# References

Scaling properties of transverse flow in Bjorken’s scenario for heavy ion collisions   
V.Fortov, P. Milyutin <sup>a</sup> and N. Nikolaev<sup>b,c</sup>   
<sup>a</sup>High Energy Density Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, IVTAN, Izhorskaya 13/9, 127412 Moscow, Russia   
<sup>b</sup>Institut f. Kernphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany   
<sup>b</sup>L. D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, GSP-1, 117940,   
ul. Kosygina 2, Moscow V-334, Russia.   
Abstract   

We report a simple analytic solution for the velocity $`u`$ of the transverse flow of QGP at a hadronization front in Bjorken’s scenario. We establish scaling properties of the transverse flow as a function of the expansion time. We present simple scaling formula for the expansion velocity distribution.

Landau’s hydrodynamic stage  is a part of all scenarios for the evolution of the hot and dense matter (quark-gluon plasma - QGP) formed in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions . It is now well understood that Landau’s complete stopping of Lorentz-contracted colliding nuclei is not feasible because of the Landau-Pomeranchuck-Migdal (LPM) effect, i.e., the finite proper formation time $`\tau _0`$ (, for the modern modern QCD approach to the LPM effect see , the early works on LPM phenomenology of nuclear collisions are reviewed in ), although evaluations of $`\tau _0`$ and of the initial energy density $`ϵ_{max}`$ remain controversial . The corollary of the LPM effect in conjunction with the approximate central rapidity plateau is the rapidity-boost invariance of initial conditions. The corresponding solution for a longitudinal expansion in an 1$`+`$1-dimensional approximation, neglecting the transverse flow, was found by Bjorken (, see also ). There is some experimental evidence , although a disputed one , for a transverse flow which must develop if the lifetime of the hydrodynamical stage is sufficiently long.

In this communication we present a simple solution of the Euler-Landau equation for the velocity of transverse expansion, $`u,`$ gained in the hydrodynamic expansion of QGP before the hadronization phase transition. Our solution shows that for the usually considered lifetime $`\tau _B`$ of QGP the transverse flow is non-relativistic. It is only marginally sensitive to properties of the hot stage and offers a reliable determination of $`\tau _B`$ if the radial profile of the initial energy density is known. We find that the $`u`$-distribution is a scaling function of $`u/u_m`$, where $`u_m`$ is a maximal velocity of expansion.

We start with the familiar Landau relativistic hydrodynamics equations

$$_\mu T_{\mu \nu }=0,$$
(1)   
for the energy-momentum tensor $`T_{\mu \nu }=(ϵ+p)u_\mu u_\nu p\delta _{\mu \nu }`$, where $`ϵ`$ and $`p`$ are the energy density and pressure in the comoving frame, and $`u_\mu `$ is the 4-velocity of the element of the fluid . The initial state is formed from subcollisions of constituents (nucleons, constituent quarks and/or partons) of colliding nuclei and is glue dominated at early stages. The LPM effect implies that for a subcollision at the origin, $`x=(t,z,\stackrel{}{r})=0`$, the secondary particle formation vertices lie on a hyperbole of constant proper time $`\tau `$, $`\tau ^2=t^2z^2\tau _0^2,`$ and $`ϵ,p`$ do not depend on the space-time rapidity $`\eta =\frac{1}{2}ln\left(\frac{t+z}{tz}\right)`$ of the comoving reference frame . In the 1$`+`$1-dimensional approximation, this leads to the celebrated Bjorken equation

$$\frac{ϵ}{\tau }+\frac{ϵ+p}{\tau }=0.$$
(2)   
According to the lattice QCD studies, the familiar  $`c_s^2=\frac{1}{3}`$ holds for a velocity of sound $`c_s`$ in the QGP excepting a negligible narrow region of the hadronization transition temperature $`T_h160`$MeV and energy density $`ϵ_h1.5`$ GeV$`/`$fm<sup>3</sup> . With the equation of state $`p=c_s^2ϵ`$, the Bjorken equation has a solution

