Transition from a quark-gluon plasma in the presence of a sharp front

Abstract

The effect of a sharp front separating the quark-gluon plasma phase from the hadronic phase is investigated. Energy-momentum conservation and baryon number conservation constrain the possible temperature jump across the front. If one assumes that the temperature in the hadronic phase is $T\simeq$ 200 MeV , as has been suggested by numerous results from relativistic ion collisions, one can determine the corresponding temperature in the quark phase with the help of continuity equations across the front. The calculations reveal that the quark phase must be in a strongly supercooled state. The stability of this solution with respect to minor modifications is investigated. In particular the effect of an admixture of hadronic matter in the quark phase (e.g. in the form of bubbles) is considered in detail. In the absence of admixture the transition proceeds via a detonation transition and is accompanied by a substantial super-cooling of the quark-gluon plasma phase. The detonation is accompanied by less supercooling if a small fraction of bubbles is allowed. By increasing the fraction of bubbles the supercooling becomes weaker and eventually the transition proceeds via a smoother deflagration wave.