Molecular dynamics description of an expandingq/q¯plasma with the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model and applications to heavy ion collisions at energies available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the CERN Large Hadron Collider

Abstract

We present a relativistic molecular dynamics approach based on the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio Lagrangian. We derive the relativistic time evolution equations for an expanding plasma, discuss the hadronization cross section, and explain how they act in such a scenario. We present in detail how one can transform the time evolution equation to a simulation program and apply this program to study the expansion of a plasma created in experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider. We present first results on the centrality dependence of ${v}_{2}$ and of the transverse momentum spectra of pions and kaons and discuss in detail the hadronization mechanism.