Finite temperature gluon self-energy in a class of temporal gauges

Abstract

The approach which relates thermal Green functions to forward scattering amplitudes of on-shell thermal particles is applied to the calculation of the gluon self-energy, in a class of temporal gauges. We show to all orders that, unlike the case of covariant gauges, the exact self-energy of the gluon is transverse at finite temperature. The leading T^2 and the sub-leading ln(T) contributions are obtained for temperatures T high compared with the external momentum. The logarithmic contributions have the same structure as the ultraviolet pole terms which occur at zero temperature.