Non-equilibrium phenomena in the QCD phase transition

Within the context of the linear \s-model for two flavours, we investigate non-equilibrium phenomena that may occur during the QCD chiral phase transition in heavy-ion collisions. We assume that the chiral symmetry breaking is followed by a rapid quench so that the system falls out of thermal equilibrium. We study the mechanism for the amplification of the pion field during the oscillations of the \s-field towards and around its new minimum. We show that the pion spectrum develops a characteristic pronounced peak at low momenta.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, RevTex

Law students' clinic experience: Is it all hype in relation to performance on lack-letter law exams

Does legal clinic experience really have a positive contribution to students’ performance on black-letter law examinations? This is the question we set out to answer by reference to data we collected from current law students at the University of East London (UEL). The sample is small and our findings are limited. However, we hope the results inform fellow legal education clinicians of the perceived and real benefits that law clinic students derive from their legal clinic experience and provide a basis for further research on this subject, such as the correlation between clinical legal education and black-letter law. It is important, now more than ever, that universities adapt to ensure that they are fit for purpose in equipping students with the skills they need for the workplace as well as sound theory and in-depth substantive contents of their subjects of study

Critical Fluctuations at RHIC

On the basis of universal scaling properties, we claim that in Au+Au collisions at RHIC, the QCD critical point is within reach. The signal turns out to be an extended plateau of net baryons in rapidity with approximate height of the net-baryon rapidity density approximately 15 and a strong intermittency pattern with index s_2=1/6 in rapidity fluctuations. A window also exists, to reach the critical point at the SPS, especially in Si+Si collisions at maximal energy.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Pion Fluctuations near the QCD Critical Point

A critical point of second order, belonging to the universality class of the 3d Ising model, has recently been advocated as a strong candidate for the critical behaviour (at high temperatures) of QCD with non-zero quark masses. The implications of this conjecture are investigated in the multiparticle environment of high-energy collisions. A universal intermittency pattern of pion-density fluctuations is found, at the critical point, and its association to the critical exponents is discussed. A Monte Carlo simulation of critical events, in heavy-ion collisions, reveals the detailed structure of these fluctuations, suggesting a framework of (event-by-event) measurements in which the critical theory of QCD may become falsifiable.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures (ps