https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-012-2000-7
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Heavy quarkonia in a medium as a quantum dissipative system: master-equation approach
Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany
* e-mail: borghini@physik.uni-bielefeld.de
Received:
26
September
2011
Revised:
19
January
2012
Published online:
8
May
2012
The problem of the evolution of a heavy quarkonium in a medium can be recast as that of a quantum dissipative system. Within the framework of the master-equation approach to open quantum systems, we consider the real-time dynamics of quarkonia. We find that in a plasma at fixed temperature, the populations of the various quarkonium states evolve together, while their momentum distribution satisfies a Fokker–Planck equation.
© Springer-Verlag / Società Italiana di Fisica, 2012
