Eur. Phys. J. A (2007) 31: 761-765
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2006-10289-y

QNP 2006

Nonequilibrium quasi-classical effective meson gas: Thermalization

Departamento de Fısica Teórica I, Facultad de Ciencias Fısicas, Universidad Complutense, 28040, Madrid, Spain

^* e-mail: rfa@fis.ucm.es

Received: 18 December 2006
Accepted: 25 December 2006
Published online: 20 March 2007

Abstract

We consider a gas of interacting relativistic effective mesons (qualitatively, like those produced in a heavy-ion collision), regarded as an out-of-equilibrium statistical system. We suppose large occupation numbers, temperature somewhat below typical critical temperatures and the quasi-classical regime. At some initial time t₀, let the gas be in a nonequilibrium state, with spatial inhomogeneities. The time evolution of the gas for t > t ₀ is studied by a moment method, and appropriate long-time approximations, which could yield the approach to global thermal equilibrium, are discussed.