Abstract
We calculate the Wigner function for massive spin-1/2 particles in an inhomogeneous electromagnetic field to leading order in the Planck constant $\hbar$. Going beyond leading order in $\hbar$ we then derive a generalized Boltzmann equation in which the force exerted by an inhomogeneous electromagnetic field on the particle dipole moment arises naturally. Carefully taking the massless limit we find agreement with previous results. The case of global equilibrium with rotation is also studied. Finally, we outline the derivation of fluid-dynamical equations from the components of the Wigner function. The conservation of total angular momentum is promoted as an additional fluid-dynamical equation of motion. Our framework can be used to study polarization effects induced by vorticity and magnetic field in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.
Highlights
Relativistic heavy-ion collisions (HICs) create a new phase of hot and dense strong-interaction matter, the quarkgluon plasma (QGP)
In this paper we have derived kinetic theory for massive spin-1=2 particles in an inhomogeneous electromagnetic field starting from the covariant formulation of the Wigner function
We showed how to consistently take the massless limit and demonstrated agreement with previous works, which describe the chiral magnetic effect (CME) and chiral vortical effect (CVE)
Summary
Relativistic heavy-ion collisions (HICs) create a new phase of hot and dense strong-interaction matter, the quarkgluon plasma (QGP) (see e.g., Ref. [1]). The STAR Collaboration presented experimental evidence for the alignment of the spin of Λ hyperons with the global angular momentum in peripheral HICs [28] This finding revealed, for the first time, the strong vortical structure of the QGP. We derive kinetic theory for massive spin-1=2 particles in an inhomogeneous electromagnetic field as a basis to study polarization effects in HICs. Our starting point is the covariant formulation of the Wigner function [43,44,45,46,47,48,49]. In accordance with previous works [36,40], the conservation of the total angular momentum is promoted as an additional fluid-dynamical equation, where the divergence of the spin tensor is related to the antisymmetric part of the energy-momentum tensor. In this paper the term “spin tensor” is reserved for the rank-three Lorentz tensor Sλ;μν
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
