Evolution at small x_bj: The Color Glass Condensate

Abstract

When probed at very high energies or small Bjorken x_bj, QCD degrees of freedom manifest themselves as a medium of dense gluon matter called the Color Glass Condensate. Its key property is the presence of a density induced correlation length or inverse saturation scale R_s=1/Q_s. Energy dependence of observables in this regime is calculable through evolution equations, the JIMWLK equations, and characterized by scaling behavior in terms of Q_s. These evolution equations share strong parallels with specific counterparts in jet physics. Experimental relevance ranges from lepton proton and lepton nucleus collisions to heavy ion collisions and cross correlates physics at virtually all modern collider experiments.