$$ϵ\tau ^{(1+c_s^2)}$$
(3)   
Widely varying estimates for $`ϵ_{max}`$ and the proper time $`\tau _0`$ are found in the literature . However, as Bjorken has argued , $`ϵ_{max}\frac{1}{\tau _0}`$ and the actual dependence of the Bjorken lifetime $`\tau _B`$ on $`ϵ_{max}`$ is rather weak:

$$\tau _B=\tau _0\left[\left(\frac{T_{max}}{T_h}\right)^{\frac{4}{1+c_s^2}}1\right]=\frac{\tau _0ϵ_{max}}{ϵ_h}\left[\left(\frac{ϵ_{max}}{ϵ_h}\right)^{\frac{c_s^2}{1+c_s^2}}\frac{ϵ_h}{ϵ_{max}}\right].$$
(4)   
For central $`PbPb`$ collisions, for which there is some experimental evidence for the QGP formation , the typical estimates are $`\tau _B3\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{c}`$ at SPS  and $`\tau _B6\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{c}`$ at RHIC , which are much larger than the standard estimate $`\tau _00.5`$ f/c.

Now we turn to the major theme of collective transverse expansion, which is driven by radial gradient of pressure. As we shall see, the radial flow is nonrelativistic. Then, to the first order in radial velocity $`u_r`$, the radial projection of (1) gives the Euler-Landau equation

$$(ϵ+p)\frac{u_r}{\tau }+u_r\left(\frac{(ϵ+p)}{\tau }+\frac{(ϵ+p)}{\tau }\right)+\frac{p}{r}=0,$$
(5)   
in which we can use the Bjorken’s solution for $`ϵ`$ and $`p=c_s^2ϵ`$. Then the Euler-Landau equation can be cast in a simple form

$$\frac{u_r}{\tau }\frac{c_s^2}{\tau }u_r=\frac{c_s^2}{(1+c_s^2)}\frac{\mathrm{log}p}{r}.$$
(6)   
The important point is that the transverse expansion of the QGP fireball can be neglected which we can justify a posteriori. For this reason the time dependence of the logarithmic derivative $`D(r,\tau )=\frac{\mathrm{log}p}{r}`$ can be neglected, it is completely determined by the initial density profile and depends neither on the temperature nor fugacities of quarks and gluons, which substantially reduces the model-dependence of the transverse velocity. Then the solution of (5) subject to the boundary condition $`u_r(\tau _0)=0`$ is

$$u_r(r,\tau )=\frac{c_s^2\tau ^{c_s^2}}{1c_s^4}_{\tau _0}^\tau 𝑑tt^{c_s^2}D(r,t)\frac{c_s^2\tau D(r,0)}{1c_s^4}\left[1\left(\frac{\tau _0}{\tau }\right)^{1c_s^2}\right].$$
(7)   
The model-independent estimates for the initial density/pressure profile are as yet lacking. AT RHIC and higher energies of the initial state is expected to be formed by semihard parton-parton interactions for which nuclear shadowing effects can be neglected . Then for central collisions $`ϵ(r,\tau _0)T_A^k(r)`$, where $`k=2`$ and $`T_A(r)=𝑑zn_A(\sqrt{z^2+r^2})`$ is the density of constituents, $`T_A(r)\mathrm{exp}(\frac{r^2}{R_A^2})`$, where $`R_A1.1A^{1/3}`$fm is the nuclear radius. In another extreme scenario of strong shadowing and of strong LPM effect the soft particle production is not proportional to the multiplicity of collisions of fast partons  and $`k=1`$ is more appropriate. Hereafter we take $`k=2`$. In any case, the logarithmic pressure gradient is approximately linear, $`D(r,t)2kr/R_A^2`$, and according to the solution (7) the displacement of the fluid element $`\mathrm{\Delta }r`$ is proportional to the radius, $`\mathrm{\Delta }rr\tau ^2`$. Consequently, we have the Hubble-type radial rescaling

$$\lambda (\tau )1+\frac{\mathrm{\Delta }r}{r}1+\left(\frac{\tau }{\tau _T}\right)^2,$$
(8)   
where

$$\tau _T\frac{R_A}{\sqrt{k}c_s}.$$
(9)   
has a meaning of the lifetime against transverse expansion. For central $`PbPb`$ collisions eq. (9) gives $`\tau _T10k^{0.5}\mathrm{f}/\mathrm{c}`$ which is larger than the above cited estimates of $`\tau _B`$ and at SPS and RHIC energies the transverse expansion of the fireball can be neglected.

