12 - Hydrodynamics and thermalization

Summary

Since the systems described by quantum fields are by definition extended, it is natural to think that in some limit they may reasonably well be approximated as fluids. This means that the state of the system is parameterized by a few locally well-defined fields such as temperature or energy density, obeying a set of hyperbolic equations of motion. A concrete example is the extensive use of fluid models to describe high-energy collisions [BelLan56, CarDuo73, CoFrSc74, Bjo83, CarZac83].

Our earlier derivation of quantum kinetic theory suggests a way to put this insight on a formal basis. Within its range of validity, the Boltzmann equation will drive the one-particle distribution function towards local thermal equilibrium. On scales much larger than the local thermalization scale, we expect to see hydrodynamical behavior [BeCoPa02]. This is, after all, the usual way of deriving hydrodynamics from kinetic theory [Hua87]. Beware, notwithstanding, that even at the level of classical kinetic theory there are still open questions regarding the cross-over from the kinetic to the hydro regime [KarGor02, KarGor03].

If we understand hydrodynamics as stated in the first paragraph of this chapter, then a system defined in terms of a quantum field may not have a hydrodynamic limit. This has been shown in [Elz02] for the case of a free Fermi field.