematical range is characterized by a very large occupation number for gluons inside hadrons and nuclei; this is the region where higher twist contributions are as large as the leading twist contributions incorporated in collinear factorization. In this talk, I discuss the onset of and dynamics in the saturation regime, some of its experimental signatures, and its implications for the early stages of Heavy Ion Collisions.Comment: Plenary talk given at QM2006, Shanghai, November 2006. 8 pages, 8 figure

Large mass Q-Qbar production from the Color Glass Condensate

We compute quark-antiquark pair production in the context of the Color Glass Condensate model for central heavy-ion collisions. The calculation is performed analytically to leading order in the density of hard sources present in the projectiles, and is applicable to quarks with a mass large compared to the saturation momentum. The formulas derived in this paper are compared to expressions derived in the framework of collinearly factorized perturbative QCD and in kt factorization models. We comment on the breaking of kt factorization which occurs beyond leading order in our approach.Comment: 24 pages, 3 postscript figure