Quantum simulations of thermodynamic properties of strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma

Abstract

A strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma (QGP) of heavy constituent quasi-particles is studied by a path-integral Monte-Carlo method. This approach is a quantum generalization of the model developed by Gelman, Shuryak and Zahed. It is shown that this method is able to reproduce the QCD lattice equation of state and also yields valuable insight into the internal structure of the QGP. The results indicate that the QGP reveals liquid-like rather than gas-like properties. At temperatures just above the critical one it was found that bound quark-antiquark states still survive. These states are bound by effective string-like forces and turns out to be colorless. At the temperature as large as twice the critical one no bound states are observed. Quantum effects turned out to be of prime importance in these simulations.