Wave-Breaking Phenomena in Quark-Gluon Plasma
Abstract
We investigate the onset of wave-breaking in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) formed in heavy-ion collisions at both RHIC and the LHC. A nonlinear longitudinal color field is coupled to a three-dimensional viscous hydrodynamic background constrained by experimental conditions: Pb-Pb at TeV (LHC) and Au-Au at GeV (RHIC). The instantaneous wave-breaking threshold is determined from the in-medium plasma frequency, while the field evolution follows a nonlinear Landau equation with Debye screening and expansion damping. At the LHC, the higher initial temperature and density drive the system above the threshold within 2.3 fm/, whereas at RHIC the cooler and more dilute medium delays wave-breaking to ~fm/. Scans over initial temperature, density, thermalization time, QGP lifetime, and collision system (RHIC vs LHC) confirm the robustness of this instability against parameter variations. These results identify wave-breaking as a universal microscopic mechanism for the early loss of coherence and rapid onset of hydrodynamics in the QGP, providing a common explanation for the fast equilibration observed at both RHIC and the LHC.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2509.08130,
title = {Wave-Breaking Phenomena in Quark-Gluon Plasma},
author = {Biswarup Paul},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.08130},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
4 pages, 2 figures