Photon polarization as a probe for quark-gluon plasma dynamics
Loading...
Date
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Description
Prospects of measuring polarized photons emitted from a quark-gluon plasma (QGP) are discussed. In particular, the detection of a possible quark spin polarization in a QGP using circularly polarized photons emitted from the plasma is studied. Photons leave the QGP without further interaction and thus provide a primary probe for quark polarization within the QGP. We find that photon polarization cannot solely arise due to a possible QGP momentum space anisotropy, but may be enhanced due to it. In particular, for oblate momentum distributions and high photon energies, quark polarization is efficiently transfered to photon polarization. The role of competing sources of polarized photons in heavy-ion collisions is discussed.
12 pages, 4 figures; v2: discussion extended; accepted for publication in Physics Letters B
12 pages, 4 figures; v2: discussion extended; accepted for publication in Physics Letters B