English

Prethermalization

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2009-11-10 v2 Other Condensed Matter High Energy Physics - Theory Nuclear Theory

Abstract

Prethermalization of the equation of state and the kinetic temperature to their equilibrium values occurs on time scales dramatically shorter than the thermal equilibration time. This is a crucial ingredient for the understanding of collisions of heavy nuclei or other nonequilibrium phenomena in complex quantum and classical many body systems. We also compare the chemical equilibration time with other characteristic time scales.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-ph/0403234,
  title  = {Prethermalization},
  author = {J. Berges and S. Borsanyi and C. Wetterich},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-ph/0403234},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 pages, 4 figures, PRL version, minor changes