The decay of the omega meson at finite temperature

Abstract

The decay width of the $\omega$ meson at finite temperature is calculated using the Gell-Mann Sharp Wagner model of $\rho$ pole dominance. Effective masses of the $\rho$ and $\omega$ are determined within the framework of real-time formalism of finite temperature field theory. It is shown that even though the mass of the $\omega$-meson decreases with temperature, its decay width increases because of an interesting interplay between the phase space factors, the transition matrix element and Bose enhancement.