Numerical solution of the nonlinear boson diffusion equation for gluons

Abstract

The nonlinear boson diffusion equation is taken as a basis to account for the fast thermalization of gluons in the initial stages of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. For constant drift and diffusion coefficients with schematic initial conditions, this equation has previously been solved exactly. In order to achieve a more realistic time evolution towards thermalization, energy-dependent transport coefficients are introduced, requiring numerical solutions of the nonlinear equation. Their accuracy is tested against the exact analytical results in the limit of constant coefficients. The consequences for transient gluon-condensate formation through elastic scatterings in overoccupied systems are discussed.