Color dynamics in phase space

Abstract

We describe the properties of quark matter at zero temperature and finite baryon densities within microscopic Vlasov/molecular dynamics approaches. We use an inter-quark Richardson's potential consistent with the indications of Lattice QCD calculations. The color degrees of freedom are explicitly taken into account. We explicitly demonstrate that the Vlasov approach alone is insufficient in the hadronization region. In order to overcome this problem we prepare the initial condition for many events using molecular dynamics with frictional cooling and a Thomas-Fermi approximation to the Fermi motion. These events are averaged and propagated in time using the Vlasov approach. We find some evidence for a second order phase transition from nuclear to quark matter at high baryon densities. An order parameter suitable to describe the phase transition is discussed. At low densities the quark condensate into approximately color white clusters (nucleon).