It is shown that the description of a relativistic fluid at local thermodynamic equilibrium depends on the particular quantum stress-energy tensor operator chosen, e.g., the canonical or symmetrized Belinfante stress-energy tensor. We argue that the Belinfante tensor is not appropriate to describe a relativistic fluid whose macroscopic polarization relaxes slowly to thermodynamic equilibrium and that a spin tensor, like the canonical spin tensor, is required. As a consequence, the description of a polarized relativistic fluid involves an extension of relativistic hydrodynamics including a new antisymmetric rank-two tensor as a dynamical field. We show that the canonical and Belinfante tensors lead to different predictions for measurable quantities such as spectrum and polarization of particles produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

Spin tensor and its role in non-equilibrium thermodynamics / Becattini, Francesco*; Florkowski, Wojciech; Speranza, Enrico. - In: PHYSICS LETTERS. SECTION B. - ISSN 0370-2693. - ELETTRONICO. - 789:(2019), pp. 419-425. [10.1016/j.physletb.2018.12.016]

Spin tensor and its role in non-equilibrium thermodynamics

Becattini, Francesco
Conceptualization
;
2019

Abstract

It is shown that the description of a relativistic fluid at local thermodynamic equilibrium depends on the particular quantum stress-energy tensor operator chosen, e.g., the canonical or symmetrized Belinfante stress-energy tensor. We argue that the Belinfante tensor is not appropriate to describe a relativistic fluid whose macroscopic polarization relaxes slowly to thermodynamic equilibrium and that a spin tensor, like the canonical spin tensor, is required. As a consequence, the description of a polarized relativistic fluid involves an extension of relativistic hydrodynamics including a new antisymmetric rank-two tensor as a dynamical field. We show that the canonical and Belinfante tensors lead to different predictions for measurable quantities such as spectrum and polarization of particles produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.
2019
789
419
425
Becattini, Francesco*; Florkowski, Wojciech; Speranza, Enrico
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1153168
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