Large transient states in quantum field theory

Abstract

A study is made of the scattering of two large composite projectiles, such as heavy ions, which are initially prepared in a pure quantum state. It is shown that the quantum field theoretic evolution equation for this system, under certain conditions, goes over in form to the master equation of classical statistical mechanics. Thus, the statistical mechanical description of heavy ion collision is viewed as an implied outcome of the Correspondence Principle, which states that in the limit of large quantum number, quantum dynamics goes over to classical dynamics. This hypothesis is explored within the master equation transcription with particular focus on the quark–gluon formation scenario.