In a quasi-uniform plasma the hydrodynamic expansion lasts until $`ϵ=ϵ_h`$. For long-lived QGP and $`\tau \tau _0`$ we can use the Bjorken’s solution

$$ϵ(r,\tau )=ϵ_h\left(\frac{T_A(r)}{T_A(0)}\right)^k\left(\frac{\tau _B}{\tau }\right)^{1+c_s^2},$$
(10)   
which gives the position of the hadronization front

$$r_h(\tau )=R_A\sqrt{\frac{1+c_s^2}{k}\mathrm{ln}\frac{\tau _B}{\tau }}$$
(11)   
and the radial velocity at the hadronization front

$$u(\tau )=u_r(r_h(\tau ),\tau )=\frac{c_s^2\tau }{R_A(1c_s^4)}\sqrt{4k(1+c_s^2)\mathrm{ln}\frac{\tau _B}{\tau }}\left[1\left(\frac{\tau _0}{\tau }\right)^{1c_s^2}\right].$$
(12)   
For the usually discussed $`\tau _B`$ and $`\tau _0`$ we have $`\tau _B\tau _0`$. For such s long-lived QGP, $`\tau _B\tau _0`$, the radial velocity takes the maximal value $`u_m`$ at $`t1/\sqrt{e}`$,

$$u_m=\frac{c_s^2\tau _B}{R_A(1c_s^4)}\sqrt{\frac{2k(1+c_s^2)}{e}}\left[1\left(\frac{\tau _0\sqrt{e}}{\tau _B}\right)^{1c_s^2}\right].$$
(13)   
It is remarkable that the average radial acceleration $`u_m/\tau _B`$ is approximately constant. The solid line in fig. 1 shows the maximal velocity $`u_m`$ evaluated from (12). The large-$`\tau _B`$ approximation (13), shown by the dashed line, reproduces these results to better than $`4\%`$ at $`\tau _B=3`$ f/c and better than $`1\%`$ at $`\tau _B=8`$ f/c. For the above cited estimates for $`\tau _B`$ in central $`PbPb`$ collisions we find $`u_m(SPS)0.13`$ and $`u_m(RHIC)0.28`$, consequently the nonrelativistic expansion approximation is justified very well. Now notice, that for a long-lived QGP the hadronization front (11), shown in fig. 2, and $`u(\tau )/u_m`$ depend only on the scaling variable $`t=\tau /\tau _B`$, with an obvious exception of the short-time region $`\tau \tau _0`$. This scaling property is clearly seen in fig. 3 where we show the $`u/u_m`$ as a function of $`t=\tau /\tau _B`$. Notice a convergence to a universal curve with the increasing $`\tau _B`$.

The most interesting quantity is a radial velocity distribution which can be evaluated experimentally from the Doppler modifications of the thermal spectrum. In order to test our results one needs particles which are radiated from the hadronization front. The standard scenario is that the hadronization transition is followed by an expanding mixed phase which, however, does not contribute to the transverse velocity because in the mixed phase $`c_s^20`$ is negligible small. The mixed phase is followed by a hydrodynamic expansion and post-acceleration of strongly interacting pions and baryons until the hadronic freeze-out temperature $`T_f<T_h`$ is reached . This post-acceleration is negligible for weakly interacting $`K^+`$ and $`\varphi `$-mesons, which gives the desired access to the radial flow at the hadronization transition. In the evaluations of the modification of the the thermal spectrum and one needs to know the $`u`$-distribution weighted with the particle multiplicity. For the of constant hadronization temperature contribution of the hadronization surface $`r_h(\tau )`$ to the particle multiplicity is

