Polarization in heavy ion collisions: A theoretical review

Abstract

In these proceedings I discuss the recent progress in the theory of spin polarization in relativistic fluids. To date, a number of studies have begun to examine the impact of the shear tensor on the local spin polarization and whether this contribution can restore agreement between the measurements and the predictions obtained from a polarization induced by the gradients of the plasma. I present the derivation of the spin polarization vector of a fermion at local thermal equilibrium and I discuss the role of pseudo-gauge transformations and of dissipative effects. I list what we can learn from the polarization measured at lower energies. Finally, I discuss possible applications of spin polarization measurements in relativistic heavy ion collisions.