Effective non-perturbative real-time dynamics of soft modes in hot gauge theories

Abstract

We derive, from first principle, the Fokker-Planck equation describing the non-perturbative real-time evolution of a gauge field at high temperatures on the spatial scale $(g^2T)^{-1}$ and the time scale $(g^4T)^{-1}$, where $g$ is the gauge coupling and $T$ is the temperature. The knowledge of the effective dynamics on such spatial and time scales is crucial for the understanding and quantitative calculation of the baryon number violation rate at high temperatures in the electroweak theory. The Fokker-Planck equation, which describes the diffusive motion of soft components of the gauge field in the space of field configurations, is shown to be gauge-invariant and consistent with the known thermodynamics of soft gauge modes. We discuss the ways the Fokker-Planck equation can be made useful for numerical simulations of long-distance dynamics of hot gauge theories.