$$dwr_h(\tau )d\tau .$$
(14)   
Making use of the solutions (11) and (12), it can readily be transformed into $`dw/dur_h(du/d\tau )^1`$. The important point is that because of the above discussed scaling properties of the transverse flow, the velocity distribution is a scaling function of $`x=u/u_m`$:

$$\frac{dw}{du}=\frac{1}{u_m}\frac{f(x,\tau _B)}{\sqrt{1x}},$$
(15)   
where for a long-lived QGP $`f(x,\tau _B)`$ does not depend on $`\tau _B`$. The square-root singularity at $`x=1`$ is a trivial consequence of the vanishing derivative $`du(\tau )/d\tau `$ at $`\tau \tau _B/\sqrt{e}`$. In Fig. 4 we show the scaling function $`f(x,\tau _B)`$ for $`\tau _B=6`$ f/c. We don’t show $`f(x,\tau _B)`$ for other values of $`\tau _B`$, because the variations from $`\tau _B=6`$ f/c to 3 f/c to 9 f/c do not exceed several per cent and are confined to a narrow region of $`x\text{ }<0.2`$. The approximation $`f(x)=0.5`$ is good for all the practical purposes.

In conclusion, we would like to argue that the shape of the velocity distribution is to a large extent the model independent one. The generic origin of the square-root singularity at $`x=1`$ has already been emphasized, the fact that $`f(0)0`$ is due to a radiation from the surface $`r_hR_A`$ at early stages of expansion. Above we assumed that hydrodynamic expansion continues untill the hadronization transition. Following Pomeranchuk  one can argue that in the non-uniform plasma the hydrodynamic expansion stops when the mean free path

$$l_{int}=\frac{1}{n(r_c,\tau )\sigma _t}$$
(16)   
defined in terms of the transport cross section $`\sigma _t`$, is larger that the GQP density variation length $`D(r,0)^1`$. In the partially equilibrated QGP $`l_{int}T^1`$. Then the Pomeranchuk condition gives the temperature $`T_P`$ at which the hydrodynamic expansion stops, $`T_Pr/R_A^2`$. The possibility remains open that at early stages $`T_P>T_h`$, in which case $`dwr_h(\tau )(T_P/T_h)^3d\tau `$. This enhanced radiation at early stages at slow radial expansion but at higher temperatures $`T_P`$ would mimic radiation at a lower temperature and higher radial velocity. This may result in the apparent depletion of $`f(0)`$; in order to explore this possibility one needs better understanding of $`l_{int}`$ near the hadronization transition.

The NA49 fits to the proton, kaon and pion transverse mass $`m_T`$ distribution in central $`PbPb`$ collisions at SPS assume identical freeze-out temperature for all particle species . For positive particles NA49 finds $`T_f=140\pm 7`$ MeV and the transverse velocity $`u=0.41\pm 0.11`$. However, for the $`K^+`$ one must take the higher freeze-out temperature $`T_f=T_h160`$ MeV given by the lattice QCD. Because of the anti-correlation between the local temperature $`T_f`$ and $`u_T`$, see Fig. 7 in , such a fit with larger $`T_f`$ to the same $`m_T`$ distribution shall yield smaller $`u`$.

Acknowledgements: This work was partly supported by the INTAS grant 96-597 and the Grant N 94-02-05203 from the Russian Fund for Fundamental Research.

Figure captions

* The maximal velocity of radial expansion $`u_m`$ for for central $`PbPb`$ collisions as a function of the expansion time $`\tau _B`$. Shown by the dotted line is the large-$`\tau _B`$ formula (15).
* The time dependence of the hadronization front for central $`PbPb`$ collisions.
* The converegence to the scaling behaviour of the time dependence of the relative radial velocity $`u/u_m`$ for central $`PbPb`$ collisions.
* The scaling function $`f(x,\tau _B)`$ of. Eq. (15) is shown for $`\tau _B=6`$.